About this role
Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity to join University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust in a pivotal senior leadership role at the heart of our People Services function. As Assistant Director of People Services, you will help shape the experience of our people across a large, complex and ambitious organisation, leading services that make a real difference to colleagues, culture and ultimately patient care.
You will lead the People Business Partnering team and the Employee Relations team, with a real focus on fostering positive working relationships and creating a supportive environment where issues are addressed constructively and fairly.
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust is a Trust with a strong sense of purpose, serving communities across Derbyshire and Staffordshire through our hospital sites and dedicated teams. We are proud of our values of compassion, openness and excellence, and of our commitment to creating an inclusive, supportive environment where people can thrive, develop and do their very best work.
For the right candidate, this role offers the chance to influence strategy, lead meaningful change and work alongside passionate colleagues who are committed to continuous improvement. It is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced and values driven leader to join a forward looking Trust and play a key role in shaping how we support, engage and empower our workforce.
Main duties of the job
Lead on the Business Partnering and Employee Relations, providing strategic direction, fostering collaboration, and ensuring high standards of professional practice across both areas.
Contribute to Trust-wide People strategy, proactively identifying and managing people-related risks, legislative requirements, and workforce trends within strategic planning
Engage with key stakeholders to understand workforce demands, anticipate external changes, and developing plans that support Trust objectives and mitigate people risks
Act as the expert on organisational change, offering guidance on complex service reconfigurations, ensuring compliance with employment law, supporting managers with best practice and technical advice
Utilise people analytics and reporting to monitor workforce trends, drive continuous improvement, provide assurance to senior leadership and the Board, whilst maintaining compliance with data protection regulations
Build and sustain strong relationships with senior leaders, staff representatives, and external partners, negotiating and influencing outcomes on complex workforce matters and supporting clear, consistent application of our polices
Provide governance leadership within the Directorate, contributing to Trust-wide governance frameworks, risk registers, and assurance committees to enable effective decision-making.
Closing date: 22 June 2026
Interview date: TBC
About us
As a trusted organisation at the heart of our communities, we recognise the important role we can play in supporting the public, patients, our own people and local partners in achieving the best of health for the local population and the communities in which they live by providing Exceptional Care Together
Our fundamental Values of Compassion, Openness and Excellence underpin how we intend to work as a Trust and the associated behaviours are becoming embedded in all aspects of how we work.
In return we will offer:
Development opportunities, both professional and leadership development On-going support from recruitment to when you join our team and beyond. Staff benefits including employee assistance programme, discounted gym membership, onsite fitness classes, car schemes Key Facts:
We see on average 4810 OP appointments a day. We are the 4th busiest Trauma & Orthopaedic outpatients department in England - an average of 2077 per week. An average of 1115 patients are seen in A&Es across our network every day - 3rd largest in the country. Our hospitals admit an average of 195 emergency patients daily. Last year we undertook almost 33,700 planned surgical operations in our 57 operating theatres. We are one of only 7 Trusts nationally with more than 50 operating theatres. We carry out more than 140 elective procedures each working day. UHDB is a research active University Hospital with a large and varied portfolio of clinical trials and research opportunities for all staff.
Job description Job responsibilities
Please see attached Job description and Person Specification. To apply please click APPLY FOR THIS JOB this link will take you to the TRAC Recruitment Site. You will need to register if you do not already have an account.
UHDB is committed to fair and transparent recruitment. We welcome authentic applications that reflect your own skills, experience and motivations for the role. While we understand that candidates may use AI tools for grammar, formatting or accessibility purposes, applications that appear to be substantially AIgenerated may be subject to additional review. If this applies to your submission, we will let you know and may ask for clarification. Please ensure your application accurately represents your experience and is written in your own words.
Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click on the link to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorshipSkilled worker: Health and Care Visa | NHS Employers
Your application (for shortlisting purposes) is assessed based on the Person Specification in the job advert (below).
Person Specification
Education, Training and Qualifications CPD Requirements Essential
Masters level / Level 7 Advanced CIPD HR qualification (or equivalent) plus significant post qualification experience Active Chartered membership of CIPD (or equivalent) Evidence of ongoing professional development
Experience & Knowledge Essential
Significant proven experience of successfully leading an HR function in a large, unionised multi-disciplinary organisation Significant experience of partnership working with staff side representatives and/or professional bodies at local and regional level High level leadership skills to motivate staff and develop the strategic vision Experience of working at a senior level, presenting proposals, developing strategy, representing the organisation externally, presenting and articulating data and writing and presenting quality reports/ presentations Significant experience of planning and supporting the delivery of transformation and change. Including project management experience. Experience of developing and delivering customer focused HR services, working in close partnership with HR colleagues and wider stakeholders Excellent knowledge of Employment Law (current and proposed). Designing and delivering specialist HR Training Working in a complex fast moving, multi-professional environment
Desirable
Recent NHS HR experience Knowledge of the NHS and key issues facing all staff Experience of using ESR Good knowledge of Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions of Service
Skills and Ability Essential
Developing, reviewing, consulting on and implementing organisation-wide people policies and procedures Advising and supporting senior managers in dealing with a range of complex operational and strategic people matters encountered in a large, complex organisation, e.g. matters relating to sickness absence, disciplinary and capability Knowledge of key employment legislation and experienced in the use of organisational employment policies and procedures. Managing multiple work strands, priorities and complex and large-scale projects Delivering a complex workload in a fast-moving environment and often to challenging deadlines
Desirable
Agenda for change job matching, evaluation and ratification
Communications and interpersonal skills Essential
High level communication with written and verbal skills that can be adapted in accordance with the environment and needs of the audience. Demonstrable leadership skills with the ability to establish credibility quickly Significant experience of stakeholder management experience Proven line management and supervision experience with the ability to coach staff and managers Ability to develop and maintain relationships across a wide range of managers/ clinicians and staff at all levels Able to communicate clearly and effectively with all levels of staff internal and external to the Trust. This may include highly sensitive or complex information attracting an element of resistance or challenge Able to convert policies, procedures and guidance into key messages, online tools and training materials
Analytical and Judgment skills Essential
Analyse and interpret highly complex information in a variety of formats Analyse situations and use own initiative and judgement in dealing with complex problems to provide and facilitate workable solutions Gather business intelligence and translate this into effective plans Identify and implement improvements to systems and service provision Work with highly complex, often sensitive and contentious information from several different sources and provide clear advice and guidance to managers Generate and present reports and documents Manage ambiguity and balance competing demands of professional best practice, business needs, individual manager's requirements and the needs of employees
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust
Address Royal Derby Hospital
Derby
DE22 3NE
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.uhdb.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)