Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Assistant HR Business Partner

Information:

This job is now closed

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dynamic and results driven HR professional to join our Lead Employer Service on a fixed term basis to cover maternity leave. As the largest Lead Employer in the NHS employing over 12,500 doctors, dentists and public health specialty trainees we have more than a decade of experience in delivering a high quality, highly regarded service.

The Lead Employer team is ambitious, proactive and passionate about improving the working lives of our colleagues in training. We work in collaboration with eight NHS England regions and Host organisations to ensure trainees are fully supported at every step of their career.

Working within our HR Business Partnering and Advisory team, this is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys both working autonomously in a fast-paced environment and working with a wide range of stakeholders. With a proven record of providing advice on a variety of employment matters you will work closely with the Senior HR Management Team to ensure the delivery of an effective and efficient service delivering in line with best practice and employment legislation.

Please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated, should a sufficient number of applications be received, you are therefore advised to apply at your earliest convenience.

Main duties of the job

We currently have a fantastic opportunity for an Assistant HR Business Partner to join our experienced and friendly HR Business Partner and Advisory Team in our Lead Employer Service. As an Assistant HR Business Partner for the Lead Employer Service you will have proven experience of working collaboratively and building positive stakeholder relationships.

Key responsibilities include:-

  • Provide expert HR advice on complex employment matters in line with Lead Employer policies and procedures keeping in line with best practice and employment legislation.
  • Working in partnership with the senior management team to provide professional customer focused HR advice, coaching and solutions that support the business in the identification and management of workforce issues and major change programmes.
  • Support the development and implementation of robust systems and processes to enable effective monitoring and management employee relations issues.
  • Analyse workforce information and Key Performance Indicators and work with the HR Business Partners to develop plans and strategies to support improvement and efficiency within the Service.
  • Build effective working relationships with Trade Union Representatives.

We actively promote applications for flexible working. And you will be part of a team where we encourage and support each other's health and well-being.

Please note interviews will include assessment tasks.

About us

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.

Our services:

Acute Care

Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care

Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services

Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services

We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements:

  • Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
  • Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
  • National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

Details

Date posted

17 February 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£37,338 to £44,962 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

4 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

409-6902191-B

Job locations

Jubilee Court

Waterside

St Helens

WA9 1TT


Job description

Job responsibilities

Supporting the Business

To contribute to the development of the HR plan aligned to the service delivery objectives and standards required by the Lead Employer Service.

Anticipate the impact of external changes on the workforce and develop effective solutions and strategies to support the changing environment.

Provide management/workforce information as requested to enable the development of workforce plans.

Represent the service at various meetings and stakeholder events as required within our 6 NHSE regions.

Support the senior management team to maintain and develop professional HR services, systems, records and quality/control procedures.

Policies and Procedure

Support Host organisations and Health Education England in the interpretation of policies and procedures e.g. Sickness Absence, Maternity, Paternity and Adoption.

Deal with complex or highly sensitive matters as cascaded from the Employment Services team, senior management team, Host Trusts and NHSE.

Produce high quality written correspondence including letters, e-mails and memos, in line with corporate communications guidance and Trust policies and procedures.

Contribute to the development and review of HR policies and procedures specific to the Lead Employer Service.

Maintain effective employee relations with staff side to ensure the efficient and effective management of cases.

Workforce Development and Transformation

Lead by example, working in partnership with the Learning & Development team; develop a coaching culture across the service to support personal development and succession planning as identified.

Identify specific employment issues from workforce trends and staff feedback mechanisms to support the development of HR interventions to meet business needs.

Design and deliver HR skills training as required.

Lead Workforce thinking, encouraging innovation and championing workforce transformation to support service development.

Active participation in leadership of development projects.

Lead and project manage key HR initiatives in accordance with agreed requirements realising effective co-ordination of people, resource and talent ensuring the benefits are realised.

Workforce Planning and Information

Establish workforce metrics and performance targets and work closely with the Workforce information

team and HR Business Partners to produce regular monitoring reports for effective cascade of management information to key stakeholders.

Analyse workforce information and productivity measures and work with the HR Business Partners to develop plans and strategies to support improvement and efficiency within the Service.

HR Service Delivery

Influence business decisions to ensure account is taken of best practice human resource management.

Advise key stakeholders on complex, sensitive or contentious employee relations issues, providing support to

key stakeholders investigating complex cases when required and supporting hearings.

Review and develop HR Policies and Procedures in line with governance and legal requirements.

Negotiate terms and conditions of employment with staff side in respect of specific projects and activities.

