HR Administration Manager in Bristol

This hybrid role combines home, office and academy-based working, including one day per week at Federation House, Kingswood, and regular travel to academies across the Federation as required.

Your opportunity to lead HR operations across a diverse education community. Are you an experienced HR professional with a strong background in HR administration, payroll and pensions? Do you have the leadership skills to manage a high-performing team while driving continuous improvement across a complex organisation? Join the Cabot Learning Federation (CLF) as our HR Administration Manager and play a vital role within our Central HR Team.

Reporting to the Head of HR Operations, you will lead the delivery of a comprehensive HR administration service, ensuring payroll, pensions, contractual changes, probation processes and broader HR administration activities are delivered accurately, efficiently and in line with legislative and regulatory requirements. Managing a team of eight HR Administration professionals, you will oversee the delivery of central HR operational services for 37 academies across the Federation, ensuring colleagues receive a professional, responsive and high-quality service that supports our commitment to excellence, equity and opportunity for all.

In this role, you will:

• Lead and develop a team of eight HR Administration professionals, promoting high standards, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Oversee the delivery of HR administration services across 37 academies, ensuring a consistent and efficient service.
• Manage monthly payroll and pension processes, ensuring accuracy, compliance and timely completion.
• Act as the escalation point for complex payroll, pensions and contractual queries.
• Build strong relationships with academy leaders, Finance colleagues, external providers and key stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with employment legislation, payroll and pension regulations, GDPR and safer recruitment requirements.
• Drive improvements to systems, processes and ways of working to enhance service delivery.
• Support key HR operational initiatives, including pay and benefits, workforce reporting and HR systems development.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced HR operations professional who enjoys combining people leadership, problem-solving and operational excellence in a large and ambitious organisation.

About you: You will be an experienced HR professional with strong knowledge of HR administration, payroll and pensions, alongside a proven track record of leading teams and delivering high-quality operational services. You will have:

• Significant experience leading HR administration, payroll or pensions services and developing high-performing teams.
• A CIPD qualification (or equivalent HR qualification and experience) and commitment to ongoing professional development.
• A Level 4 qualification in Business Administration, HR or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
• Strong knowledge of payroll processes, pensions administration, employment legislation and HR best practice.
• Experience advising on contractual changes, terms and conditions, payroll and pensions matters.
• Excellent analytical, organisational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• Experience using HR systems and workforce data to support reporting and continuous improvement.
• Exceptional attention to detail, accuracy and confidentiality.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence at all levels.
• GCSE English and Maths (Grade C/4 or above, or equivalent).

Experience within the education sector, including knowledge of safer recruitment and Keeping Children Safe in Education, would be advantageous but is not essential.

Why work in CLF's Central HR Team? In this role, you'll be part of a collaborative and forward-thinking HR function supporting one of the South West's largest multi-academy trusts. You'll have the opportunity to:

• Lead a critical HR operational service supporting colleagues across 37 schools.
• Manage and develop a dedicated HR Administration team.
• Work closely with academy leaders, finance teams and external partners.
• Drive improvements to HR systems, processes and service delivery.
• Develop your leadership and HR operations expertise within a supportive and ambitious organisation.
• Make a real impact on the experience of colleagues and the effectiveness of our schools.

What we can offer you:

• Access to a generous pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Generous annual leave.
• A comprehensive induction and ongoing commitment to wellbeing and career progression, through a range of training, apprenticeships and in-role/wider-trust development opportunities.
• Well-being support through an Employee Assistance Programme.
• Health benefits, including wellness sessions, gym discounts, and flu jabs.
• A range of generous family leave options, including above industry average occupational maternity pay.
• Additional benefits like cycle to work scheme, on-site parking plus many more!

Important Information: We are an equal opportunity employer and proud to serve a diverse student population and our communities. We strongly believe that representation matters and so encourage applications from underrepresented and global majority groups including ethnicity, gender, transgender, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion. We aim to remove any barriers to employment, ensuring everyone can compete on equal terms. Job share, part-time and flexible working opportunities will be considered. We also reserve the right to close this vacancy early, should we receive a high level of interest in the role. Therefore, candidates are advised to apply at their earliest convenience to avoid missing out. Please note we are not able to offer visa sponsorship for this role. As a Disability Confident Committed Employer, we are dedicated to equity and inclusion and commit to interviewing applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria. We aim to provide an inclusive and accessible recruitment process, and support employees throughout their employment. If you have a disability, are neurodivergent, or require any adjustments to support you through the application or interview process please let us know how we can assist.