Job summary
33 days annual leave + bank holidays
Pension scheme, hybrid working, additional employee benefits including car lease scheme
We have an amazing opportunity for a commercially minded, future oriented HR Manager to join Sunderland GP Alliance Ltd. Listed in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2025.
The Alliance has been delivering high-quality primary care services for over a decade. We were established with the purpose to help GPs to work together for the benefit of patients and employees. We operate with a not-for-profit ethos, aiming to reinvest any money we make to help improve services for patients. We currently employ 250 employees and utilise a further 100 Sessional Workers to deliver services across the city.
We have a culture that is friendly and supportive which enables collaboration. With the energy and commitment of our teams we are optimistically looking ahead to the next chapter of our story. As a senior leader you will help us to successfully navigate this stage and guide a talented HR team along the journey.
You will be a proactive HR leader who has broad experience across the discipline. Being able to demonstrate strong technical HR knowledge along with a history of people management and successfully delivering organisational change. This is an opportunity to make a lasting impact while crafting strategy, culture, and operational excellence in a business that values its people and the services they deliver.
Main duties of the job
The HR Manager role is responsible for the development of the strategic and operational HR function across the business as it continues to develop.
The HR Manager will support the Chief Executive and the Senior Management Team in providing strategic leadership across the business creating a best in class employer brand to attract, engage, develop and retain the best talent, optimising people performance to deliver the company's ambitions.
The role will provide a high quality, comprehensive HR service to senior and line managers and the wider organisation. The HR Manager along with the HR Team will establish and maintain effective HR processes, policies and systems across the organisation ensuring a culture of fairness and collaboration.
About us
For a second year in a row Sunderland GP Alliance has been listed in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work and Better Health At Work - Gold Award, offering 33 days annual leave and other benefits.
Sunderland GP Alliance is owned by the GP Practices of Sunderland and helps GPs work collaboratively for the benefit of patients and staff. We are a not-for-profit organisation, ensuring any surplus is reinvested back into better services for patients.
By working together, our General Practice community is able to provide innovative services across the city, and work collectively with other key system partners. You'll find great examples of this approach across our website including information on our Enhanced Access service, Clinical Pharmacist provision, and ECG service.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Strategic & Operational Leadership
- Working with the Chief Executive, the Senior Management Team and other
key stakeholders to develop strategic plans for the organisation, consistent
with and supportive of the strategic direction of key partners. Taking a
strategic approach to developing the HR function over the longer term.
- Develop and implement a people plan aligned to business goals to enable
the delivery of people strategies in partnership with stakeholders.
- Support organisational transformation and projects such as TUPE and
organisational design
- Promote a coaching-led approach to leadership development and performance
enhancement.
- Utilise systems to deliver compliant data, analytics, and reporting.
- Take personal responsibility for maintaining up to date generalist HR
knowledge and expertise and good current knowledge of the business environment.
HR Service Delivery & Compliance
- Managing the HR Team in the day to day operational activities of the
department whilst encouraging team development as well as flexibility to
support emerging business needs and the growth of the workforce.
- Supporting the HR team to deliver the full employee life cycle including
advice on employment issues, recruitment, appraisal, development and
disciplinary concerns.
- Supporting senior and line managers in the management of complex
employment issues; providing
professional advice in line with employment case law and employment best
practice and seeking expert advice in very complex scenarios.
- Developing and implementing HR policies and procedures compliant with
statute, employment law and best practice.
- Developing contracts of employment to reflect emerging business needs.
- Where the organisation has inherited multiple terms and conditions
through, for example, TUPE legislation, lead on any initiatives to harmonise
terms and conditions in a fair and equitable manner.
- Ensure information and data governance relating to employee data is
processed to all relevant standards such as General Data Protection
Regulations.
Reward and
Benefits
- Develop and implement a job evaluation programme
and in partnership with the Head of Finance, establishing a commensurate salary
structure that ensures the organisations pay and compensation offer is fair
and consistent to all employees.
