Director of Human Resources

Partnership Learning, a growing Multi-Academy Trust, is seeking a Director of HR who will bring enthusiasm and drive to the leadership of the Trust’s HR functions and also contribute to the wider development of the Trust.

Partnership Learning is currently responsible for thirteen academies – secondary, primary, all-through, special and UTC – across four local authorities (Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Waltham Forest and Southend) serving over 10,000 pupils. The Trust is already set to grow to more than 16,000 pupils and 16 schools as its current and approved new schools grow. The Trust will also be incorporating four additional schools and 3,000 pupils from the existing QED Trust in Hillingdon in Autumn 2024. Further expansion is envisaged in the coming years, aiming to reach 20-25 schools by 2027. From September 2024 the Trust will employ approximately 2,000 staff

The successful candidate will be responsible for leading and managing the Trust’s HR and Payroll functions and will join a central senior team consisting of Chief Executive, Strategy and Development Consultant, Director of Finance, Director of ICT, Director of Estates and Director of School Improvement. The Director of HR will play a key role in the central team, with overall responsibility for HR across the Trust’s schools and as a contributor to the wider development of the Trust.

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic, committed HR specialist with both a strong track record in the leadership of HR functions and an interest in the wider development of an established Multi-Academy Trust at a key point in its growth.

Key purposes of the role

•  Develop and implement the short, medium and long-term vision and strategy for the Trust’s HR functions, ensuring they meet the needs of the Trust as it grows and develops.
• Lead and manage all aspects of the Trust’s Human Resources functions.
• Oversee the timely and accurate provision of data by schools and the central trust to the Trust’s payroll provider, to ensure all pay amounts and payment dates are accurate.
• Lead in providing HR advice and support to all schools within the Trust, currently in liaison with the Trust’s external HR consultants but with a forthcoming review to consider bringing in-house.
• Provide assurance to the Chief Executive, and through them to the Board of Trustees, that all aspects of human resources and payroll systems are efficient and effective across the operations of the MAT and its schools.
• Ensure the Trust and its schools are compliant with all legal requirements and statutory guidance across human resources and payroll systems.
• Design, implement, review and revise consistent Trust-wide policies and procedures across all aspects of human resources and payroll systems.
• Provide professional leadership, advice, guidance and challenge to the Trust schools’ post-holders overseeing human resources and payroll, to continually enhance their effectiveness - and where necessary intervene to ensure compliance and efficiency.

Salary will be paid on the Partnership Learning Senior Leadership Scale, on a ten-point range starting at £94,314 and rising through annual incremental progression (subject to successful appraisal) to £112,985.

Partnership Learning’s Terms and Conditions for central team posts closely follow those for equivalent-level Local Government posts.