Implement effective HR systems to record and monitor all case activity and monitor compliance in relation to data protection, E& & I and other HR related legislation

Ensure effective recording and monitoring systems are implemented and maintained for attendance management activity.

Service Improvement and Change Management

Contribute to the continuous improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of the Lead Employer Service.

Seek customer service feedback from designated areas of responsibility and make recommendations to the Lead Employer Senior Management team as part of the delivery of the SLA.

Support in the transformation of, new ways of working and continuous improvement of the service.

Undertake and participate in projects as required.

To continually promote equality diversity and inclusion and undertake equality impact assessments as required.

Relationship Management and Networking

Develop effective relationships within Host Trusts and ensure the service is viewed positively by adding value to the Lead Employer Service.

Develop and maintain relationships within the wider HR community to enable networking and sharing of best practice.

Work closely with other HR colleagues to ensure a seamless and World Class HR service is delivered.

Team Leadership and Development

Support colleagues in their continuous professional development and provide training/coaching solutions as identified for the Employment Services team and key stakeholders.

Effectively manage the delegation of case work to members of the Employment Services Team/HR Advisory team as appropriate providing professional coaching to optimise their capability and career development potential.

Manage the monitoring of regular reports on contractual matters escalating any areas of concern to the HRBP

Escalate any highly complex cases to the HRBP and support with the development of plans to mitigate risks to the organisation.

Be responsible for own development, including attendance at mandatory training and continually keep up to date with changes to employment legislation and best practice.

Performance Management

Contribute to the achievement of the Lead Employer HR Service to deliver against the corporate objectives and the Lead Employer Service Level Agreement.

Co-ordinate the provision of accurate and timely information as requested.

Support key stakeholders in the analysis of HR metrics/statistics highlighting any trends.

Support key stakeholders in the development of action plans to address any areas which require improvement.

Coach and guide key stakeholders on specific employment relations issues emphasising the importance of good record keeping and data protection.

Employee/Stakeholder Engagement

Develop and maintain effective internal and external communication networks to support the delivery of the Lead Employer Service.

Build and maintain effective relationships with Staff Side representatives.

Contribute to the process of involvement, consultations, negotiations with staff and their representatives.

Actively promote positive behaviours, the Trusts values and culture across the division.

Champion the Equality Diversity and Inclusion agenda and proactively support key stakeholders to ensure the principles are embedded in their areas of responsibility.

Continually promote equality diversity and inclusion in policy development and undertake equality impact assessments when required.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Supporting the Business

To contribute to the development of the HR plan aligned to the service delivery objectives and standards required by the Lead Employer Service.

Anticipate the impact of external changes on the workforce and develop effective solutions and strategies to support the changing environment.

Provide management/workforce information as requested to enable the development of workforce plans.

Represent the service at various meetings and stakeholder events as required within our 6 NHSE regions.

Support the senior management team to maintain and develop professional HR services, systems, records and quality/control procedures.

Policies and Procedure

Support Host organisations and Health Education England in the interpretation of policies and procedures e.g. Sickness Absence, Maternity, Paternity and Adoption.

Deal with complex or highly sensitive matters as cascaded from the Employment Services team, senior management team, Host Trusts and NHSE.

Produce high quality written correspondence including letters, e-mails and memos, in line with corporate communications guidance and Trust policies and procedures.

Contribute to the development and review of HR policies and procedures specific to the Lead Employer Service.

Maintain effective employee relations with staff side to ensure the efficient and effective management of cases.

Workforce Development and Transformation

Lead by example, working in partnership with the Learning & Development team; develop a coaching culture across the service to support personal development and succession planning as identified.

Identify specific employment issues from workforce trends and staff feedback mechanisms to support the development of HR interventions to meet business needs.

Design and deliver HR skills training as required.

Lead Workforce thinking, encouraging innovation and championing workforce transformation to support service development.

Active participation in leadership of development projects.

Lead and project manage key HR initiatives in accordance with agreed requirements realising effective co-ordination of people, resource and talent ensuring the benefits are realised.

Workforce Planning and Information

Establish workforce metrics and performance targets and work closely with the Workforce information

team and HR Business Partners to produce regular monitoring reports for effective cascade of management information to key stakeholders.

Analyse workforce information and productivity measures and work with the HR Business Partners to develop plans and strategies to support improvement and efficiency within the Service.

HR Service Delivery

Influence business decisions to ensure account is taken of best practice human resource management.

Advise key stakeholders on complex, sensitive or contentious employee relations issues, providing support to

key stakeholders investigating complex cases when required and supporting hearings.

Review and develop HR Policies and Procedures in line with governance and legal requirements.

Negotiate terms and conditions of employment with staff side in respect of specific projects and activities.

Implement effective HR systems to record and monitor all case activity and monitor compliance in relation to data protection, E& & I and other HR related legislation

Ensure effective recording and monitoring systems are implemented and maintained for attendance management activity.

Service Improvement and Change Management

Contribute to the continuous improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of the Lead Employer Service.

Seek customer service feedback from designated areas of responsibility and make recommendations to the Lead Employer Senior Management team as part of the delivery of the SLA.

Support in the transformation of, new ways of working and continuous improvement of the service.

Undertake and participate in projects as required.

To continually promote equality diversity and inclusion and undertake equality impact assessments as required.

Relationship Management and Networking

Develop effective relationships within Host Trusts and ensure the service is viewed positively by adding value to the Lead Employer Service.

Develop and maintain relationships within the wider HR community to enable networking and sharing of best practice.

Work closely with other HR colleagues to ensure a seamless and World Class HR service is delivered.

Team Leadership and Development

Support colleagues in their continuous professional development and provide training/coaching solutions as identified for the Employment Services team and key stakeholders.

Effectively manage the delegation of case work to members of the Employment Services Team/HR Advisory team as appropriate providing professional coaching to optimise their capability and career development potential.

Manage the monitoring of regular reports on contractual matters escalating any areas of concern to the HRBP

Escalate any highly complex cases to the HRBP and support with the development of plans to mitigate risks to the organisation.

Be responsible for own development, including attendance at mandatory training and continually keep up to date with changes to employment legislation and best practice.

Performance Management

Contribute to the achievement of the Lead Employer HR Service to deliver against the corporate objectives and the Lead Employer Service Level Agreement.

Co-ordinate the provision of accurate and timely information as requested.

Support key stakeholders in the analysis of HR metrics/statistics highlighting any trends.

Support key stakeholders in the development of action plans to address any areas which require improvement.

Coach and guide key stakeholders on specific employment relations issues emphasising the importance of good record keeping and data protection.

Employee/Stakeholder Engagement

Develop and maintain effective internal and external communication networks to support the delivery of the Lead Employer Service.

Build and maintain effective relationships with Staff Side representatives.

Contribute to the process of involvement, consultations, negotiations with staff and their representatives.

Actively promote positive behaviours, the Trusts values and culture across the division.

Champion the Equality Diversity and Inclusion agenda and proactively support key stakeholders to ensure the principles are embedded in their areas of responsibility.

Continually promote equality diversity and inclusion in policy development and undertake equality impact assessments when required.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Educated to degree level and/or equivalent qualification and/or relevant experience
  • Level 7 CIPD qualified or working towards
  • Evidence of continuing professional development

Desirable

  • Chartered member of CIPD (MCIPD)
  • Employment Law Qualification
  • Project Management Qualification

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

  • Significant operational HR experience post qualification
  • Experience of working and negotiating with Trade Unions
  • Experience of workforce change programmes
  • Experience of analysing workforce information
  • Experience of workforce planning and modernisation
  • Experience of building people management, competence, and capability
  • Knowledge of TUPE legislation
  • Experience in developing innovative workforce solutions to support the achievement of business goals

Desirable

  • Worked in a senior HR role in the NHS of public sector organisation
  • Experience of working in a business partner role
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Educated to degree level and/or equivalent qualification and/or relevant experience
  • Level 7 CIPD qualified or working towards
  • Evidence of continuing professional development

Desirable

  • Chartered member of CIPD (MCIPD)
  • Employment Law Qualification
  • Project Management Qualification

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

  • Significant operational HR experience post qualification
  • Experience of working and negotiating with Trade Unions
  • Experience of workforce change programmes
  • Experience of analysing workforce information
  • Experience of workforce planning and modernisation
  • Experience of building people management, competence, and capability
  • Knowledge of TUPE legislation
  • Experience in developing innovative workforce solutions to support the achievement of business goals

Desirable

  • Worked in a senior HR role in the NHS of public sector organisation
  • Experience of working in a business partner role

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Jubilee Court

Waterside

St Helens

WA9 1TT


Employer's website

https://www.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Jubilee Court

Waterside

St Helens

WA9 1TT


Employer's website

https://www.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

HR Business Partner

Ruth McCann

Ruth.McCann@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk

01512904753

Details

Date posted

17 February 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£37,338 to £44,962 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

4 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

409-6902191-B

Job locations

Jubilee Court

Waterside

St Helens

WA9 1TT


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

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