- Ensuring the provision of a competitive employee
benefits package to attract and retain talent
- Co-ordination
of payroll submissions on a monthly basis to include all adjustments for maternity/paternity
pay, sick pay or any other deviations from standard salaries.
Culture and Engagement
- Developing the organisational culture in line with the Alliance aim of
being an employer of choice through leading on a programme of employee
engagement to ensure there is a two-way dialogue between the organisation and
employees.
- Managing the employee engagement survey and output to include
benchmarking to external schemes, such as The Sunday Times Best Places to Work.
- Promoting the Alliance as an employer of choice through appropriate
channels such as recruitment events, conferences and social media platforms,
for example, LinkedIn.
- Engage with developing system wide initiatives to provide greater
efficiencies in the delivery of health and social care. This may involve
representing the organisation at system-wide meetings addressing workforce
issues;
Develop responses and initiatives to system-wide workforce issues,
consulting with member practices to understand their workforce requirements and
identify appropriate solutions;
Work with other stakeholders, including Health Education England,
Sunderland ICB, and Sunderland University, as well as other community as
appropriate
Network with other agencies (both statutory and voluntary) and develop
appropriate links to further the work of the practice and Sunderland GP
Alliance.
Wellbeing
- To design
and deliver the employee wellbeing strategy which is to be assessed against
external benchmarking standards such as Better Health at Work Award.
- To liaise
with the Occupational Health provider as required.
Learning
and Development
- Manage the provision of learning platforms to meet business needs.
- Developing and leading on a comprehensive induction programme for all
new employees.
- Design and implement career pathways to support succession planning.
- Developing and implementing a performance appraisal programme that
aligns employee objectives with the organisations strategic direction; coach
and develop managers to appraise against these objectives and develop action
plans to meet objectives and personal development aims.
- Assessment of training needs and in conjunction with line managers,
development of training programmes that meet employee requirements.
Health
& Safety
- Responsible for the organisations Health & Safety obligations,
ensuring compliance with legislative requirements.
- Liaising with the Health and Safety provider to ensure all audits are
complete.
Training &
Development
- Fully participates in training and development, meeting any, and all,
requirements of any courses funded, or part-funded by the Alliance.
- Engages in a programme of ongoing support and feedback to maximise the
benefit of the training and development plan.
Confidentiality
- In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the
post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients
and their carers, Practice staff and other healthcare workers. All such information from any source is to be
regarded as strictly confidential.
- Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare
workers or the business of the Alliance may only be divulged to authorized
persons in accordance with the Alliances policies and procedures relating to
confidentiality, and the protection of personal and sensitive data.
Health & Safety
The
post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others
health, safety and security as defined in the Alliances Health & Safety
Policy to include:
- Identifying the risk involved in work activities and undertaking such
activities in a way that manages those risks.
- Ensuring that all accidents or dangerous accidents are reported and investigated
and follow up action taken where necessary.
Equality and Diversity
The
post-holder will support the quality, diversity and rights of patients, carers
and colleagues to include:
- Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples rights,
interpreting them in a way that is consistent with current legislation.
- Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers
and colleagues.
- Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is
non-judgemental and respects their circumstances, feelings, priorities and
rights.
Quality
The
post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the Alliance, and will:
- Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk.
- Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either
directly or under supervision.
- Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and
team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhanced the
teams performance.
- Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients
needs.
- Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.
Communication
The
post-holder should recognize the importance of effective communication within
the team and will strive to:
- Communicate effectively with other team members.
- Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
- Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and
respond accordingly.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Strategic & Operational Leadership
- Working with the Chief Executive, the Senior Management Team and other
key stakeholders to develop strategic plans for the organisation, consistent
with and supportive of the strategic direction of key partners. Taking a
strategic approach to developing the HR function over the longer term.
- Develop and implement a people plan aligned to business goals to enable
the delivery of people strategies in partnership with stakeholders.
- Support organisational transformation and projects such as TUPE and
organisational design
- Promote a coaching-led approach to leadership development and performance
enhancement.
- Utilise systems to deliver compliant data, analytics, and reporting.
