Head of People Services – Education Group Leader

Access Education Group; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous Holiday Allocation

Health Cash Plan

Doctorline GP Service

Employee Assistance Programme

Cycle to Work

Staff Discounts & Benefits

Job summary

Access Creative College is seeking a strategic Head of People Services to lead HR, payroll, recruitment, and people development across multiple campuses. You will partner with senior leaders to drive the People Plan, implement scalable processes, and ensure data-driven, compliant operations.

You will bring CIPD Level 5, deep knowledge of UK employment law and GDPR, and a track record of leading high-performing HR teams. Travel to campuses across England is expected as part of the role.

Qualifications

• CIPD Level 5 qualification or equivalent demonstrated experience.
• Proven background leading senior generalist HR teams.
• Experience managing complex employee relations end-to-end.
• Track record of restructures and change management.
• Experience reporting to senior leadership, boards or committees.
• Knowledge of UK employment law and GDPR.
• Willingness to travel across England campuses.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Operational Excellence in People Services.
• Deploy the People Plan with milestones and senior leadership anchoring.
• Modernise HR/payroll systems and data-driven self-service.
• Manage budgets and vendor relationships for HR services.
• Oversee complex employee relations and casework end-to-end.
• Provide guidance on UK employment law, risk and governance.
• Lead organisational change, restructures, and TUPE where needed.
• Champion safeguarding, inclusion, and wellbeing across campuses.

Skills

Senior HR leadership

Employee relations

Change management

UK employment law

GDPR knowledge

Stakeholder communication

Education

CIPD Level 5

Job description

Access Creative College is seeking a strategic Head of People Services to lead HR, payroll, recruitment, and people development across multiple campuses. You will partner with senior leaders to drive the People Plan, implement scalable processes, and ensure data-driven, compliant operations.

You will bring CIPD Level 5, deep knowledge of UK employment law and GDPR, and a track record of leading high-performing HR teams. Travel to campuses across England is expected as part of the role.