We’re looking for an experienced Senior HR Advisor to join our HR team in Essex, providing expert, pragmatic HR advice across the organisation and acting as a trusted partner to managers and senior stakeholders.
This is a varied and influential generalist HR role, giving you the opportunity to take ownership of complex employee relations matters while also supporting organisational change, workforce planning, performance, attendance and wider people initiatives.
You’ll be a key source of HR expertise within the team, confidently advising and coaching managers through challenging people matters, from complex disciplinary and grievance cases through to capability, absence, restructuring, redundancy and redeployment. You’ll also build strong and constructive relationships with Trade Union representatives and contribute to positive employee relations across the organisation.
Working closely with the Senior HR Manager, you’ll have the autonomy to manage your own workload and caseload, contribute to HR projects and policy development, and step up to provide senior HR support when required.
If you’re ready for a role where your judgement, influence and HR expertise can directly shape how people matters are managed, we’d love to hear from you.
This is a full-time, office-based role working 5 days per week, with the expectation that you will travel to other SYNLAB sites as required. The role offers the opportunity to work across different locations and build relationships with a wide range of managers and stakeholders across the organisation.
As a Senior HR Advisor, you’ll provide a high-quality, comprehensive HR service across the organisation, working closely with managers, senior leaders, employees, HR colleagues and Trade Union representatives.
You’ll take ownership of a varied and often complex caseload, providing trusted advice, professional challenge and practical solutions across:
Employee Relations – advising and coaching managers through complex disciplinary, grievance, capability, attendance, bullying and harassment cases, including formal hearings and appeals.
Employment Law & Policy – providing expert guidance on employment legislation, organisational policies and best practice to support fair, consistent and well-informed decision-making.
Organisational Change – supporting managers through restructuring, consultation, redundancy and redeployment processes, while maintaining positive employee and industrial relations.
Management Support & Coaching – building managers’ confidence and capability through advice, coaching, training and briefing sessions on key HR processes and people management.
HR Projects & Policy Development – contributing to HR projects and the development and review of employment policies and procedures.
Recruitment – working alongside the recruitment team to provide professional advice and ensure vacancies are filled efficiently and in line with good recruitment practice.
HR Information & Reporting – analysing HR information to identify trends, support decision-making and improve areas such as performance and sickness absence.
Partnership Working – developing constructive relationships with managers, senior stakeholders, employees and Trade Union representatives to support effective resolution of people matters.
SYNLAB UK & Ireland work closely with clinicians, hospitals, occupational health providers and clinical researchers to provide a complete pathology offering.
We operate in increasingly diverse environments which is reflected in our workforce, clients, customers, suppliers, communities and partners. We believe an inclusive workplace culture is the best way to source, attract and retain diverse and talented people, and create a sustainable, high-performing workforce.
We believe our staff is vital to the principle of making a positive difference to healthcare, therefore, we promote a culture of continuous personal development where scientists and staff have the support and resources to acquire new skills and build their careers through learning and development opportunities, coaching and clear career pathways.
We promote an open and collaborative culture where leaders act as role models and facilitate a two-way communication, engage with staff and stakeholders transparently and actively encourage feedback and suggestions.
Purpose of the Job
To provide a comprehensive and professional generalist HR service to all stakeholders, including managers, partners and employees, ensuring a high-quality and responsive HR service.
The post holder will build and maintain credible and productive relationships with the Senior Management Team, Operational Managers, employees, HR colleagues and staff representatives, providing professional HR advice and guidance across a broad range of employee relations and operational HR matters.
The Senior HR Advisor will work closely with the Senior HR Manager and will act as a source of professional HR expertise within the HR team, including providing support when the Senior HR Manager is unavailable.
What you will do
You will provide operational and generalist HR advice across the organisation, working in partnership with managers and stakeholders to support effective people management and positive employee relations.
You will provide advice and support across a range of employee relations matters, including disciplinary, grievance, capability, attendance, bullying and harassment cases. You will support managers through investigations and formal processes, ensuring that organisational policies, procedures and employment legislation are appropriately applied.
You will also support organisational change, working with managers and the Senior HR Manager on changes to organisational structures, consultation, redundancy selection and redeployment, while maintaining constructive relationships with recognised Trade Union and Professional Organisation representatives.
The role will also involve supporting recruitment, management development, sickness absence, HR reporting, policy development and specific HR projects. You will be expected to work with a high level of autonomy, prioritise your workload effectively and provide clear, confident and practical HR advice.
Key Responsibilities
Delivery of Human Resources Services
Work closely with the Senior HR Manager to represent the HR department positively in internal and external settings.
Promote the role of HR and the use of effective HR management practices across the organisation.
Act as a source of professional HR expertise and guidance within the HR team, particularly when the Senior HR Manager is unavailable.
Provide a comprehensive and responsive generalist HR service to managers, employees and other stakeholders.
Undertake specific HR projects in liaison with the Senior HR Manager.
Build and maintain credible and productive relationships with managers, employees, HR colleagues and staff representatives.
Provide clear, professional and practical HR advice, ensuring appropriate consideration of employment legislation and organisational policies.
Change Management
Support the Senior HR Manager in advising managers on changes to organisational structures.
Advise and support managers to ensure appropriate consultation takes place with employees and recognised Trade Union or Professional Organisation representatives.
Support the implementation of organisational change in accordance with appropriate procedures and employment legislation.
Provide advice and support in relation to redundancy selection and redeployment processes.
Develop and maintain constructive relationships with Trade Union representatives to support positive industrial relations.
Contribute to the successful delivery of organisational change projects within agreed timescales and with positive employee and industrial relations.
Operational HR
Take responsibility for the operational delivery of generalist HR services to stakeholders.
Analyse and interpret management information to support managers with performance management and sickness absence.
Work in partnership with local and full-time Trade Union officers and representatives to promote constructive and effective working relationships.
Support the resolution of staffing issues through a partnership approach.
Liaise with the Payroll/HR Administrator to ensure changes to staff circumstances are accurately recorded and processed.
Work with managers to identify training and development needs, particularly in relation to management development.
Deliver training courses, workshops and briefing sessions on HR topics including recruitment and selection, performance management, capability, sickness absence and other HR-related matters.
Employee Relations
Advise and support managers in conducting employee relations investigations, including disciplinary, grievance, bullying and harassment matters.
Assess options and provide advice and support to managers when preparing information for disciplinary, grievance, capability and attendance hearings and appeals.
Advise managers chairing formal hearings to ensure appropriate procedures are followed and employees receive a full, fair and impartial hearing.
Provide advice to managers on appropriate action and outcomes, taking account of the circumstances of each case and ensuring consistency of approach.
Maintain responsibility for the generation, distribution and secure storage of employee relations case documentation.
Work with managers to proactively manage and reduce sickness absence and contribute to achieving organisational absence targets.
Advise managers and employees on redeployment, ill-health retirement and termination, taking account of employment legislation and organisational policies.
Take and transcribe accurate notes at formal hearings where required, ensuring an accurate record is available for internal appeals and Employment Tribunal proceedings.
Assist the Senior HR Manager in preparing responses to Employment Tribunal claims and preparing for hearings.
Work with the Senior HR Manager on the development and review of employment policies and procedures, ensuring they reflect current employment legislation and good HR practice.
Provide employees with advice and information regarding terms and conditions of employment and matters affecting their welfare, including ill-health retirement, maternity and adoption leave, paternity leave, sickness entitlements, salary, annual leave and flexible working.
Recruitment
Working in liaison with the Recruitment Adviser and/or Talent Acquisition Manager:
Support the delivery of a responsive and high-quality recruitment service to managers from vacancy notification through to appointment.
Provide professional recruitment advice to managers to support the efficient filling of vacancies.
Ensure recruitment activity is undertaken in accordance with recruitment policies and good recruitment practice.
Respond to recruitment-related complaints and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
Prepare recruitment reports and other HR reports on a monthly basis.
Identify negative variances within recruitment activity and advise on appropriate actions to address them.
Other Responsibilities
Monitor annual staff appraisals in liaison with the Training Manager.
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of employment legislation and developments in HR best practice.
Ensure all HR advice and processes are delivered consistently, professionally and in accordance with organisational policies and procedures.
Work collaboratively with colleagues across the HR function and wider organisation.
Demonstrate a flexible, adaptable and innovative approach to changing organisational requirements.
Work independently and prioritise competing demands while recognising when matters should be escalated to the Senior HR Manager.
Health and Safety
Observe all relevant health and safety regulations and attend mandatory training, including fire, manual handling and other required courses.
Report incidents and adverse events to managers and assist with investigations where required.
Participate in risk assessment monitoring.
Ensure equipment within the area of work is maintained and operated in accordance with relevant SOPs and organisational requirements.
Key Performance Indicators
Success in the role will be demonstrated through:
Grievances and appeals being effectively managed and reduced to insignificant levels.
Strong and professional relationships with managers, employees, HR colleagues and Trade Union representatives.
Sickness absence being maintained at or below the organisational target of 5% lost working time.
Organisational change projects being delivered within agreed timescales and with positive industrial relations.
Authorised vacancies being filled with suitable applicants in a timely and effective manner.
High-quality, responsive and professional HR advice being consistently provided across the organisation.
