Assistant HR Business Partner

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Closing date: 28 July 2026

Are you a strategic, results focused HR professional who is passionate about making a difference through people?

We have a fantastic opportunity to join us as an Assistant HR Business Partner, playing a pivotal role in shaping a compassionate, inclusive and high-performing culture across our organisation. You will be assisting and supporting our divisional leadership teams playing a key role in providing professional Human Resources service and contribute to organisation design and development in line with the Trust's business strategy and corporate objectives, proactively highlighting potential workforce issues and solutions.

The primary purpose of the role is to provide expert HR advice and support on a range of complex workforce matters including TUPE, organisational change and role redesign. You will also deliver dedicated HR support to designated corporate areas helping to implement and support key workforce initiatives aligns to both local and Trustwide priorities.

You will contribute to the development and delivery of national priorities and the Trust's vision, and produce evidence, which can demonstrate achievements of relevant targets as part of divisional and national reporting.

You should have substantial experience at HR level including strong experience of organisational change/TUPE and operational HR. You will have excellent influencing and coaching skills, along with strong analytical skills and confidence using workforce metrics to inform strategy.

Main duties of the job

• Analysis of numerical and non-numerical data to identify priorities to enable action plans to be developed at CDG level.
• Lead on specific elements of HR activity within and across divisions based upon the current Trust wide priorities and those of the division. For example, leading on the creation and implementation of action plans to reduce sickness absence. Leading on the development of and implementation of action plans at CDG level based upon the national staff survey results.
• As the first point of contact provide effective and comprehensive Human Resources advice. Providing advice and support to managers and staff as appropriate and to contribute to the achievement of Divisional and Trust objectives.
• Develop highly effective business relationships with leaders, maintaining a real understanding of their business challenges. Contribute fully to the development and implementation of operational and strategic decisions to achieve objectives contained within the Trusts' vision and underpinning strategy.
• Working with the management team within an allocated division ensuring corporate, economic, workforce and business factors are considered.
• To work as part of the wider Human Resources Team in order that national and local targets and objectives are met.
• Providing assurance through monthly reporting on the performance of action plans to meet desired outcomes.

About us

We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes.

We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.

We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.

Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.

We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what's widely regarded as the world's best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.

Find out about living and working here -

Job responsibilities

For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.

Person Specification Experience

• Substantial proven experience in operational HR.
• Solid experience of delivering specialist HR guidance to managers.
• Experience of supporting the transfer of staff under TUPE.
• Experience of using HR data to analyse and produce reports to inform decision-making e.g. sickness absence.
• Experience of working in a front line customer service role.
• Experience of working within a transformational environment.
• Experience of applying Trust policies and procedures.
• Experience of working with managers on cases such as sickness absence, poor performance, grievances and disciplinary matters.

Knowledge

• Possess a strong knowledge of employment law.
• Understanding of best practice guidance on employee relations issues.
• Knowledge of training requirements, mentoring, coaching, mediation to be able to advise managers on appropriate actions.
• Able to use personnel software programmes such as ESR.

Qualifications

• Good standard of general education.
• CIPD Qualified (to Level 5/7 or equivalent) and equivalent experience to masters level or equivalent.
• MCIPD.

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 name

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust