Band 8a Employment Solicitor

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Band 8a Employment Solicitor

The closing date is 29 March 2026

This is a pivotal point to be joining our Employment Legal Service as we establish an in-house team under the direction of our existing Associate Director of Employment Legal Services. Joining the team at its formation, you will genuinely get to shape the way the service supports the strategic objectives and cultural transformations of the Trust through pro-active and peoplecentred legal support to people solutions.

Sitting within our People Directorate and working closely with our Chief People Officer, you will be an integral part of a legal team that forwardlooking and designed to deliver lasting organisational benefit. Employment matters will be managed safely with clarity, fairness, and a deep understanding of the organisation and the people within it. Our new operating model for employment legal services will enable you to support colleagues with expertise, compassion, rigour and pace.

Your knowledge and skills will strengthen our management of litigation risk and approach to resolution. Your role will be as pro-active as it is reactive, and we will see you embedding learning and best practices within our people management to provide preventative solutions as well as case management strategies.

Interviews will take place in person on Wednesday 15th April and if required Friday 17th April.

Main duties of the job

As our Employment Solicitor, and under the direction of the AD of Employment Legal Services and lead a broad portfolio of contentious and noncontentious work, including endtoend management of complex employment litigation. You will support policy development, strategic decisionmaking across clinical and nonclinical services, while also providing professional guidance and mentorship to our Employment Paralegal and supporting our People practitioners with knowledge sharing and capability building.

This is not simply an employment legal role; it is a people role. We are seeking someone who pairs strong legal expertise with humanity, emotional intelligence and plenty of pragmatism. You will be risk-confident and act boldly with care. You will help embed a culture where employment matters are managed early, fairly, and with a genuine commitment to learning from experience.

UHB is undergoing meaningful cultural change. Across the organisation we are strengthening psychological safety, building trust, and creating environments where colleagues feel heard, respected, and supported. This role will support that ambition, complementing wider work across the Trust.

You will be joining at a formative moment, with the space, support, and Executive sponsorship to shape this service. Success will come from your employment law expertise and your ability to provide advice that is not only legally robust but aligned with our values and aspiration to deliver excellent peoplecentred support.

About us

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.

Job responsibilities

Please Note : For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description

Person Specification Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor (SRA) or Chartered Legal Executive (CILEX) with a current practising certificate, demonstrating advanced professional legal competence.
• Degreelevel legal education and postgraduate legal training (e.g., LPC or equivalent), with Master'slevel theoretical knowledge gained through a postgraduate qualification in Employment Law or extensive specialist postqualification experience in complex employment law environments.
• Substantial, highlevel postqualification experience applying advanced theoretical and conceptual legal knowledge, delivering specialist advice across multiple domains such as workforce policy, litigation, and regulatory compliance, and exercising autonomous expert judgement.
• Further specialist knowledge of NHSspecific legal provisions, organisational structures, employment frameworks, and relevant social care policies, gained through significant experience within complex/ multi disciplined or public sector settings.

Experience

• Significant experience of practicing employment law within a complex and multi-faceted environment
• Proven track record of advocacy at Employment Tribunal, including conducting full merits hearings
• Experience of managing complex, high-value, or sensitive employment cases independently
• Experience of advising on disciplinary, grievance, and capability procedures at senior levels
• Experience of conducting workplace investigations including allegations of discrimination and serious misconduct
• Demonstrable knowledge of employment legislation, and relevant case law
• Experience of negotiating settlements and conducting ACAS early conciliation
• Experience of drafting legal documents including ET3 responses, witness statements, and legal arguments
• Experience of advising on senior executive terminations and settlement agreements
• Experience of working within the NHS or public sector
• Experience of advising on medical workforce matters and consultant contracts
• Experience of organisational change, TUPE transfers, and restructuring programmes
• Knowledge of NHS terms and conditions (Agenda for Change)
• Experience of delivering employment law training to non-legal audiences
• Experience of managing or supervising junior legal staff
• Experience of judicial mediation in employment matters

Additional Criteria

• Exceptional legal drafting skills with ability to prepare complex legal documents and advocacy materials
• Outstanding oral advocacy and presentation skills with ability to argue cases persuasively
• Excellent legal research and analytical skills
• Strong commercial awareness and ability to provide pragmatic, business-focused advice
• Expert knowledge of employment tribunal rules, procedure, and practice
• Exceptional interpersonal and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to communicate complex legal concepts clearly to non-legal audiences
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills
• Excellent organisational skills with ability to manage complex caseload independently
• High degree of accuracy and attention to detail
• Proficiency in legal research databases and Microsoft Office applications
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight statutory deadlines
• Advanced keyboard skills for real-time note-taking at hearings
• Demonstrable expertise in employment law including unfair dismissal, discrimination, whistleblowing, TUPE, and contractual disputes
• Knowledge of ACAS Code of Practice and statutory requirements
• Ability to exercise sound professional judgement on case strategy and risk
• Resilience and emotional intelligence to manage contentious litigation and difficult stakeholders
• Ability to work autonomously while recognising when to escalate complex or sensitive matters
• Excellent time management and ability to prioritise competing demands
• Ability to maintain professional composure in hostile or confrontational situations
• Commitment to continuous professional development and maintaining current legal knowledge
• Ability to travel to employment tribunal venues and Trust sites as required
• Flexible approach to working hours to meet tribunal and deadline requirements
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and professional ethics
• Collaborative team player with ability to work across organisational boundaries
• Knowledge of NHS governance structures and decision-making processes
• Experience using legal case management systems
• Understanding of NHS regulatory frameworks and professional conduct procedures
• Knowledge of medical appraisal and revalidation processes
• Awareness of General Medical Council (GMC) and Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) fitness to practice procedures

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.

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust