Senior HR Manager - Education (AWDO-P14837) in London) in Hounslow

We have a great opportunity for an experienced HR leader to take on the role as Deputy Head of HR, and deliver employee relations, safer recruitment, talent management, employment law, HR systems and people services across a values‑led education organisation.

Location: London, Bishop’s Stortford or Leicester – whichever is nearest to where you live.

Salary: London £54,471 – £61,547 per annum + Benefits; Bishop’s Stortford and Leicester £50,067 – £57,145 per annum.

Job type: Full‑Time, Permanent. Working hours: 37.5 hours per week.

As the Senior HR Manager you will work closely with the Head of HR to shape and deliver a proactive people service, supporting organisational growth, workforce planning, employee relations, safeguarding compliance and continuous improvement. The Senior HR Manager will lead and develop HR services, provide expert advice on complex casework and organisational change, and help create a positive, inclusive and high‑performing culture. This is an excellent opportunity for a collaborative HR professional with strong employment law knowledge, talent management experience and the ability to build trusted relationships with senior leaders.

Duties

• HR Leadership: deputise for the Head of HR and support the delivery of a high‑quality people service across the organisation.
• Employee Relations: provide expert advice on complex casework, including discipline, grievance, absence, capability, mediation and wellbeing matters.
• Safer Recruitment: lead compliant safer recruitment practices, safeguarding‑related HR processes and statutory checks.
• Talent Management: support recruitment, onboarding, retention, succession planning and agency management initiatives.
• Team Management: lead, coach and develop HR colleagues, helping to shape team structure, performance and service delivery.
• Policy Development: review and improve HR policies, templates, guidance, systems and procedures to ensure compliance and best practice.
• Stakeholder Engagement: build effective relationships with senior leaders, managers, schools, partners, external providers and trade union representatives.
• Organisational Change: support projects including restructures, TUPE, growth plans, workforce planning and continuous improvement.
• Reporting and Compliance: monitor HR metrics, manage risk and ensure statutory requirements are met across people services.

Candidate Requirements

Essential

• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience.
• Current member of the CIPD.
• Qualified to CIPD Level 5 or above.
• Previous experience in an HR Lead, Senior HR Manager or HR Business Partner role within education.
• Proven experience of leading operational HR services and managing a team of people professionals.
• Strong generalist HR experience across employee relations, policy development, change management, compliance and project management.
• Excellent knowledge of employment law, including the Employment Rights Act, TUPE and the Equality Act 2010.
• Understanding of safer recruitment, safeguarding practice and HR administration within education.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise a high‑volume workload in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong communication, influencing, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Confident user of Microsoft Office, Teams, SharePoint and Outlook.
• Commitment to safeguarding and the welfare of all students.

Desirable

• Full driving licence and own transport.
• Experience in a faith‑based or values‑led organisation.
• Ability to develop systems and processes that improve efficiency and service delivery.
• Knowledge of equal pay, job evaluation, data protection and the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Benefits

• Great opportunities for professional development.
• NEST pension scheme, subject to eligibility.
• O2 discounts.
• Specsavers corporate eye test vouchers.
• Flexible working opportunities.
• Eligible for NUS Card and CSSC membership.
• Well‑being programmes, including retreats, yoga and wellness apps.
• Cycle‑to‑work scheme.

Pre‑employment checks: The organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All successful candidates are required to have an Enhanced DBS check unless internally appointed and still within the cycle of DBS re‑checks. Any appointment subsequently made will be subject to the receipt of satisfactory references and other pre‑employment checks.