Human Resources Manager

Community Academies Trust (CAT); Tamworth; Sur place; GBP 42 000 - 56 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Community Academies Trust (CAT) is seeking an experienced HR professional to deliver broad employee relations, resourcing and policy support across our schools. You will work with senior leaders to protect safeguarding compliance, manage investigations, and implement workforce planning and wellbeing initiatives.

The role covers probation, exit processes, policy drafting, pay structures, data reporting and talent development.

Responsabilités

• Deliver solutions-focused, professional employee relations support across the Trust.
• Use workforce data to identify risks and drive proactive interventions.
• Support senior leaders with investigations, suspensions, capability, absence management and formal hearings, ensuring consistent application of Trust policies.
• Provide coaching, training, and alternatives to formal processes (e.g., mediation, counselling).
• Lead protected conversations and settlement agreements, support organisational change programmes, and work collaboratively with trade union colleagues.
• Develop and implement effective recruitment and workforce planning strategies to build high-performing teams.
• Partner with senior leaders to review structures, plan future staffing needs and manage change processes (restructures, redundancies, flexible working).
• Oversee end-to-end recruitment with schools, ensuring safer recruitment compliance, up-to-date guidance, and high-quality candidate materials.
• Act as the subject-matter expert for resourcing, employment legislation, policy, and best practice.
• Oversee probation and leaver processes, ensuring timely progression and effective management of contentious cases.
• Support schools to maintain compliant Single Central Record.
• Provide guidance on KCSIE updates and ensure Trust policies reflect statutory safeguarding requirements.
• Advise leaders on implementing HR policies relating to recruitment, pay, employment practice, wellbeing and ED&I.
• Support the drafting and review of progressive HR policies and toolkits, and contribute to policy briefings, training and the promotion of a positive employee relations climate.
• Support the development of Trust-wide pay structures and contribute to the delivery of the pay and reward strategy.
• Support wellbeing initiatives, surveys and action planning.
• Provide training on wellbeing and work proactively with leaders, OH and external agencies to manage attendance, implement adjustments, and facilitate successful returns to work.
• Support the implementation of the Trust’s EDI action plan, Gender Pay Gap reduction initiatives, and the delivery of ongoing EDI training.
• Maintain accurate HR/payroll data aligned to Trust policies.
• Support the effective use of systems across the Trust, ensure accurate application of terms and conditions, and provide reliable people metrics to inform decision-making.
• Oversee payroll-related activities such as new starters, changes and leavers.
• Prepare and deliver internal training aligned to HR strategy and policy requirements.
• Work with senior leaders and the Director of the Institute of Education on talent development, succession planning and the Apprenticeship Strategy.
• Provide expert advice on complex employment cases.
• Produce HR metrics and reports, lead or contribute to HR projects, and collaborate across the HR team to improve service delivery.
• Provide cover for colleagues when required.
• Engage in continuous professional development, maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation and HR best practice, and participate in professional networks.
• Offer consistent coaching, support and development to other members of the team

Description du poste

SPECIFIC RESPONSBILITIES

Employee Relations

• Deliver solutions-focused, professional employee relations support across the Trust.
• Use workforce data to identify risks and drive proactive interventions.
• Support senior leaders with investigations, suspensions, capability, absence management and formal hearings, ensuring consistent application of Trust policies. Provide coaching, training, and alternatives to formal processes (e.g., mediation, counselling).
• Lead protected conversations and settlement agreements, support organisational change programmes, and work collaboratively with trade union colleagues.

Resourcing and Workforce Planning

• Develop and implement effective recruitment and workforce planning strategies to build high-performing teams.
• Partner with senior leaders to review structures, plan future staffing needs and manage change processes (restructures, redundancies, flexible working).
• Oversee end-to-end recruitment with schools, ensuring safer recruitment compliance, up-to-date guidance, and high-quality candidate materials.
• Act as the subject-matter expert for resourcing, employment legislation, policy, and best practice.

Probation and Exit process

• Oversee probation and leaver processes, ensuring timely progression and effective management of contentious cases.

SCR Compliance

• Support schools to maintain compliant Single Central Record.
• Provide guidance on KCSIE updates and ensure Trust policies reflect statutory safeguarding requirements.

HR Policies

• Advise leaders on implementing HR policies relating to recruitment, pay, employment practice, wellbeing and ED&I.
• Support the drafting and review of progressive HR policies and toolkits, and contribute to policy briefings, training and the promotion of a positive employee relations climate.

Reward

• Support the development of Trust-wide pay structures and contribute to the delivery of the pay and reward strategy.

Health, Wellbeing and Attendance

• Support wellbeing initiatives, surveys and action planning.
• Provide training on wellbeing and work proactively with leaders, OH and external agencies to manage attendance, implement adjustments, and facilitate successful returns to work.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

• Support the implementation of the Trust’s EDI action plan, Gender Pay Gap reduction initiatives, and the delivery of ongoing EDI training.

HR and Payroll Systems

• Maintain accurate HR/payroll data aligned to Trust policies.
• Support the effective use of systems across the Trust, ensure accurate application of terms and conditions, and provide reliable people metrics to inform decision-making.
• Oversee payroll-related activities such as new starters, changes and leavers.

Training

• Prepare and deliver internal training aligned to HR strategy and policy requirements.

Talent

• Work with senior leaders and the Director of the Institute of Education on talent development, succession planning and the Apprenticeship Strategy.

General Responsibilities

• Provide expert advice on complex employment cases.
• Produce HR metrics and reports, lead or contribute to HR projects, and collaborate across the HR team to improve service delivery.
• Provide cover for colleagues when required.

Professional Growth

• Engage in continuous professional development, maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation and HR best practice, and participate in professional networks.

Coaching and Mentoring

• Offer consistent coaching, support and development to other members of the team