- Take personal responsibility for maintaining up to date generalist HR
knowledge and expertise and good current knowledge of the business environment.
HR Service Delivery & Compliance
- Managing the HR Team in the day to day operational activities of the
department whilst encouraging team development as well as flexibility to
support emerging business needs and the growth of the workforce.
- Supporting the HR team to deliver the full employee life cycle including
advice on employment issues, recruitment, appraisal, development and
disciplinary concerns.
- Supporting senior and line managers in the management of complex
employment issues; providing
professional advice in line with employment case law and employment best
practice and seeking expert advice in very complex scenarios.
- Developing and implementing HR policies and procedures compliant with
statute, employment law and best practice.
- Developing contracts of employment to reflect emerging business needs.
- Where the organisation has inherited multiple terms and conditions
through, for example, TUPE legislation, lead on any initiatives to harmonise
terms and conditions in a fair and equitable manner.
- Ensure information and data governance relating to employee data is
processed to all relevant standards such as General Data Protection
Regulations.
Reward and
Benefits
- Develop and implement a job evaluation programme
and in partnership with the Head of Finance, establishing a commensurate salary
structure that ensures the organisations pay and compensation offer is fair
and consistent to all employees.
- Ensuring the provision of a competitive employee
benefits package to attract and retain talent
- Co-ordination
of payroll submissions on a monthly basis to include all adjustments for maternity/paternity
pay, sick pay or any other deviations from standard salaries.
Culture and Engagement
- Developing the organisational culture in line with the Alliance aim of
being an employer of choice through leading on a programme of employee
engagement to ensure there is a two-way dialogue between the organisation and
employees.
- Managing the employee engagement survey and output to include
benchmarking to external schemes, such as The Sunday Times Best Places to Work.
- Promoting the Alliance as an employer of choice through appropriate
channels such as recruitment events, conferences and social media platforms,
for example, LinkedIn.
- Engage with developing system wide initiatives to provide greater
efficiencies in the delivery of health and social care. This may involve
representing the organisation at system-wide meetings addressing workforce
issues;
Develop responses and initiatives to system-wide workforce issues,
consulting with member practices to understand their workforce requirements and
identify appropriate solutions;
Work with other stakeholders, including Health Education England,
Sunderland ICB, and Sunderland University, as well as other community as
appropriate
Network with other agencies (both statutory and voluntary) and develop
appropriate links to further the work of the practice and Sunderland GP
Alliance.
Wellbeing
- To design
and deliver the employee wellbeing strategy which is to be assessed against
external benchmarking standards such as Better Health at Work Award.
- To liaise
with the Occupational Health provider as required.
Learning
and Development
- Manage the provision of learning platforms to meet business needs.
- Developing and leading on a comprehensive induction programme for all
new employees.
- Design and implement career pathways to support succession planning.
- Developing and implementing a performance appraisal programme that
aligns employee objectives with the organisations strategic direction; coach
and develop managers to appraise against these objectives and develop action
plans to meet objectives and personal development aims.
- Assessment of training needs and in conjunction with line managers,
development of training programmes that meet employee requirements.
Health
& Safety
- Responsible for the organisations Health & Safety obligations,
ensuring compliance with legislative requirements.
- Liaising with the Health and Safety provider to ensure all audits are
complete.
Training &
Development
- Fully participates in training and development, meeting any, and all,
requirements of any courses funded, or part-funded by the Alliance.
- Engages in a programme of ongoing support and feedback to maximise the
benefit of the training and development plan.
Confidentiality
- In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the
post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients
and their carers, Practice staff and other healthcare workers. All such information from any source is to be
regarded as strictly confidential.
- Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare
workers or the business of the Alliance may only be divulged to authorized
persons in accordance with the Alliances policies and procedures relating to
confidentiality, and the protection of personal and sensitive data.
Health & Safety
The
post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others
health, safety and security as defined in the Alliances Health & Safety
Policy to include:
- Identifying the risk involved in work activities and undertaking such
activities in a way that manages those risks.
