Senior HR Adviser

Your opportunity to lead employee relations across a diverse education community

Are you an experienced HR professional with a passion for employee relations and a drive to make a real difference?

Join the Cabot Learning Federation as a Senior HR Adviser and become a key part of our dynamic Central HR Team. 

As a trusted partner to academy leaders, you’ll play a pivotal role in supporting our diverse family of 36 academies across the South West, spanning primary, secondary, all‑through, special, alternative, and studio school settings. Serving more than 18,000 learners aged 2 to 19, CLF is committed to equity, excellence, and opportunity for all, and you’ll be instrumental in helping us create an exceptional experience for our people.

This role is being advertised as full time, as we need to increase capacity in our team. However, we recognise the value of flexibility and are open to considering candidates who wish to work four days per week and/or have some level of additional flexibility in the school holidays.

In this role, you will:

• Lead and manage a varied and complex employee relations caseload, offering expert advice on matters such as performance, conduct, attendance, and policy.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships with Principals and leadership teams across multiple schools.
• Provide high-quality guidance that supports fair, consistent, and legally sound decision-making.
• Contribute to wider HR initiatives, process improvements, and projects that enhance the effectiveness and impact of the HR service.
• Play a key role in shaping and supporting a positive people culture across the Federation.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an HR professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys problem-solving, and wants to have a genuine, lasting impact on staff experience and organisational outcomes.

About you:

You will have:

• A strong working knowledge of HR policies, employment law, and best practice, with the ability to apply this across a wide range of employee relations activities.
• Experience in managing complex employee relations cases, including investigations, formal meetings, and organisational change processes.
• The ability to provide high-quality, pragmatic advice to Principals, Headteachers, Managers, and safeguarding leads, navigating sensitive issues with professionalism and emotional intelligence.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to build trust and credibility at all levels and work collaboratively with union representatives and external stakeholders.
• Confidence in coaching and mentoring colleagues, and in advising senior leaders on complex HR matters.
• High emotional intelligence, resilience, and a proactive, problem-solving approach in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities.
• CIPD membership (or working towards with indicative completion in the short term) and a commitment to ongoing professional development.
• A valid driving licence and access to transport, with the flexibility to travel to CLF sites across the South West, sometimes at short notice.

Why work in CLFs Central HR Team?

In this role, you’ll be part of a high-performing team that sits at the heart of HR delivery across our trust. You’ll have the opportunity to:

• Lead on end-to-end employee relations activities across a range of educational settings.
• Influence HR strategy and contribute to federation-wide improvement plans.