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General information

Posting ID
001
Type of employment
Permanent
Organisation
Public Sector Resourcing
Salary Banding MIN
£ 39959
Location
Manchester
Salary Banding MAX
£ 48117
Workplace Type
Hybrid

Description & Requirements

NICE – The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Employee Relations and Change Specialist – 6 Month FTC

The closing date is 19 June 2026

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: 6

Salary: £39’959 – 48’117 per annum

Contract: 6 Month FTC

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working, Compressed hours

Job locations: Manchester or London

Job summary

The People Team

We promote a positive workplace culture and employee experience by providing expert HR advice and guidance. This helps leaders manage their teams effectively while staying true to our values. We make sure all colleagues are treated fairly and consistently, in line with employment law and best practice.

Our People Team includes several specialist areas, supported by dedicated teams that work together to deliver high-quality services. The team is divided into four sub teams:

  • People Relations and Culture
  • Learning and Talent
  • Resourcing and Intelligence
  • Strategic People Partnering

Together, we lead on key areas such as recruitment and reward, organisational development and learning, people relations, change management, policy development, health and wellbeing and people data and insights.

Job Purpose

The role supports the People Relations and Culture team, which provides advice on policies, procedures, terms and conditions, people relations, and change management. The team also ensures compliance with employment law and supports engagement with colleagues and trade unions.

A key focus of the role is having a strong people relations background. This includes supporting, coaching, and advising managers on end to end processes such as grievances, performance management, and disciplinary matters, as well as supporting large scale organisational change, including restructures and redundancies.

In addition, the team plays an important role in embedding a Just and Restorative Culture aligned with NICE values, acting as a champion and influencer across the organisation.

Main duties of the job

  • Coach, advise, challenge, and support colleagues at all levels across NICE on a range of complex and sensitive people relations issues. These include complex grievances (such as harassment and bullying), change management, performance, disciplinary matters, as well as organisational development and culture change. This involves exploring and triaging issues, analysing information, and providing timely, solution-focused advice while balancing risks and benefits.
  • Support large scale organisational change programmes end to end, including restructures, TUPE, and redundancies. Provide expert advice and guidance to ensure changes are delivered effectively, fairly, and in line with employment law.
  • Ensure People Relations casework (such as complex grievances, disciplinary matters, performance issues and change processes) is accurately recorded and regularly maintained in relevant databases and trackers. Identify opportunities for improvement to support accurate reporting for People Teams, Senior Leadership, and partnership forums.
  • Monitor the type, complexity, and volume of people relation cases in the organisation and work collaboratively and in partnership with others to propose appropriate solution focussed outcomes as well as any suggested process or policy improvements applying a restorative and just lens.
  • Support and advise on people relations issues escalated by the People Hub, including complex sickness absence cases, and help directorates develop local health and wellbeing plans.
  • Contribute to the review, update, development and implementation of People policies and processes across the directorate. Ensure these align with NICE values, support a Restorative and Just Learning Culture, and reflect current employment law.
  • Support the development and implementation of toolkits and frameworks that support policies and incorporate Restorative and Just Learning principles, to ensure colleagues have the required skills, knowledge and understanding to confidently manage of people relations issues.   
  • Provide support and guidance to managers in job design relating to management of change. Use job evaluation knowledge and experience where needed, including taking part in job evaluation panels.
  • Supporting the embedding a positive climate of people relations in line with Restorative and Just Learning principles and NICE values, ensuring the provision of professional, timely and solutions focused advice.
  • Support and deliver learning interventions where required to build capability and confidence in application of restorative approaches.
  • Contribute to Team projects, and working collaborative with stakeholders across projects and functions, building in contingency and adjustments as necessary.
  • Build strong partnerships and collaborate with key stakeholders, including Trade Unions, staff networks, Freedom to Speak Up Guardians and Ambassadors, third party providers (e.g. Occupational Health) and internal teams, to share insight, identify improvements, and enhance colleague experience.
  • Deputise for and support the People Relations and Culture Team Lead in delivering the People Relations strategy and service. This includes oversight of casework, as well as organisational development, EDI, and engagement initiatives, ensuring alignment with organisational values.

 

Equality and Diversity

All NICE employees must have respect for every individual, treating everyone with dignity, courtesy, fairness and consideration, and welcoming and accepting differences between people.  It is the responsibility of every employee to work towards the elimination of all discrimination and prejudice.

