Job overview

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK, as Skilled Worker visa sponsorship is not offered for this post. 

Your expertise can shape how we support our people.

Are you an experienced Employee Relations professional looking for a role where your advice, judgement and expertise can make a real difference?

We are looking for an Employee Relations Advisor to join our People and Culture team at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced ER professional to take on a varied and influential role, providing expert advice and support to managers across the Trust and helping us ensure our people are treated fairly, consistently and with dignity and respect.

You’ll be joining a team where Employee Relations is about more than managing cases — it’s about building manager confidence, developing positive working relationships and creating a culture where people can thrive.

Main duties of the job

As an Employee Relations Advisor, you’ll provide professional ER and HR advice across a broad range of complex and sensitive employment matters, including:

• Grievance, disciplinary, absence management and Respect (anti-harassment) procedures.
• Complex employee relations casework, investigations, hearings and appeals.
• Coaching and supporting managers through investigations and formal processes.
• Advising on suspensions and exclusions, balancing risk, patient safety and operational priorities.
• Supporting managers to prepare investigation reports, management statements of case and hearing documentation.
• Providing advice on employment legislation, terms and conditions, contracts and Trust policies.
• Supporting Employment Tribunal preparation alongside the Employee Relations Manager and HR Business Partners.
  Proactively supporting managers with short- and long-term sickness absence cases.
• Using ER data and management information to identify themes, monitor performance and support improvement.
• Contributing to policy development and keeping managers informed of changes in employment law and best practice.
• Delivering training and developing managers’ confidence and capability in people management.
• Building constructive partnerships with recognised Trade Unions and senior managers.

Working for our organisation

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust is one of the region's busiest providers of healthcare. It was formed on 1 April 1998 following a merger between East Surrey Healthcare NHS and Crawley Horsham NHS Trusts. We are often referred to as 'SASH'.

We run East Surrey Hospital in Redhill, where we have more than 700 beds and provide acute and complex services. In addition, we provide a range of outpatient, diagnostic and less complex planned services at The Earlswood Centre, Caterham Dene Hospital, Crawley Hospital and Horsham Hospital.

Every year, over 120,000 people attend our Emergency Department, we deliver nearly 4,000 babies and almost half a million people have outpatient appointments with us.

We are a major local employer, with a diverse workforce of around 5,500 staff providing healthcare services to a growing population of some 744,000 people.

We are proud to be an inclusive employer, and we work hard to create an environment where everyone feels valued and supported. At our Trust, we strive to be the best place to work and receive care. We are dedicated to supporting you in your current role while helping you grow and develop your career. As part of our team, you will have access to excellent training opportunities, flexible working, dedicated support networks, and a strong emphasis on health and wellbeing to ensure a thriving and positive work environment.