People Relations Manager St Mary's Hospice

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People Relations Manager St Mary's Hospice

Help our people thrive, shape an inclusive and positive workplace, and make a lasting difference at St Mary's Hospice.

• Location: Ulverston, Cumbria

Who we are

St Mary's Hospice provides compassionate, specialist care and support for people across South Cumbria who are living with a life-limiting illness. Our services extend beyond medical care - we also offer emotional, psychological, and spiritual support to patients, their families, and carers. We are deeply rooted in the local community and take pride in delivering person-centred care that truly makes a difference when it matters most.

We have three main bases: the hospice building in Ulverston, the St Mary's Compassionate Communities Centre in Barrow-in-Furness and a satellite site in Ambleside. We also provide home care, run therapy and wellbeing groups in the local community, and serve as a regional educational hub for palliative and end-of-life care education.

About the role

The People Relations Manager will work closely with colleagues across the hospice to build strong, positive working relationships and ensure fair, consistent, and supportive people practices. This includes providing expert advice on complex employee relations matters, supporting staff wellbeing, contributing to strategic workforce planning and fostering an inclusive, engaged workplace culture.

Key aspects of the role are to:

• Manage the relationships between staff, employees and volunteers, ensuring a harmonious working environment.
• Lead the Payroll, HR and Administration team
• Lead the volunteering function and support the development of a volunteer strategy
• Support the leadership team in the development and implementation of a people's strategy

Who we are looking for

We're looking for a passionate and experienced People Relations Manager (CIPD Level 3 and above) to join our team and play a key role in shaping a positive, inclusive, and high-performing workplace.

We are looking for a values-led individual with strong HR expertise, excellent communication skills, and a collaborative approach.

You'll thrive in a supportive but fast paced environment and be passionate about helping others do their best work. In return, we offer a workplace rooted in care, respect, and development, with a commitment to your personal and professional growth.

If you would like to know more about this role please contact Rachel Davies

About St Mary's Hospice

St Mary's Hospice provides compassionate, specialist care and support for people across South Cumbria who are living with a life-limiting illness.

Our services extend beyond medical care - we also offer emotional, psychological, and spiritual support to patients, their families, and carers. We are deeply rooted in the local community and take pride in delivering person-centred care that truly makes a difference at a time when it matters most. Our work is underpinned by our core values:

• Care: Means that we are there for anyone who needs us.
• Aspiration: Means that we go the extra mile to make moments that matter.
• Collaboration: Means we work together for collective success.
• Sustainability: Means we play an active part in securing our future

At St Mary's, we recognise that exceptional care depends on a strong, well supported workforce. The People Relations Manager will work closely with HR, Volunteer Services, and Administration colleagues to foster a positive, inclusive and well managed working environment.

HR and People Services

Our HR function is small but busy, and provides a wide range of support to staff across the organisation - from recruitment, onboarding and contracts to employee wellbeing, development, and performance management. We take a proactive, person centred approach to HR and are focused on creating a fair, respectful, and engaging culture where every staff member can thrive. The People Relations Manager will be central to maintaining good employment practice, managing employee relations matters, and advising line managers with confidence and care.

Volunteers are a vital part of our hospice community, contributing their time, skills, and compassion across all areas - from patient care and bereavement support to retail, fundraising, and hospitality. We currently have over 250 volunteers. The People Relations Manager will lead the Volunteer Services team to ensure our approach to volunteer management is consistent, inclusive, and aligned with best practice. Supporting positive relationships between staff and volunteers will also be a key focus.

Administration and Support Functions

The wider Admin team plays a crucial role in keeping the hospice running smoothly- from front of house reception to governance, IT, and business support. This team values clear communication, flexibility, and a shared commitment to our mission. The People Relations Manager will lead this team on internal communications, systems improvements, and organisational initiatives that support staff wellbeing and effectiveness.

Accessibility information

St Mary's Hospice

We understand that different members of the community have different access needs and have made some modifications to the way we do business to accommodate people from diverse communities and abilities.

We offer the following amenities:

• Step free access to the building, all key meeting rooms and bathrooms, and an accessible workstation
• Accessibility dogs are welcome
• Papers and materials can be presented in different formats
• A sign language interpreter can be accessed for interview

Reasonable adjustments made in the past have included various equipment to aid workers with ADHD; adaptive sit stand desks.

We have just launched an EDIB initiative, which is initially focusing on LGBTQ+ initiatives.

Timetable

Closing date: 9 a.m. Monday 23rd November 2026
Candidates informed of outcome: Thursday 26th November 2026

Peridot and St Mary's Hospice are committed to promoting equality and diversity. To help us raise awareness and support a culture that is diverse and recognises and develops the potential of all, we need to appreciate the profile of candidates who apply for positions.We will send you an equality monitoring survey at the point of receiving your application and at the time of placement. This ensures that our processes remain inclusive and equitable throughout, and provides us with important data to help us showcase our impact.

The information will be treated confidentially and anonymously and will help us to support our commitment to fair recruitment practice. All information provided will be held in the strictest confidence and will not be shared with anyone, in line with the Data Protection Act 2018.

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