People Services will be responsible for ensuring NICE takes appropriate steps to identify and monitor areas where improvement is needed regarding workforce EDI and for making improvements in those areas where we have identified gaps and challenges.

Health and Safety

All NICE employees have a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their own acts or omissions.   Employees are required to co-operate with management to enable NICE to meet its own legal duties.

Governance

All NICE employees must adhere to NICE policies and procedures and seek advice on these when in doubt as to their scope and applicability.   Employees are specifically reminded that they must respect the confidentiality of all information they have access to during their employment including personal data.  All staff are expected to respect the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/97 and of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and to seek guidance on these matters when in any doubt.This job description does not purport to cover all aspects of the job holder’s duties but is intended to be indicative of the main areas of responsibility. The post holder may be required to travel to meetings away from their usual office base which may include an overnight stay.

 

Person specification: People Relations and Culture Specialist

Essential criteria 

Qualifications

  • CIPD level 5 or evidence of an equivalent qualification 
  • Degree level education or equivalent demonstrable experience in a similar role  
  • Evidence of commitment to personal and professional development.

Knowledge and Skills

  • Knowledge of specialist areas, acquired through post-graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training 
  • Good knowledge of HR legislation and best practice, stakeholder management, and influencing strategies with a proven ability to turn innovative ideas into working models.
  • Sound understanding of relevant employment legislation and the impact of future legislative changes.
  • Proven knowledge of NHS (including terms and conditions of employment for all employee groups) or a keen willingness to get up to speed with relevant terms and conditions.
  • Ability to communicate complex information both verbally and in writing in a clear, concise, and effective way to colleagues and managers including preparation of papers/reports/letters on People relations matters for committees, hearings, etc.
  • Integrity and credibility that engages and instils confidence of senior leaders, colleagues and stakeholders.
  • Adept at working in ambiguity and working on own initiative
  • Ability to demonstrate emotional intelligence whilst also recognising inefficiencies in current practice and identify where improvements can be made with a Restorative and Just lens. 

Experience

  • Experience of managing multi-stranded and contentious employment cases with an innovative approach to problem solving
  • Good professional judgement-based on analysis of relevant factors and an ability to prioritise
  • Experience of advising managers on formal people relations meeting including appeals, dismissals and Employment Tribunals
  • Detailed understanding of the principles of change management and able to demonstrate a successful track record of major organisational change.
  • Evidenced track record of effective partnership and collaborative working with stakeholders to deliver aims and objectives through a coaching and consultancy approach.
  • Excellent organisational, oral and written skills including influencing, negotiation, and presentation skills.
  • Resilience to cope with conflicting demands and working to tight deadlines with the ability to act on own initiative. 
  • Experience of using information from databases e.g. Case Tracker, to report on and analyse People Relations case activity, outcomes, and trends.
  • Effective team member who can relate to colleagues at all levels with tact and diplomacy.

Other

  • An understanding and commitment to equality diversity and Inclusion as per the Equality Act 2010.
  • An understanding of the legislative and statutory requirements e.g., Freedom of Information Act, Data Protection Act.
  • Flexible attitude to working environment and ability to work as part of a team.
  • Enthusiasm, flair, and imagination in identifying and developing opportunities.
  • Thorough attention to detail and high standards of accuracy.
  • Discretion in the handling of politically sensitive and confidential information.
  • High standard of advanced keyboard skills with high level of accuracy
  • High levels of concentration and ability to focus for long periods of time whilst managing an unpredictable workload.

 

About us

We are passionate and proud of the work we do and the impact we make. NICE offer:

Generous NHS Pension - Secure your future with one of the most rewarding pension schemes in the UK

Flexible working - Enjoy a healthy work-life balance with options like remote working, compressed hours and flexible start/finish times

Exclusive discounts - Save on shopping, dining and more with a Blue Light CardTime to recharge - Start with 27 days' annual leave plus bank holidays

Inclusive staff networks - Join supportive communities like Women in NICE, Race Equality Network, Disability Advocacy and NICE and Proud - we celebrate diversity

Tailored development - Grow your career with personalised learning and development opportunities

If you feel this is the type of environment you will enjoy working in, apply today!

Job description

To be considered for this role, you should be able to particularly demonstrate the person specification criteria in the job advert in your application. However, applicants should be able to demonstrate all essential criteria through the entirety of the recruitment process to be considered for the job. 

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details:

Employer name

NICE – The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Address

3rd Floor

3 Piccadilly Place

Manchester

M1 3BN

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.nice.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

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