- Ensuring that all accidents or dangerous accidents are reported and investigated
and follow up action taken where necessary.
Equality and Diversity
The
post-holder will support the quality, diversity and rights of patients, carers
and colleagues to include:
- Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples rights,
interpreting them in a way that is consistent with current legislation.
- Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers
and colleagues.
- Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is
non-judgemental and respects their circumstances, feelings, priorities and
rights.
Quality
The
post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the Alliance, and will:
- Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk.
- Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either
directly or under supervision.
- Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and
team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhanced the
teams performance.
- Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients
needs.
- Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.
Communication
The
post-holder should recognize the importance of effective communication within
the team and will strive to:
- Communicate effectively with other team members.
- Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
- Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and
respond accordingly.
Person Specification
Other
Essential
- UK driving licence
- UK work permit (if required)
- Ability to travel between various locations
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable, substantial experience of working at a senior HR level
- Comprehensive and up to date knowledge of employment law and best HR practice
- Presence and credibility to work with a senior management team
- An experienced manager and leader of an HR Team
- Understanding and practical knowledge of employment law and employer best practice
- Significant experience of HR management dealing with a range of complex employment issues
- Experience of developing creative solutions to support the management of change
- Experience of developing employee engagement programmes leading to tangible improvements in organisational culture
- Knowledge of health and safety legislation and risk assessment
- Experience of working with a wide-range of partner organisations to deliver system-wide solutions
Desirable
- Experience of HR management in a healthcare or public sector setting
- Experience of HR management within a growing business
- Experience of dealing with change management situations such as TUPE, including harmonisation of terms and conditions
- Experience of implementing external benchmarking standards such as The Sunday Times Best Places to Work, or equivalent, to improve people management across the business
- A knowledge and understanding of the key partners in Sunderland
Motivation and Skills
Essential
- Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills
- Highly organised and able to manage a broad portfolio of activities within agreed deadlines
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- An approach to work that strives for continuous improvement
- Resilient, flexible, driven by strong commitment to service excellence
- Strong IT skills with good knowledge of MS suite
- Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines
- Work effectively independently and as a team member
- Ability to recognise own limitations and act upon them appropriately
- Pragmatic problem solver who can find root causes of issues and gain leadership support to address them
- Ability to plan and manage work and projects
- Value diversity and believe strongly in creating an inclusive environment
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to MCIPD or relevant post graduate level qualification (or equivalent)
Person Specification
Other
Essential
- UK driving licence
- UK work permit (if required)
- Ability to travel between various locations
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable, substantial experience of working at a senior HR level
- Comprehensive and up to date knowledge of employment law and best HR practice
- Presence and credibility to work with a senior management team
- An experienced manager and leader of an HR Team
- Understanding and practical knowledge of employment law and employer best practice
- Significant experience of HR management dealing with a range of complex employment issues
- Experience of developing creative solutions to support the management of change
- Experience of developing employee engagement programmes leading to tangible improvements in organisational culture
- Knowledge of health and safety legislation and risk assessment
- Experience of working with a wide-range of partner organisations to deliver system-wide solutions
Desirable
- Experience of HR management in a healthcare or public sector setting
- Experience of HR management within a growing business
- Experience of dealing with change management situations such as TUPE, including harmonisation of terms and conditions
- Experience of implementing external benchmarking standards such as The Sunday Times Best Places to Work, or equivalent, to improve people management across the business
- A knowledge and understanding of the key partners in Sunderland
Motivation and Skills
Essential
- Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills
- Highly organised and able to manage a broad portfolio of activities within agreed deadlines
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- An approach to work that strives for continuous improvement
- Resilient, flexible, driven by strong commitment to service excellence
- Strong IT skills with good knowledge of MS suite
- Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines
- Work effectively independently and as a team member
- Ability to recognise own limitations and act upon them appropriately
- Pragmatic problem solver who can find root causes of issues and gain leadership support to address them
- Ability to plan and manage work and projects
- Value diversity and believe strongly in creating an inclusive environment
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to MCIPD or relevant post graduate level qualification (or equivalent)
Additional information
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
