HR Officer

HR Officer, Abbey College Cambridge

Position Details

The HR Officer will provide generalist HR support to the College and will be responsible for dealing with employee relations queries, case work and involvement in the disciplinary and grievance procedures with assistance from the Head of HR. The role also covers all aspects of Recruitment, On-boarding and Pre-employment checks, Payroll Administration, as well as the maintenance and update of the Single Central Record.

 The Alpha Plus Group has recently invested in a new HR System (Select HR) which has been rolled out across all schools in the group.  This role will work closely with the Head of HR Services to support rollout of further functionality and to ensure the system supports the business and information needs of APG.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Act as key point of contact for HR queries providing guidance on HR policy, process and operating procedures to employees and managers.
• Maintenance and update of Single Central Record with details of all staff at each school as well as any visiting staff and volunteers carrying out regulated activity within the school.
• Supporting the Senior Management Team of each school through the inspection process (ISI and Ofsted) to ensure Single Central Record and staff files are compliant with the ISI and Ofsted inspectorate.
• Lead on recruitment campaigns for all roles within the schools, posting roles on Recruitment portal and various job boards. Monitoring application levels, responding to queries, organising interviews, reference requests and issuing offer.
• Responsible for the on boarding process for successful candidates ensuring all pre-employment checks have been carried out including, eligibility to work, DBS, Health checks etc. supporting documentation has been checked,  and systems and files have been updated accordingly.
• Ensure the HR System is kept up to date with all changes within the school including; new starters, leavers, changes of personal and contractual details, sickness and other absences as well as the update of training records.
• Assist in the annual salary review process – ensuring systems are updated and letters issued to all staff.
• Monitor progress of new staff through the probation period, liaising with managers where necessary to ensure review meetings are carried out appropriate actions taken during the probationary period.
• Monitoring and recording of all staff absence on HR system, flagging up any potential absence issues. Follow up with managers and individuals to ensure Self Certs and Fit notes are recorded as appropriate.
• Maintain leave records for support staff in each of the schools.
• Advise staff on maternity, paternity leave and parental leave in line with APG family friendly policies with the direction of Head of HR.
• Ensure that managers and staff are aware of all HR policies and procedures and support them with any queries they may have.
• Support the Senior Management Team with the organisation and administration of staff training including Inset days. Ensuring systems and CPD records are maintained.
• Compile monthly report for payroll including any staff changes, absence report together with details of any temporary payments. Provide associated paperwork to payroll team in line with agreed payroll cutoff dates.
• Work closely with the Project Manager for the My HR Project to ensure each of their schools is making the best use of the system to support their business objectives.
• Assist with rollout of additional My HR functionality – onboarding, self-service, on line appraisals etc.

SKILLS REQUIRED

• System focused with ability to pick up new systems quickly
• Highly effective communication skills
• Good people management skills, able to delegate and escalate as appropriate
• Ability to work on own initiative
• Excellent organisation and planning skills
• Ability to approach confidential matters with discretion, sensitivity and diplomacy
• Ability to liaise confidently with senior management, staff, parents and the wider community
• Friendly, enthusiastic, approachable
• CIPD qualified or working towards 

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED 

• Good knowledge in HR policies and processes.
• Strong employment legislation knowledge.
• Experience of handing varied and complex ER casework.
• Select HR is the HR System used by APG and its’ update and maintenance will be an integral part of your role - whilst you don’t need to have experience of using this system any exposure to this or similar HR systems is essential.
• Acloud Recruitment is used to advertise all roles within the APG group – any experience of using this or a similar on line recruitment tool would be an advantage.
• The SCR is currently held in SIMS so any experience of using SIMS to maintain staff records would be helpful.
• Good experience of using Microsoft Office (Word & Excel) to create templates, mail merges, pivot tables etc.
• Understanding of HR and Payroll processes and basic employment legislation.
• Understand the principles of safeguarding in relation to child protection.
• Ability to work under pressure, identify priorities and meet tight deadlines.