Head of People

Amegreen Children’s Services; Mortimer; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension and life assurance

Healthcare benefits

Company vehicle benefits and Cycle to 

Job summary

Amegreen Children's Services is seeking an experienced HR professional to lead and develop the People function as the organisation grows. You will be the trusted advisor to senior leaders, shaping policy and practice across employee relations, employment law, and organisational development.

You will build and coach a small HR team, influence strategic decisions, and drive engagement, retention and risk management across our 21 homes and schools in West Berkshire, Hampshire and beyond.

Qualifications

• Experience leading complex employee relations matters.
• Strong knowledge of employment law and compliance.
• Proven ability to coach and develop HR teams.
• Ability to influence senior leaders and shape strategy.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and delivery of the People strategy as the organisation grows.
• Act as lead HR advisor to Directors and senior leaders.
• Lead complex employee relations matters, including disciplinary, grievance, capability and performance cases.
• Manage high-level employee relations risk, including ACAS conciliation, legal settlements and Employment Tribunal matters.
• Lead, motivate, coach and develop the HR team.
• Support organisational change, workforce planning, succession planning, talent management and continuous improvement.
• Strengthen HR governance, employment law compliance, policies and people-related risk management.

Skills

Employee relations

HR leadership

Employment law

Stakeholder management

Change management

Job description

This is more than an HR role.

Amegreen is growing, and we are looking for an experienced HR professional who wants to grow with us. This is an exciting opportunity to join a successful and expanding organisation at a point where the People function is becoming increasingly important to our future.

You won't be stepping into a role where everything is already established. You will have the opportunity to influence how we do things, strengthen our people processes, develop our HR team and help shape the culture of an organisation that continues to evolve.

Amegreen provides therapeutic residential care and education for children and young people with complex social, emotional and learning needs. We have built a network of warm, nurturing children's homes and specialist schools across West Berkshire and Hampshire, with a strong focus on trauma-informed practice, safeguarding and positive outcomes for young people.

Today, we have approximately 250-300 colleagues across 21 homes and schools, and we are continuing to grow across our care and education services. That growth brings exciting opportunities and increasing complexity for our People function.

The Opportunity

Reporting directly to the Directors, you will be Amegreen's lead HR professional and a trusted advisor to senior leaders. You will have genuine visibility and influence across the organisation, balancing strategic HR leadership with hands-on involvement in the people matters that really matter. You will lead and develop a small HR team, shape our People strategy and provide expert guidance across employee relations, employment law, organisational development, engagement, retention and people risk.

What Makes This Opportunity Different?

• Influence from day one - work directly with Directors and senior leaders and have a genuine voice in people-related decisions
• A growing organisation - as Amegreen grows, so does the scope, complexity and opportunity within the People function
• Build don't just maintain - help shape and improve our HR processes, culture, systems and ways of working
• Leadership opportunity - lead, coach and develop the HR team while building your own senior leadership experience
• Variety - from strategic workforce planning to complex employee relations, no two days will look the same
• Meaningful work - your work will support the people who provide care and education to young people, making a difference well beyond the HR function.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead the development and delivery of the People strategy as the organisation continues to grow
• Act as the lead HR advisor to Directors and senior leaders
• Lead complex employee relations matters, including disciplinary, grievance, capability and performance cases
• Manage high-level employee relations risk, including ACAS conciliation, legal settlements and Employment Tribunal matters
• Lead, motivate, coach and develop the HR team
• Support organisational change, workforce planning, succession planning, talent management and continuous improvement
• Strengthen HR governance, employment law compliance, policies and people-related risk management
• Work closely with Recruitment, Operations, Finance, Quality Assurance and Safeguarding
• Champion employee engagement, wellbeing, retention and a positive employee experience
• Lead on Skilled Worker visa sponsorship programme

Who We're Looking For

• Strong, demonstrable experience managing complex employee relations cases
• Experience involving ACAS, legal settlements and/or Employment Tribunals is essential
• Experience managing, coaching and developing an HR team
• Resilience and confidence when dealing with high-pressure, challenging or unpredictable people and situations
• Someone who genuinely enjoys being office-based, visible and involved in the day-to-day business
• Strong employment law knowledge and the judgement to know when to act, challenge, advise or seek specialist support
• A practical, commercially aware and solutions-focused approach
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to work with everyone from frontline colleagues to Directors
• A genuine desire to keep developing as Amegreen grows, you will have the opportunity to grow with it and take on increasing responsibility

Your Growth at Amegreen

We want someone who is ambitious about their own development as well as ours. This is not a role where we expect you to simply maintain the status quo. As the organisation grows, the People function will continue to evolve. You will have the opportunity to broaden your strategic responsibilities, develop your leadership capability, influence organisational change and help shape the future direction of HR at Amegreen.

We are looking for someone who wants to be part of that journey, someone who sees complexity as an opportunity to learn, improve and make an impact.

Benefits & What We Offer

• A senior position with direct exposure to Directors and genuine influence across the organisation
• A clear opportunity to grow your role alongside a growing organisation
• Leadership and development opportunities within an expanding People function
• Pension and life assurance
• Healthcare benefits
• Company vehicle benefits and Cycle to Work scheme
• A varied and rewarding role where your work has a direct impact on colleagues and the services we provide
• A supportive environment where your ideas, experience and professional judgement can make a real difference

You'll be someone who doesn't shy away from difficult conversations, can keep a clear head when situations become challenging and enjoys finding practical solutions.

Most importantly, you'll be someone who wants to be part of a growing organisation and sees this as an opportunity to build something - not simply take on another HR job.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Amegreen is committed to creating an organisation where people can be their authentic selves in a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and want everyone to have the opportunity to contribute their best work and develop to their full potential. If you require any reasonable adjustments or accessibility support during the recruitment process, please contact us.

Safeguarding and DBS

Amegreen Children's Services is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All appointments are subject to satisfactory references and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. Adherence to safeguarding and GDPR requirements, including completion of relevant training, is mandatory for all employees. All employees are expected to understand and promote effective safeguarding and GDPR practices throughout their employment with Amegreen Children's Services.