Senior HR Business Partner

Job Purpose 

 Provide strategic HR leadership across the Trust, ensuring the people strategy aligns with the organisation’s long-term educational and operational objectives. This includes workforce planning, organisational design, leadership capability development, and ensuring the Trust has the people capacity required for sustainable growth.

 You will Support and deputise for the Director of Human Resources and Compliance and working closely with key leaders across the whole of the Trust, including the Principals of 16 academies and central teams to support over 1250 employees, this role plays a key professional role in: 

·        Driving the people agenda across schools, including wellbeing, staff engagement, and employee  benefits.

·        Developing training and coaching for leaders on ER matters. 

·        Reviewing and enhancing, appraisal, job evaluation and pay strategies, gender pay gap and pay progression.

·        Developing data analytics and AI to ensure leaders can be proactive not reactive.

·        Developing and monitoring equality and diversity amongst the workforce.

·        Lead the development of workforce planning strategies, including succession planning, leadership pipeline development and long-term staffing forecasts across the Trust’s academies, including the development of ATS and talent pool management.

·        Working and engaging with Unions and establishing employee forums.

·        Delivering excellent, up to date, advice and service on all matters relating to HR and specified areas of compliance and liaising with partners such as ACAS and legal teams when required. 

·        Developing full system integration in both payroll services and record management to ensure user friendly workflows.

Duties and responsibilities: Examples of main duties and responsibilities are indicated below. Other duties of an appropriate level and nature may also be required, as directed by the Director of HR&C. 

Operational: 

To support the Director of HR&C to: 

·        Ensure the Trust consistently has in place an appropriate suite of HR policies and procedures with reference to statutory requirements and good practice guidelines as may be published by relevant bodies such as Government Departments, ACAS, etc. As appropriate, consulting with relevant parties in the development of new policies and providing training to support implementation. Advising the Director of HR&C when they are due for review making changes based on legislation/guidance and cascading this information to stakeholders. 

·        Maintain and further develop systems of performance management with a view to all staff understanding the part they play in the success of the organisation, having appropriate objectives to ensure their work is aligned to the requirements of the wider organisation and being held to account for meeting expected standards of performance and ensuring PM is intrinsically linked to capability and high standards of performance. 

·        Manage the implementation and application of the Trust’s pay and reward strategy, providing guidance to principals and other relevant managers with a view to ensuring appropriate consistency of approach and minimising the risk of equal pay claims. 

·        Provide support and advice for senior staff in relation to casework, linking with external professional advice where necessary. This may require attendance at meetings and admin support; however, schools run a devolved model for the HR offer.

·        Carry out due diligence work and transition support (including TUPE) for new academies joining the network. 

·        Build a working relationship with unions to the benefit of all parties, facilitating meetings and actions.

·        Report on HR matters as required in accordance with the Trust’s framework of governance. 

·        In the absence of or as delegated by the Director of HR&C, act as a point of contact for complaints made under the Complaints Policy, referring matters

·        to appropriate members of staff when required and providing advice on good practice. 

·        Work in conjunction with the Trust’s Data Protection Officer (Judicium) to ensure compliance with data protection legislation. 

·        Work in conjunction with the Trust’s legal team (Browne Jacobson) for ER support to ensure guidance is current and relevant. 

·        Act as the key point of contact in relation to any Freedom of Information requests received by the Trust (including within academies), providing guidance as appropriate to ensure these are appropriately addressed. 

·        Assist in the maintaining of archive files and historical data and create more tasks to be stored remotely and on HR data base and systems

·        Manage the HRIS and act as the Trust’s main point of call. Hold suppliers and payroll partners to account

·        Line manage staff as may be assigned from time to time in accordance with the Trust’s organisational requirements. Ensuring they manage their time effectively and perform in line with Trust objectives. 

·        Establish and maintain good relationships with all Principals, colleagues, suppliers, contractors and other professionals. 

·        Lead initiatives to improve staff engagement, wellbeing and retention, using workforce data to identify trends and implement evidence-based interventions.

·        Lead, manage, generate and implement projects.

·        Lead the Trust’s HR digital transformation programme, ensuring HRIS systems, analytics and emerging AI tools support efficient, compliant and insight-driven decision making.

General: 

·        As a key professional within the organisation, support and promote the Trust’s ethos and its objectives, policies and procedures. 

·        Keep up to date with developments and changes in legislation and guidance and communicate appropriate information to colleagues as appropriate. 

·        Support the Director of HR&C in advising the Board as appropriate including Preparing and presenting HR reports, workforce data and strategic updates to the Executive Team, Trust Board and relevant committees as required.

·        Ensure HR processes support the Trust’s safeguarding obligations, including safer recruitment, staff conduct management and workforce safeguarding training in line with KCSIE requirements. 

·        Undertake other responsibilities and tasks as may be reasonably directed by the HR&C Director and key senior personnel of the Trust.

·        Most importantly you will bring ideas and drive change to ensure the business continues to grow.

·        You must be able to work on your own initiative or as part of a team.

Salary: Starting salary £60,000 - £70,000 per annum depending on experience.

Annual Leave: The full-time rate of annual leave entitlement is 25 days per year rising to 30 days per year for employees with 5 or more years of continuous employment with the Trust. In addition, paid time off is provided for bank and public holidays normally observed in England and Wales.

Pension: On appointment, the post holder will be enrolled into the Local Government Pension Scheme, subject to its terms and conditions.