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- Tasks: Support schools with HR challenges and build strong relationships with education leaders.
- Company: Join Surrey County Council, a supportive local government employer.
- Benefits: Enjoy 26-31 days holiday, pension, and wellbeing discounts.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in the education sector while developing your HR expertise.
- Qualifications: Experience in HR consultancy and strong communication skills required.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for professional growth and mentoring.
The predicted salary is between 47142 - 52500 £ per year.
Location: Woodhatch Place, 11 Cockshot Hill, Woodhatch, Reigate, RH2 8EF
This role has a starting salary of £47,142 per annum for working 36 hours per week.
We are excited to be recruiting a Senior People Consultant to join our fantastic team based at Woodhatch Place, Reigate.
Our Offer to You
- 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service (prorated for part time staff)
- Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
- A generous local government salary related pension
- Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
- Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
- An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
- Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
- Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
- A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents.
About the Role
This is not a typical local authority HR post. If you're ready for your next step as a Senior HR Consultant within the education sector, this unique and dynamic position offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on Surrey's schools. You will play a central role in supporting schools through complex and challenging employment situations, working closely with school leaders, education colleagues and partners across the Council. These strong, collaborative relationships create a dynamic and rewarding environment in which your professional expertise will genuinely make a difference.
The role reports into the People Business Partner (Schools) and may be called upon to mentor and develop less experienced team members; there are no direct line management responsibilities.
The successful candidate will provide consistent, high-quality support to customer schools throughout the Local Government Reorganisation and transition to Future Surrey, ensuring continuity of service, protecting commercial relationships, and maintaining strong customer loyalty.
The postholder will deliver traded employee relations (ER) consultancy to schools purchasing services from the Surrey County Council Schools HR Service. As a fully traded offer, the role requires strong subject matter expertise, sensitive customer relationship management, and a commercially focused approach. This consultancy offer complements the council's statutory responsibilities by providing high quality, timely professional advice to support lawful and consistent people management.
Your Application
In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:
- Customer Focus: The ability to build trusted, professional relationships with a diverse range of schools, providing high-quality, customer-centred HR advice that supports consistent, lawful decision-making.
- Teamwork: Evidence of collaborative working with colleagues, school leaders and partners, contributing to shared outcomes across a commercial, professional services environment.
- Effective Delivery: Significant experience managing complex, high-risk employee relations casework with sound judgement and effective risk assessment in a local authority context.
- Purposeful Communication: Proven ability to provide clear, confident and commercially focused HR guidance to senior school leaders, including complex or sensitive employment matters.
- High-Performance: Strong working knowledge of employment law, education staffing regulations, and teachers' pay and conditions, with the ability to apply this expertise to support sound organisational decision-making.
- Credibility and Collaboration: Experience providing leadership coaching or advisory support, demonstrating the maturity and influence required to engage credibly with senior stakeholders.
You will need to have the willingness and ability to travel across Surrey to deliver timely, responsive on-site support to customer schools.
To apply, we request that you submit a CV and you will be asked the following 4 questions:
- What has motivated you to apply for this role?
- Explain how your previous experience is relevant to this new role?
- Tell us about some of your involvement in employee relations casework, describing process and outcomes, and how you added value as an HR professional.
- Describe a situation you have found yourself in which explains how you would use your communication and influencing skills to engage and coach school leadership teams and other high-level stakeholders effectively?
Contact Us
We would welcome the opportunity to discuss the role; please contact us for any questions. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment. Please contact Nicola Fernandes, People Business Partner (Schools) via email at Nicola.Fernandes@surreycc.gov.uk.
The job advert closes at 23:59 on 8th March 2026 with interviews planned between the 11th and 13th March 2026.
We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.
Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)
Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities.
We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum criteria, we guarantee you an interview. Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.
Senior People Consultant (Schools HR) (reference: SCC/TP/287907/4612) in Reigate employer: Surrey County Council
Contact Detail:
Surrey County Council Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior People Consultant (Schools HR) (reference: SCC/TP/287907/4612) in Reigate
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the education sector and let them know you're on the hunt for a Senior People Consultant role. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews by practising common questions related to employee relations and HR consultancy. We recommend role-playing with a friend or using online resources to get comfortable discussing your experience and how it aligns with the needs of schools.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your expertise! When you get the chance to meet potential employers, be ready to discuss specific examples of how you've successfully managed complex HR situations. This will demonstrate your value and make you stand out as a candidate.
✨Tip Number 4
Don't forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior People Consultant (Schools HR) (reference: SCC/TP/287907/4612) in Reigate
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion: When you’re writing your application, let your enthusiasm for the role shine through! We want to see what motivates you to join our team and how you can make a difference in Surrey's schools.
Tailor Your Experience: Make sure to highlight your relevant experience in HR and employee relations. We’re looking for specific examples that demonstrate your skills and how they align with the role. Don’t be shy about showcasing your achievements!
Be Clear and Concise: When answering the application questions, keep your responses focused and to the point. We appreciate well-structured answers that clearly address the questions, so avoid fluff and get straight to the good stuff!
Apply Through Our Website: Remember to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way to ensure we receive all your details correctly. Plus, it makes it easier for us to review your application and get back to you.
How to prepare for a job interview at Surrey County Council
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of employment law and education staffing regulations. This role requires a strong understanding of these areas, so be prepared to discuss how you've applied this expertise in previous roles.
✨Showcase Your Customer Focus
Think of examples where you've built strong relationships with schools or similar organisations. Be ready to explain how you provided high-quality, customer-centred HR advice that led to positive outcomes.
✨Prepare for Complex Scenarios
Since the role involves managing complex employee relations casework, prepare to discuss specific cases you've handled. Highlight your judgement and risk assessment skills, and how you added value as an HR professional.
✨Communicate Effectively
Practice articulating your communication and influencing skills. Think of a situation where you successfully engaged with senior stakeholders or school leadership teams, and be ready to share how you coached them through sensitive matters.
