Saint Francis Hospice

People Advisor

The closing date is 01 May 2026

Job summary

The People and Culture team have a new opportunity for a People Advisor to join the Hospice and support the delivery of our new Strategy and People Plan and to create a great place to work.

The post reports to the Head of OD, Inclusion and Engagement and the key focus of the role will be to support our Finance and Resources Directorate and get involved in People projects and initiatives.

The role will support and coach managers through the employee lifecycle, from recruitment and onboarding, helping with HR advice, following management processes and supporting culture change.

This really is a fantastic opportunity for you to join a central function that is well respected and influential within the Hospice.

The job is for a 12 month Fixed Term contract, 30 hours per week

Main duties of the job

To support the People and Culture team and People Partners in the delivery of a high-quality, professional, proactive and efficient service through the consistent application of Hospice policies, employment legislation and best practice.

This role supports Employee Relations case work, recruitment, HR administration, payroll processes, HRIS maintenance, and provides advice and guidance to managers and the workforce. The postholder contributes to People Strategy delivery through project work and ensures effective communication across the organisation.

What can we offer a successful candidate?

A friendly, open and warm team to offer support and guidance. We offer generous annual leave entitlement starting at 27 days plus Bank Holidays, 1day birthday leave, Pension scheme and Occupational Sick Pay on commencement. We encourage and support hybrid and flexible working. We have an active Education team providing in-house training and supporting learning opportunities. Free Car parking and subsidised restaurant with a good food selection available daily, breakfast and lunch.

About us

We are a dynamic, forward thinking organisation delivering a full range of specialist palliative care services for individuals & their loved ones with palliative or end of life care needs. We achieved Outstanding in our CQC inspection & have reconfigured our services to meet the changing needs of our local community. We support 5 Clinical Commissioning Groups & have a robust governance structure in place. We provide ward clinical services within a modern, personal & friendly 18-bedded unit, as well as Specialist Community Crisis Support Service, Hospice at Home Service & Specialist Day Therapy Service. We also have the hospice Pepperell Education Centre that has an excellent reputation for delivering high quality education programmes and study days.

All communication regarding your application including invitations to interviews will be sent to the email address you have stated on your application form, if you could also provide a contact telephone number as well.

Saint Francis Hospice is a charity based in the UK. We will require all successful candidates to be able to provide documentary ID proof of their Right to Work in the UK. We are not a Licensed Sponsor, so are unable to provide sponsorship to support applicants applying from outside of the UK.

Please note that we are a charity & not part of an NHS Trust & we are situated in a quiet location in the village of Havering-atte-Bower, outskirts of Romford, therefore please consider our location when applying.

Details

Date posted

17 April 2026

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£34,532 a year Pro-rata, salary for 30 hpw would be £27,625 per annum

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

B0483-270

Job locations

St. Francis Hospice

Broxhill Road

Havering-atte-bower

Romford

RM4 1QH


Job description

Job responsibilities

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Recruitment

End-to-end recruitment processes, from advertising to onboarding.

Support planning and coordination of shortlisting and interview panels.

Conduct ID checks for DBS rechecks and ensure Safer Recruitment compliance.

Process employment and reference enquiries accurately and on time.

Advice and Guidance

Provide professional advice to managers and staff on terms and conditions, policies and procedures.

Advise managers of people implications of decisions, identifying risks and offering solutions.

Deliver training to managers and workforce on HRIS and people-related topics.

Employee Relations

Provide first-line advice to managers and employees on ER matters including conduct, performance and grievances.

Support early identification and management of ER concerns, ensuring consistent and fair application of policy.

Coach managers to navigate people issues confidently, enabling early intervention and effective conversations.

Support formal ER processes including preparing documentation and note-taking.

Escalate complex or high-risk cases to the People & Culture Partner with appropriate detail.

Sickness Absence Management

Provide advice on the application of the sickness absence policy.

Coach managers on short- and long-term sickness processes including RTW and attendance reviews.

Review sickness trends using HRIS data and highlight risks or actions needed.

Support development of improvement plans and reasonable adjustments.

Liaise with Occupational Health and other stakeholders to support safe return to work.

Manager Coaching & Support

Act as a trusted point of contact for people-related queries, offering practical and solution-focused guidance.

Build manager capability through informal coaching and support.

Deliver or support training sessions on sickness management, documentation and effective conversations.

HRIS Reporting and Maintenance

Provide data and reports for KPIs measuring People & Culture performance.

Build and produce ad hoc reports to inform business decisions.

Job description

Job responsibilities

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Recruitment

End-to-end recruitment processes, from advertising to onboarding.

Support planning and coordination of shortlisting and interview panels.

Conduct ID checks for DBS rechecks and ensure Safer Recruitment compliance.

Process employment and reference enquiries accurately and on time.

