HR Officer

HR Officer 

£25,000 to £28,750 + benefits Central Manchester Full time (37 hours), permanent 

Overview: 

You’ll deliver professional HR support and advice for our central support and Hub teams, organise recruitment campaigns, and lead on designated areas of HR activity across the Co-op Academies Trust. 

CIPD qualified (or equivalent) with broad relevant HR work experience, including advising on employee relations cases, an understanding of employment law & HR good practice along with the ability to assess implications and articulate risk, you’ll have experience of running recruitment campaigns. 

With great organisational skills and attention to detail, you are resilient, self-motivated and proactive, able to build strong working relationships with others and demonstrate credibility with senior leaders. Previous experience of working with schools would be an advantage, but is not essential. 

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced HR Officer looking to increase their skill set and progress their HR career within a growing organisation. We currently have 23 academy schools across the North of England, with ambitious plans for further growth - so it is an exciting and busy time to be joining us! 

What you’ll do: 

● Lead HR activity for the central and hub teams for the full ‘employee cycle’, including both administrative and advisory work, including induction, attendance, performance & conduct, policy queries, risk assessments, record keeping (including Single Central Record), and exits 

● Manage recruitment campaigns, including advert writing & placement, applicant management, organising selection procedures and paperwork, participating in interviews, issuing contracts and carrying out pre-employment checks 

● Support line managers, up to and including our CEO, with the resolution of colleague issues, ensuring good practice and compliance with Trust policy, statutory guidance and legislation 

● Manage and administer the Trust’s colleague benefits package, through regular promotion activity, ongoing communication with the Co-op, and administration of the Cycle to Work Scheme and Co-op colleague membership process 

● Act as “custodian” of the Trust’s HR policies, procedures and supporting toolkits, co-ordinating activity to review and update periodically, and preparing Trust-wide communications on changes 

● Carry out Trust-wide HR data extraction, collation, analysis, presentation and reporting 

● Act as the HR team’s GDPR champion 

● Provide professional supervision to the HR aspects of the team apprentice’s role 

● Support the Trust’s Chief People Officer on other designated areas of HR activity such as equality & diversity, and organising training events 

This role would suit you if you have: 

● Relevant HR work experience, including managing recruitment, employee relations casework, planning & implementing HR initiatives 

● Understanding of HR policy & procedure, employment law and HR good practice 

● Experience of working with data, taking and producing accurate meeting notes, and using G-Suite (Google) applications 

● Experience of working with schools, or elsewhere in the public sector 

● Strong written and oral communication skills, and a willingness to speak to large groups of colleagues 

● A confident, resilient and self-managing approach to work, able to use your own initiative and prioritise your work to deliver on time and to a high standard, and a willingness to change and adapt as the Trust grows 

● The ability to build effective working relationships with geographically dispersed colleagues, at all levels of the organisation, and to influence the work of others 

● CIPD Level 5 (or equivalent) 

● The flexibility & means to travel to all of the Trust’s academies (not all easily reached via public transport) and occasionally attend outside normal working hours 

Why Co-op Academies Trust? 

● 30 days holiday, plus bank holidays 

● local government pension scheme 

● Co-op colleague membership discounts 

● Co-op credit union 

● health-care cash-back scheme 

● discounted gym membership and leisure activities 

● season ticket and rental deposit loans 

● on-site shop, restaurant and Nuffield Gym 

Building an inclusive work environment: 

We value variety and individual differences, and aim to create a culture at all levels which encompasses acceptance, respect and inclusion. All our colleagues are expected to demonstrate a commitment to Co-operative values and principles and our Ways of Being Co-op. 

Co-op Academies Trust is committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults as its number one priority. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check. 

You can find out more about the Co-op Academies Trust at coopacademies.co.uk. 

How to apply: 

Please note this is a Co-op Academies Trust role. To apply you need to visit coopacademies.co.uk to download an application form. Completed application forms should be returned to juliet.caunt@coopacademies.co.uk 

Closing date: Monday 14 October 2019 Interviews: w/c 28 October 2019 (date tbc)