HR Business Partner

£50,000-£60,000 + Performance and Loyalty Bonus + Pension Scheme (LGPS) + Harris Wellbeing Cash Plan + Additional Harris Benefits

ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY

We are looking for an experienced HR Business Partner to support academy leaders and deliver high quality people-focused advice across the Federation.

This is a hands-on role where you will work closely with senior leaders, providing expert advice on employee relations, workforce planning and organisational change. You\’ll lead complex casework, coach leaders on effective people management, and support initiatives that improve engagement, wellbeing and performance.

The role involves regular visits to academies, building strong relationships and ensuring consistent, high-quality HR practice. You\’ll also contribute to HR projects, policy development and leadership training.

If you\’re a proactive, solutions-focused HR professional with strong ER experience and a passion for education, we\’d love to hear from you.

The founder and sponsor of the Harris Federation, Lord Harris of Peckham, opened our first school in 1990. We have, over the past thirty years, implemented ideas and initiatives that have transformed the opportunities of pupils from working class and disadvantaged backgrounds. Harris academies are widely recognised as a force for social mobility. We are immensely proud of the role that our alumni are now beginning to play in the world and of what we believe our current generation of pupils will go on to achieve.

We now have over 50 schools educating more than 40,000 young people across London and Essex, and employ over 5,000 staff across our academies and head office. With the majority of our academies located in areas of high socioeconomic disadvantage, a high-quality education is key to the futures of the pupils we serve.

As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.

Our work will impact many generations to come, and our staff come from all backgrounds and walks of life, coming together to inspire young minds. We promote an inclusive culture that embraces the valuable and enriching contribution that all of our community make. We continue to be proactive in uplifting and supporting all voices at Harris.

To discover more about our culture, ethos and what it is like to work here, visit the Why Work For Us page.

MAIN AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Your responsibilities will include:

• Acting as a trusted HR partner to academy leaders, providing proactive, pragmatic advice on workforce planning, engagement, performance and wellbeing
• Providing expert advice and support to managers on complex employee relations cases, including disciplinaries, grievances, sickness absence, capability management and restructures, ensuring legal compliance and timely resolution
• Coaching and supporting senior leaders to strengthen people management capability and embed best practice, including informal dispute resolution
• Providing expert advice and support to leaders on organisational change, including restructures and TUPE transfers, supporting with managing consultation processes and trade union relationships
• Analysing workforce data and trends to inform HR initiatives such as retention, attendance improvement, and improving the employee experience

For a full list of job responsibilities, please download the Job Pack.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• Significant experience operating at HR Business Partner or senior HR advisory level within a complex organisation, influencing senior stakeholders
• Proven experience managing complex employee relations cases, including change management and restructuring, with strong employment law knowledge
• The ability to coach, influence and challenge senior leaders with credibility, empathy and professionalism

For a full job specification, please download the Job Pack.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

Harris has a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

You will also have access to a variety of benefits, support programmes and initiatives including:

• Excellent opportunities for continuous professional development and career progression
• Annual performance and loyalty bonus
• Pension scheme (Teachers\’ Pension Scheme or Local Government Pension Scheme) with generous employer contribution
• 26 days\’ annual leave (inclusive of our Christmas Eve closure day) plus bank holidays, rising to 27 days after 2 years\’ service, or equivalent for staff on term time contracts
• Harris Wellbeing Cash Plan including cover for routine and specialist healthcare
• Employee Assistance Programme for free and confidential advice
• Cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme
• Wide range of shopping, leisure, and travel discounts
• 20% off at Tapi Carpets, exclusive to Harris employees
• Interest-free ICT and season ticket loans

For most non-teaching staff based at our Head Office in East Croydon, we also offer lifestyle friendly working arrangements including flexible start and end times, and hybrid working with two days from home and three days on site.

APPLYING FOR THIS POSITION

If you would like to discuss the opportunity further, or if you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Elliott, Talent Acquisition Partner, via email Jennifer.Elliott@harrisfederation.org.uk to arrange a conversation.

Before applying please ensure you download the job pack from our careers website, this will help with completing your application. Please note that we only accept applications submitted online before the closing date.

When applying, you will have the option to import your CV or use a LinkedIn profile which will auto populate the online application.

A reminder to check your junk mail for our email communications and add us to your safe senders list to ensure all future email communication is received.

OUR VISION & VALUES

Our vision, from the start, has been to provide the structure and services needed for our schools to amount to more than the sum of their parts, and to free-up our teachers and leaders to focus on one thing and one thing only: the outstanding education of all their pupils. Our young people and communities are at the heart of everything we do. Our core mission has always been to close the educational gap between young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers. Our ambition is one where every child in London, no matter their background, has equal access to high quality education, giving them the same opportunities and potential to succeed.

We know there are many challenges facing our young people and the communities we serve, and that\’s why we need determined people like you to help us tackle those inequalities. Whilst each of our academies has their own unique cultures and values; as a whole Federation, we have four core values which are central to successfully achieving our vision: Excellence, Collaboration, Support, and Innovation. We are proud of our values because they guide us in how we work allowing us to achieve the best possible outcomes for our young people, communities, and colleagues.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates. We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.

Please remember to check your junk mail foldersfor our email communications. You will receive a confirmation email once you submit, or save the progress, of your application. Please check your junk/spam folder andadd us to your safe senders list to ensure all future email communication is received. This is important to ensure you are kept up to date on the status ofyour application and to avoid delays in the recruitment process.

Applying online

We strongly advise that you complete the personal information section first and then save the progress of your application. You can return at any time to update and complete the rest of theapplication. Please ensure you regularly save the progress of your application to avoid losing any data.

Once saved, you will receive an email with instruction on how to retrieve your application using a unique code.

To submit an application, you’ll need to have ready:

• Personal information about you
• Details of your education and employment history
• Details of any qualifications and training gained
• A CV and/or supporting statement to upload

Using your CV orLinkedIn profile to apply:

To reduce theapplication time, you will have the option to upload a CV or use your LinkedIn profile when applying for the job. The information in your CV or LinkedIn profile will auto populate the relevant sections of the online application, but please ensure you check this before submitting.

If you have applied to work with us before, you can reuse and update an existing application.

Need any help andsupport?

Visit ourApplying page for FAQs and support with completing your application.

We look forward to receiving your application.

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