HR Advisor

Prospere Learning Trust are recruiting an HR Advisor to join our central HR team, providing high quality and solutions-focused advice and guidance to schools.

You will will provide support on a range of employment policies, with particular emphasis on attendance management, wellbeing, flexible work and low-level case work, escalating more complex issues as appropriate. The advisory team will work collaboratively, ensuring that guidance and support is accessible to leaders and line managers, both on the advice line and through planned time in schools to support meetings.

You will need to work on-site in our schools as required, supporting formal meetings. Our schools are located across Greater Manchester:

• Prospect House - Higher Blackley
• Grange School and MEA Central - Gorton and Fallowfield
• MEA and Piper Hill High School and Post 16, Trust Central Services - Wythenshawe
• Chorlton High School and CHS South - Chorlton
• Pioneer House High School - Northern Moor
• New schools opening in Miles Platting and Cheadle Hulme.

Ideally you will be in possession of a full driving licence, have access to your own transport and be able to commute to school sites for this role with mileage expenses paid.

This is a permanent post, working 35 hours per week, all year round. We may be able to consider term-time only with an additional number of weeks worked. Hours of work must be suitable to ensure advisory support is available to schools during the school day, typically we will need cover from the advisory team between 8am and 4pm.

The full-time equivalent salary for this post starts at Grade 5, £26,873 and increases to Grade 6 with a maximum of £33,945. Relevant experience in a similar role would be required to consider a starting salary within Grade 6.

You will work under the direction of the Employee Relations lead, working as part off the wider HR team and building relationships with Trust and school leadership.

Main responsibilities

·        To work within the casework classification system, assessing the complexity and urgency of issues and escalating concerns or more complex casework to the Employee Relations Manager in a timely manner.

·        To provide first line advice and support to school leadership, central MAT leadership and line managers in relation to absence, wellbeing, flexible working, probationary period management, terms and conditions and statutory entitlements (leave, maternity etc.).

·        To support case work on more complex issues including conduct, capability, and grievance issues with guidance and support.

·        To support the Employee Relations Manager with complex casework, including the preparation of document packs to specified standards, undertaking research and minute taking as required.

·        To ensure that advice is legally compliant, aligns the Trust policies and that options and risks are clearly articulated to support decision making.

Closing Date: Sunday 9th June 2024, midnight

Interviews held: week commencing Monday 17th June 2024

Working for us 

Great schools thrive because of the great people in them.  

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work, providing a supportive culture with opportunities to grow and develop your career, achieve a healthy work life balance and to be recognised for the great work you do. 

Prospere Learning Trust offers a variety of employee benefits, including;  

• a commitment to continuous professional development for all colleagues  
• membership of Bupa Level 1 Health Plan which allows employees to claim money back for a range of health expenses such as prescriptions and dental treatments  
• access to counselling, financial, legal and personal advice provided through either our free Bupa or Health Assured Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) including confidential 24-hour support  
• access to Cyclescheme   
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) contributions and Teacher Pension Scheme (TPS) contributions 
• We’re happy to talk flexible working where possible to help employees achieve a healthy work life balance. 

Applying to work for us 

Applications will only be accepted on the TES application form and references will be applied for at the shortlisting stage. Applications may not be considered if they are incomplete, you must provide information on all employment since leaving full time education and an explanation for any gaps. We cannot accept CV's. We encourage early applications and reserve the right to close this vacancy before the planned closing date.  

Please note that guidance in Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023 requires us to carry out an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted candidates. This to enable us to identify any incidents or issues which have happened and are publicly available online which we might want to explore at interview. Once shortlisting has taken place, this search will be carried out for all candidates who will attend an interview. 

All applicants must be permitted to work in the UK and hold a relevant work permit where necessary. This is not a role in which the Trust sponsors a visa application. If you have lived or worked outside of the UK in the last 5 years, the Trust will also require additional information in order to comply with safer recruitment requirements. Any job offer will be conditional on the satisfactory completion of the necessary pre-employment checks including receipt of satisfactory references. Whilst we offer flexibility where possible, we acknowledge that certain roles require a specific environment or on-site presence to meet operational requirements. 

Safeguarding Children 

All schools within the Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. 

Equality Statement 

At Prospere Learning Trust we are committed to creating a community of belonging. This means we continually celebrate the diverse communities within our schools and the communities we serve. As an equal opportunity and disability confident employer, we positively welcome applications from all candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.  

If you would prefer to request an application pack by email or post, or should you require any additional support in completing your application, please feel free to contact us on 0161 527 7953 or via e-mail at jobs@prospere.org.uk