About this role
Job summary
Are you a confident, compassionate People professional who wants your work to matter every day? At Bluebell Wood Childrens Hospice, youll use your HR expertise to support the colleagues and volunteers who make specialist care possible for babies, children, young people and families. Were looking for a proactive, values-led People Advisor to join our small People Team and help shape an inclusive, supportive culture where people feel able to do their best work.
This is a great opportunity for someone who wants more than a standard HR advisory role. You will be close to the people, decisions and everyday moments that shape how our hospice feels to work in, with this role developing and influencing practical improvements that support colleagues, volunteers and ultimately the families who rely on us.
This is a hands-on advisory role with real influence: varied, rewarding and close to the day-to-day rhythm of the hospice. Youll be trusted to solve practical people matters, build strong relationships quickly and bring people-centred advice to managers across Bluebell Wood. In a small team with lots to do, your judgement, pace and follow-through will really matter.
Main duties of the job
We have an ambitious People Plan focused on attracting and retaining talented people, enabling colleagues and volunteers to thrive, and creating a positive, inclusive workplace experience. As People Advisor, you will help bring these ambitions to life by supporting manager capability, employee relations, wellbeing, engagement and continuous improvement across the hospice.
Acting as a trusted first point of contact for a wide range of people matters, you will provide practical, values-led advice and guidance throughout the employee lifecycle. You'll manage employee relations casework, coach managers, support recruitment and onboarding, use people data to identify trends, and contribute to the development of policies, processes and practices that enhance the colleague experience.
Working closely with the Head of People, you will also help design and deliver training, workshops and manager briefings that build confidence, consistency and effective people management across the organisation.
We're looking for someone who is warm, credible and solutions-focused, with CIPD Level 5 qualification and experience in an HR advisory role. You will have strong employment law knowledge, experience managing employee relations matters, and the confidence to support and challenge managers constructively. Well-organised and detail-focused, you'll be able to manage competing priorities, handle sensitive situations professionally and use people data to support informed decision-making.
About us
Our uncompromisable support services are wide-ranging and bespoke to each family. We provide symptom management, end-of-life care, post-death care, short breaks, counselling, sibling support groups, music therapy, home visits and more.
We support families across a large geographical area, including South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire, North Derbyshire and parts of North Lincolnshire. The hospice is easily accessible from Barnsley, Rotherham, Doncaster, Sheffield and North Notts, making our reach truly regional and inclusive.
Every year, we must raise £6.7 million to keep our doors open, and only 17% comes from government sources. The rest is powered by the generosity and commitment of our supporters, colleagues and volunteers. Your People expertise will help us support, develop and retain the people who make our care possible, creating a fair, inclusive and compassionate workplace where everyone can do their best work.
Job description Job responsibilities
JOB PURPOSE
Working in the People Team as the sole People Advisor to provide a responsive, compassionate and professional People advisory service across Bluebell Wood, supporting colleagues and managers throughout the employee lifecycle. The role helps managers make fair, consistent and values-led people decisions, supports positive employee relations, and contributes to building an incredible, inclusive culture where colleagues and volunteers can do their best work for children, young people and families.
MAIN DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
Provide proactive, practical and compassionate People advice to line managers, colleagues and volunteers, helping to resolve people matters fairly, consistently and in line with Bluebell Woods values, policies and employment law.
Act as a trusted and knowledgeable first point of contact for line managers, offering clear guidance on terms and conditions, policies, procedures and effective people management practice.
Working with the Volunteer & People Lead, support volunteers and managers with people-related matters throughout the volunteer lifecycle, including onboarding, engagement, development, recognition, concerns and ending volunteer arrangements.
Proactively coach and support line managers to address employee relations matters at an early stage, including absence, conduct, capability and grievance concerns, encouraging fair, timely and values-led decision making.
Manage a caseload of employee relations and attendance matters where required, taking ownership of next steps, maintaining accurate records, liaising with occupational health providers and escalating complex or high-risk matters appropriately.
Lead and coordinate recruitment activity across the hospice, advising line managers on job descriptions, person specifications, advertising, assessment methods and inclusive selection processes.
Use People data effectively to provide managers with timely workforce information and insight, supporting workforce planning, decision making and early intervention where people risks or trends are identified.
Build strong and trusting working relationships with line managers, using coaching, constructive challenge and influence to strengthen confidence, consistency and accountability in people management.
Identify and drive opportunities to improve people practices through regular contact with colleagues and managers, feedback, data and surveys, developing practical proposals and turning ideas into completed actions.
