People Advisor (HR)

Leigh Academies Trust; Strood; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Leigh Academies Trust is recruiting a practical People Advisor to join our Central Services People team. This role offers autonomy and real impact, stepping up from People Officer to provide trusted HR advice across the Trust.

You will work with our People Partners, manage ER casework, and support managers with policy guidance, GDPR-compliant data handling in iTrent, and wellbeing signposting.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering HR advice across a multi-site organisation.
• Ability to guide managers through employee relations issues and absence management.
• Strong data accuracy and change-management capabilities in HR systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality HR advice to line managers and staff via the Halo helpdesk.
• Lead or support ER casework including grievances, disciplinaries, capability, and absence management.
• Support formal hearings with minute-taking and investigative reports.
• Maintain GDPR-compliant data updates in iTrent (contracts, promotions, transfers, offboarding).
• Produce reports on absence, turnover and trends to inform interventions.
• Support TUPE, restructures and organisational change processes.

Skills

Employee relations

Policy guidance

Data reporting

Tools

iTrent

Job description

At Leigh Academies Trust, our people make everything possible. As we continue to drive operational excellence across our academies, we are looking for a practical, proactive, and empathetic People Advisor to join our Central Services People team.

This is the next step in your HR career, stepping up from a People Officer position into a role with genuine autonomy, case ownership, and impact.

The Role

Working alongside our People Partners, you will deliver high-quality, trusted HR advice across the Trust. You will balance direct employee relations support with smooth operational execution, ensuring our staff feel supported and our processes run seamlessly.

Act as the direct point of contact for line managers and staff via our Halo helpdesk, delivering practical guidance on policies, family leave, flexible working, and everyday employment matters.

Guide managers through ER casework - including grievances, disciplinaries, capability, and absence management - and support formal hearing chairs with clear advice, minute-taking, and robust investigation reports.

Maintain high data accuracy in iTrent, handling contractual adjustments, promotions, transfers, offboarding, and payroll-impacting changes in line with GDPR.

Produce and analyse data reports on absence patterns, turnover, and trends to help shape proactive interventions.

Champion our staff recognition schemes (LAT Moments, Viva Engage) and help signpost staff to wellbeing resources, including our Employee Assistance Programme.

Provide administrative and advisory support during organisational change, restructures, and TUPE processes.

Why Join Us?

As part of the One LAT team, you will work in a supportive, forward-thinking environment that genuinely values your professional development. We offer a clear pathway through our Goals & Journeys framework, helping you build your expertise while making a tangible difference to the teams supporting thousands of students every day.