HR Business Partner

Employment Status:           Permanent, Full-time, All-year-round.

Salary:                                    £42,403 - £49,498 per annum

Annual Leave:                      Up to 33 days plus bank holidays

Work Location:                     Coventry. Occassionally Nuneaton and New Arley.

Work Flexibility:                   Hybrid working and flexible working hours available.

Responsible to:                     Head of HR

Are you a HR professional interested in making Coventry and Warwickshire schools great places to work?

We are on the search for an exceptional HR Business Partner to work closely with our academy leaders across Coventry and Warwickshire, to provide expert HR advice and support the delivery of our Trust people strategy. This is a new role at Inspire Education Trust.

As an experienced HR professional, you will work in partnership with academy leaders, undertaking a range of HR advisory and managerial responsibilities, leading on HR projects and delivering strategic workforce initiatives. This is a generalist role and as such you will manage aspects of pay and reward, recruitment, onboarding and induction. Supporting the Head of HR and working with the wider team, you will ensure working practices across our organisation are compliant with employment legislation, efficient and conducive to our vision and values. 

As a HR business partner, you will be able to expertly pivot between strategic and operational work, “rolling up your sleeves” when it is required but equally, able to solve complex and long-term problems. Importantly, you will have an ability to form effective relationships with senior stakeholders, conduct your work with credibility and integrity, ensuring strict adherence to our Trust values. As a HR professional, at your core, you will be able to work with a wide range of people, being a true advocate for the “people profession”.

The HR team is based in Coventry and is responsible for providing outstanding HR services to the schools and central team of Inspire Education Trust for a workforce of approximately 550 staff, soon to grow to 700+. The HR business partner will report to the Head of HR and will undertake a key role in the delivery and development of all aspects of the HR provision.

All staff will be expected to know what to do if they have concerns about a child, take on the responsibility for providing a safe environment and promoting children’s welfare, undertake regular safeguarding and child protection training and, familiarise themselves with KCSIE part 1 and local policies and procedures as directed by the trust.

A career at Inspire Education Trust offers a rewarding future, with the opportunity to make a real impact on the lives and outcomes of our young people. We work hard to provide an environment which places staff wellbeing at the forefront of the agenda, as well as providing ample opportunities for personal and professional development. It is a priority for us to ensure our workforce is flourishing, fulfilled and engaged.

As such, we offer a portfolio of benefits designed to enhance and support the working lives of our staff These include, but are not limited to:

•      A highly supportive and committed executive leadership team

•      An effective continuing professional development (CPD) programme for all staff

•      Employee Assistance Programme which offers 24/7 confidential advice and support on a range of matters and free access to accredited counsellors

•      A focus on staff well-being including free counselling and wellbeing training, a network of wellbeing champions and a supportive working environment

•      Opportunity to join a committed and forward-thinking team of staff

•      Employee Benefits platform providing staff access to a range of benefits such as shopping discounts and a cycle to work scheme

Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Kelly Tuck Kelly.tuck@ietrust.org to arrange an initial conversation with our Head of HR.

Closing Date: 9am Friday 8th December 2023

Interview Date: Wednesday 13th December 2023

Information for candidates:

The postholder must share our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

The post is exempt from the rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. Which means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’, so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide.

We aim to recruit the very best staff and welcome those from all backgrounds.

The role of the HR Business Partner will be classed as regulated activity. Any offer of employment will be conditional until satisfactory completion of all mandatory pre-employment checks including barred list check and an internal reference for internal candidates.

It is an offence to apply for this role if barred from engaging in regulating activity relevant to children.

Following recommendations from Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) for an additional pre-employment check, with the effect of 1st September 2022, please note an online search may form part of this recruitment process.