Advice and Guidance

Provide professional advice to managers and staff on terms and conditions, policies and procedures.

Advise managers of people implications of decisions, identifying risks and offering solutions.

Deliver training to managers and workforce on HRIS and people-related topics.

Employee Relations

Provide first-line advice to managers and employees on ER matters including conduct, performance and grievances.

Support early identification and management of ER concerns, ensuring consistent and fair application of policy.

Coach managers to navigate people issues confidently, enabling early intervention and effective conversations.

Support formal ER processes including preparing documentation and note-taking.

Escalate complex or high-risk cases to the People & Culture Partner with appropriate detail.

Sickness Absence Management

Provide advice on the application of the sickness absence policy.

Coach managers on short- and long-term sickness processes including RTW and attendance reviews.

Review sickness trends using HRIS data and highlight risks or actions needed.

Support development of improvement plans and reasonable adjustments.

Liaise with Occupational Health and other stakeholders to support safe return to work.

Manager Coaching & Support

Act as a trusted point of contact for people-related queries, offering practical and solution-focused guidance.

Build manager capability through informal coaching and support.

Deliver or support training sessions on sickness management, documentation and effective conversations.

HRIS Reporting and Maintenance

Provide data and reports for KPIs measuring People & Culture performance.

Build and produce ad hoc reports to inform business decisions.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Degree level qualification or equivalent level of demonstrable experience in Human Resources and People functions.
  • Evidence of continued professional development.
  • An understanding of Equal Opportunities and valuing Diversity.

Desirable

  • CIPD Level 5 qualification.

Experience

Essential

  • Demonstrable experience of working in people function and recruitment delivering high volume end to end recruitment campaigns and supporting managers to develop and implement plans.
  • Experience of undertaking compliance audits on recruitment activity, analysing data and providing assurance reports to ensure best practice and quality governance.
  • Experience of using computerised and web based HR information systems, e.g. DBS, NHS Jobs and website maintenance.
  • Experience providing first-line ER advice to managers.
  • Experience supporting sickness absence management including RTW processes.
  • Ability to coach and build manager capability on people practices.

Skills, Abilities, Knowledge

Essential

  • Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of preemployment checks and UKBA requirements; sufficient to be a point of escalation for resolution of queries and concerns.
  • Understanding of key employment legislation applicable to the role.
  • Excellent communication skills face to face or in writing complex/sensitive/contentious/confidential information.
  • Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, Power point and Outlook to competently compose letters, reports, excel spreadsheets/charts, presentations and data input often within tight time frames.
  • Ability to prioritise and meet deadlines; sustaining medium and long term priorities.

Other Requirements

Desirable

  • Experience of working with and supporting Volunteers
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Degree level qualification or equivalent level of demonstrable experience in Human Resources and People functions.
  • Evidence of continued professional development.
  • An understanding of Equal Opportunities and valuing Diversity.

Desirable

  • CIPD Level 5 qualification.

Experience

Essential

  • Demonstrable experience of working in people function and recruitment delivering high volume end to end recruitment campaigns and supporting managers to develop and implement plans.
  • Experience of undertaking compliance audits on recruitment activity, analysing data and providing assurance reports to ensure best practice and quality governance.
  • Experience of using computerised and web based HR information systems, e.g. DBS, NHS Jobs and website maintenance.
  • Experience providing first-line ER advice to managers.
  • Experience supporting sickness absence management including RTW processes.
  • Ability to coach and build manager capability on people practices.

Skills, Abilities, Knowledge

Essential

  • Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of preemployment checks and UKBA requirements; sufficient to be a point of escalation for resolution of queries and concerns.
  • Understanding of key employment legislation applicable to the role.
  • Excellent communication skills face to face or in writing complex/sensitive/contentious/confidential information.
  • Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, Power point and Outlook to competently compose letters, reports, excel spreadsheets/charts, presentations and data input often within tight time frames.
  • Ability to prioritise and meet deadlines; sustaining medium and long term priorities.

Other Requirements

Desirable

  • Experience of working with and supporting Volunteers

Employer details

Employer name

Saint Francis Hospice

Address

St. Francis Hospice

Broxhill Road

Havering-atte-bower

Romford

RM4 1QH


Employer's website

https://www.sfh.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Saint Francis Hospice

Address

St. Francis Hospice

Broxhill Road

Havering-atte-bower

Romford

RM4 1QH


Employer's website

https://www.sfh.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Head of OD, Inclusion & Engagement

Jo Higgins

jobs@sfh.org.uk

01708753319

Details

Date posted

17 April 2026

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£34,532 a year Pro-rata, salary for 30 hpw would be £27,625 per annum

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

B0483-270

Job locations

St. Francis Hospice

Broxhill Road

Havering-atte-bower

Romford

RM4 1QH


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Saint Francis Hospice's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)