Lead and contribute to People Strategy projects, policy and process development, recognition, retention, along with colleague networks or working groups, including EDI and wellbeing, driving continuous improvement by taking ownership for agreed actions and bringing tasks to completion with strong collaboration and attention to detail.
Develop and deliver workshops for managers that align with the learning and development plan, while keeping own professional knowledge and practice up to date.
Ensure all people-related data, information and personal files are kept up to date, accurately maintained and stored and processed in accordance with GDPR and Care Quality Commission requirements, including providing timely and accurate information to Payroll each month.
Essential criteria
CIPD Level 5 qualified, working towards, or able to demonstrate equivalent HR qualification, training, professional experience and continuing professional development relevant to the role.
Experience of working in an HR advisory role, including providing general HR advice, HR administration, recruitment and selection support.
Up-to-date knowledge of employment law and experience of applying this to organisational policies, procedures and people-related matters.
Experience of managing employee relations casework, including supporting timely, fair, inclusive and values-led outcomes.
Strong interpersonal, communication and written skills, including empathy, sensitivity and tact, with the ability to communicate effectively at all levels and produce clear reports, notes and correspondence.
Ability to deal with difficult and sensitive situations professionally, objectively and confidentially, using sound judgement and a solution-focused approach.
Strong negotiation, influencing and coaching skills, with the ability to build trust, proactively coach and advise line managers, and work effectively with multidisciplinary teams.
Good planning, organisation and time management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, work independently and maintain attention to detail.
Ability to collect, collate and analyse data to support informed decisions, with confident use of Microsoft Office and HR systems to maintain accurate records and produce information.
Desirable
Experience of working for a charity / other voluntary organisation.
Experience of working with a HRM system.
Experience of working with volunteers or within a volunteer-involving organisation.
Experience of supporting wellbeing, EDI or colleague engagement initiatives.
Experience of delivering manager briefings, workshops or training.
Associate CIPD membership, or willingness to work towards this.
GENERAL
All Bluebell Wood employees are required to:
Abide by the Health & Safety at Work Act
Adhere to policy and procedures around safeguarding children and young adults
Respect confidentiality applying to all Hospice areas
Work within Hospice policies and procedures
Demonstratable understanding and application of the provisions of GDPR
Comply with the Hospice no smoking policy
Participate in and contribute to team meetings
Co-operate and liaise with colleagues
Behave in a professional manner at all times
Act as an ambassador for Bluebell Wood Childrens Hospice, reflecting the objectives and values, and to always work in the best interests of the charity.
MANAGERS OF VOLUNTEERS AT BLUEBELL WOOD ARE EXPECTED TO:
Support a positive and inclusive volunteering experience, working collaboratively with the Volunteer & People Lead and relevant managers.
Ensure volunteers are appropriately welcomed, supported, communicated with and recognised for the contribution they make.
Promote good volunteer management practice in line with Bluebell Wood policies, values and safeguarding expectations.
Person Specification
Other Essential
Legally entitled to work in this country.
Experience Essential
Experience of working in an HR advisory role, including providing general HR advice, HR administration, recruitment and selection support. Experience of managing employee relations casework, including supporting timely, fair, inclusive and values-led outcomes
Desirable
Experience of working for a charity / other voluntary organisation. Experience of working with a HRM system. Experience of working with volunteers or within a volunteer-involving organisation. Experience of supporting wellbeing, EDI or colleague engagement initiatives. Experience of delivering manager briefings, workshops or training.
Skills / Knowledge Essential
Up-to-date knowledge of employment law and experience of applying this to organisational policies, procedures and people-related matters. Strong interpersonal, communication and written skills, including empathy, sensitivity and tact, with the ability to communicate effectively at all levels and produce clear reports, notes and correspondence. Ability to deal with difficult and sensitive situations professionally, objectively and confidentially, using sound judgement and a solution-focused approach Strong negotiation, influencing and coaching skills, with the ability to build trust, proactively coach and advise line managers, and work effectively with multidisciplinary teams. Good planning, organisation and time management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, work independently and maintain attention to detail. Ability to collect, collate and analyse data to support informed decisions, with confident use of Microsoft Office and HR systems to maintain accurate records and produce information.
Qualifications Essential
CIPD Level 5 qualified, working towards, or able to demonstrate equivalent HR qualification, training, professional experience and continuing professional development relevant to the role
Desirable
Associate CIPD membership, or willingness to work towards this
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 Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice
Address Cramfit Road
North Anston
Sheffield
S25 4AJ
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.bluebellwood.org/ (Opens in a new tab)