People Relations Partner

CNWL; London; On-site; GBP 61,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job description

Search here to find a new job, a new career, an opportunity
to up skill or to simply change your career direction.

Become part of our team.
We care for you as much as you care for others.

There’s a place for you at CNWL.

We’re passionate about delivering first-class patient-centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient’s own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do.

Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people.
We’re always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we’re hoping to find our future leaders and we’ll support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career.

With a diverse culture and equally diverse range of opportunities across mental health, community services, addictions, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more – whatever stage of your career you're at, there's always a place for you at CNWL.

Site Trust HQ Town London Salary £61,927 - £68,676 per annum incl HCAS (pro rata if P/T) Salary period Yearly Closing 02/04/2025 23:59 Interview date 16/04/2025

Job overview

We are looking for an experienced People Partner to join our newly created Employee Relations Team in the People and Culture directorate following the conclusion of consultation to change the way we work. The roles will operate as People partners within the Employee Relations team in the Divisions and provide Human Resource operational and strategic support as the link between HR and service needs. You will be responsible for managing a team of Associate People Partners and will work with the Assistant Director of People Partnering and People Relations to contribute to the development and implementation of the directorate’s objectives and workforce strategy.

You will take responsibility for agreed areas of work and act as an advocate of change and modernisation in support of the Trust and workforce strategies. You will also be required to take the lead on corporate Human Resource issues in a specific area, including policy development, and be responsible for implementation on a Trust wide basis.

You will be highly proactive in extracting a range of data to design solutions whilst building consensus and working with high levels of ambiguity. You will work in partnership with senior leaders to diagnose people requirements and build solutions and programmes of work to meet their local and organisational priorities.

The role will be based at the Trust Headquarters in London but you will be expected to travel to different sites.

Main duties of the job

The role covers a busy business line overseeing and leading projects covering: transformation/ change, KPI management and leadership/ development. In addition, the successful applicant will be required to manage a complex portfolio of employee relations cases covering: Capability/ Competence, Dignity at work/ Grievance and Conduct. The role also has responsibility to line manage, support, motivate and develop Associate HR People Partner(s).

The post holder will have experience of being a highly collaborative member in a senior team of HR & OD experts, working cross-functional and in matrix management context with other parts of HR & OD. We are looking for someone who is passionate, with a demonstrable solid track record of working across systems in a large and complex organisation. The People Partner will continually inspire cultural transformation, behaviour change and compassionate leadership.

If you are looking for development, or your next role then we look forward to hearing from you.

Working for our organisation

CNWL provide care across the North West London, Milton Keynes and the South East of England. We provide a variety of care including community care, mental health, sexual health, health and justice etc. Being a large Trust covering a variety of services across a large geographical area, HR is a fast paced, busy environment. We are currently undergoing an improvement plan to develop on how we provide our services to support our clinical teams. Our organisation is driven by our strategic objectives and organisational values and we look for people who are strongly aligned with them. We have a great team that work well together.

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the JD/ PS attached for full details about the role.

Employee Relations

1. To manage the Associate People Partner(s) and through this to maintain a climate of employee relations that develops feelings of mutuality, encourages co-operation and minimises the causes and effects of conflict.
2. To facilitate good employee relations and expertly advise managers and staff accordingly on good practice. To support managers in effective implementation of the trust’s HR policies up to appeal level and attendance at Employment Tribunal.
3. To monitor sickness absence statistics, identifying patterns and trends and highlighting these to management. To enable managers to actively work towards improving attendance targets through managing sickness cases and through other absence management and health improvement initiatives.
4. To provide expert advice to managers in highly complex cases on the interpretation and implementation of the Trust’s disciplinary and grievance procedures within the context of the legal framework. To retain oversight of casework, and to line manage the Associate HRBP in the management of specific ER cases.
5. To take into account inter-relational dynamics when dealing with complex staff issues, recommending solutions that may prevent cases escalating to the formal stage, including facilitating meetings and delivering formal mediation.
6. To provide training and coaching to managers on HR practices and procedures.
7. To use a coaching approach with managers and other HR staff in informally dealing with complex and contentious staffing issues, with the aim of developing skills and confidence and avoiding fostering a relationship of reliance.
8. To be the HR representative to disciplinary panels up to the level of dismissal & appeal.

Organisational Change

1. To work in partnership with managers in providing expert guidance at all stages of the organisational change process as a key member of the project team, advising on implications for the workforce, involving staff in change processes, formal requirements for consultation and supporting staff through the change process.
2. To provide expert advice to managers on the interpretation and implementation of the Trust’s change management processes and procedures, within the context of the legal framework. To provide solutions in complex change situations involving competing priorities/legal uncertainties/lack of precedents, ensuring that service delivery aims and financial targets are achieved.
3. To take the lead in the implementation of restructuring processes, including the preparation of formal consultation documents, determining appropriate selection principles and methods, facilitating re-deployment and guiding managers and staff through redundancy situations as appropriate.

Person specification

EDUCATION / QUALIFICATIONS

• Educated to master’s degree or equivalent or commitment to obtain.
• CIPD qualified at Chartered membership level or commitment to obtain.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES

• Computer and IT literate with working knowledge of databases.
• Good and up to date understanding of NHS human resource context.
• Ability to work in a busy, sometimes pressurised environment.

EXPERIENCE

• Experience in a large complex organisation, including at a senior level incorporating:
• Employee services.
• Employee relations.
• Change Management.
• Experience of supervising staff.
• Experience of recruitment management.
• Experience obtained in public unionised environment.

ATTITUDES, APTITUDES, PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

• Willingness to contribute to corporate HR agenda.

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 8,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London's population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond. We involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run.

Our catchment area spans diverse communities, with over 100 first languages spoken. It contains areas of great affluence as well as areas of much deprivation. We are committed to providing services that meet the needs of the people who use them, and we actively encourage involvement from local people who can help make a difference. We’re proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

We offer a generous relocation package (subject to eligibility assessment) and flexible working options, including bank assignments for most roles. For more information on these and other benefits of working for us, see our Benefits, Reward and Wellbeing page.

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.

Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.

If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

Name Adewunmi Ilori Job title Head of HR Jameson Email address [e-mail]

If you have problems applying, contact

Address Argo House
180 Kilburn Park Road
London
NW6 5FA
Telephone [phone]