People Operations Officer

The Sigma Trust; Tendring; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Cash Plan

Employee Assistance Programme

Cycle to Work

Discounted gym memberships

Blue Light Card

Job summary

The Sigma Trust in North East Essex is seeking a People Operations Officer to join the central People & Culture team and deliver core People Operations across a designated group of schools.

You will act as the first-line contact for school queries, manage recruitment, contractual administration and employee benefits schemes, and escalate complex matters to the People & Culture Business Partner. Based at Tendring Education Centre, Clacton-on-Sea, with occasional travel to our schools.

Qualifications

• Experience in a busy administrative or transactional HR environment.
• Proven experience using modern HR software platforms.
• Meticulous attention to detail and handling of confidential data.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary operational point of contact for school leaders and People & Culture links, managing the central inbox and directing queries to the appropriate partner.
• Oversee recruitment journeys and employer branding, including representation at events and fairs.
• Rigorously validate pre-employment checks and maintain SCR for assigned schools.
• Complete contracts, variations, leaver letters, and payroll changes in line with pay policies.
• Administer Trust-wide benefits schemes and maintain HR data in trackers and MIS systems.

Skills

HR administration

Confidential data handling

Stakeholder communication

Education

Relevant degree in HR/Business Administration

Tools

Every HR

Arbor

MyNewTerm

Job description

Join a Community Where Everyone Feels They Belong at The Sigma Trust

Are you a passionate individual who holds high expectations and aims for excellence? Are you ready to use your skills to ensure that across our Trust, every colleague feels they truly belong? As a People Operations Officer, you won't just join the community - you will help define it.

At The Sigma Trust, we are a forward-thinking family of 12 academies across North East Essex, serving over 11,500 pupils and employing 1,600 members of staff. Our founding philosophy - that we are \"Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts\" - is the principle that guides every decision we make. We believe that we are stronger and more successful working together, ensuring that no child is left behind.

Our central People & Culture team plays a pivotal role in enabling our schools to thrive by delivering high-quality, efficient, and proactive HR and operational support across the Trust.

The Role:

We are seeking a People Operations Officer to join our central People & Culture team and deliver core People Operations across a designated group of schools.

Working closely with school leaders and People & Culture school links, you will take operational ownership of the end-to-end lifecycle for your assigned academies. Serving as the first-line point of contact for school queries, you will manage recruitment, contractual administration, and employee benefits schemes, while escalating complex advisory matters to the relevant People & Culture Business Partner.

• Contract & Hours: Full-time, 37 hours per week across the full calendar year (52 weeks).


• Working Pattern: Monday-Thursday 08:30-16:30 and Friday 08:30-16:00 (includes a 30-minute unpaid daily lunch break).


• Location: Based at the Trust’s central office at Tendring Education Centre in Clacton-on-Sea, with occasional travel to our schools to provide on-site partnership and support.

A Day in the Life:

You'll be responsible for bringing your passion and expertise to the following areas:

• School Coordination & Communication: Act as the primary operational point of contact for school leaders and People & Culture school links across your assigned schools, managing the central People & Culture inbox, resolving first-line policy queries, and directing complex advisory queries to the relevant People & Culture Business Partner.


• Drive Recruitment & Employer Branding: Oversee candidate journeys from initial advert to onboarding via digital platforms such as MyNewTerm. Represent the Trust at recruitment events and job fairs to promote our schools and attract talent.


• Champion Safeguarding & Vetting: Rigorously validate statutory pre-employment checks (KCSIE, References, Online Checks, Enhanced DBS, Right to Work, Overseas, Prohibition/S128) and maintain \"Ofsted-ready\" Single Central Records (SCR) for your assigned schools.


• Contractual, Payroll & Reporting Accuracy: Complete and issue contracts, variations, and leaver letters. Calculate standard salary changes in accordance with Trust pay policies, complete 5-year service recognition correspondence, and conduct regular monthly audits and workforce reports.


• Employee Benefits & Systems Administration: Administer Trust-wide benefits schemes including Cycle to Work and eye care vouchers. Maintain accurate daily inputs in HR Trackers and MIS systems (e.g., Every HR, Arbor) to ensure clean data for statutory returns like the School Workforce Census.

What We're Looking For:

You are the perfect fit for our team if you have:

• Experience working in a busy administrative or transactional HR environment (or a relevant university degree).


• Proven experience using modern HR software platforms and systems (e.g., Every HR, Arbor, MyNewTerm).


• Meticulous attention to detail and a track record of handling sensitive, confidential data in accordance with GDPR.


• Strong understanding of pre-employment vetting checks, safer recruitment principles, and core employee lifecycle processes.


• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the confidence to collaborate with school leaders and represent the Trust professionally at job fairs.


• A solution-focused, adaptable, and collaborative mindset with the ability to manage competing deadlines under pressure.

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details.

Please note that an integration period applies to all new staff joining the Trust, to support introduction into the organisation.

Why Choose The Sigma Trust?

We believe in investing in our staff and fostering a culture of collaboration. We offer a competitive salary and a comprehensive package designed to support your professional and personal life.

Professional Development:

• A robust CPD training programme that empowers you to flourish.


• Unrivalled opportunities to collaborate with colleagues across the Trust, sharing ideas and building strong professional relationships.

Employee Benefits:

• A competitive salary and excellent pension scheme.


• A Health Cash Plan and Employee Assistance Programme for your well-being.


• Exclusive perks like the Cycle to Work scheme, discounted gym memberships, cinema tickets, and eligibility for a Blue Light Card.

Commitment to Safeguarding & Diversity

The Sigma Trust is committed to safeguarding and protecting the children and young people that we work with. As such, all posts are subject to safer recruitment processes, including the disclosure of criminal records, online checks and other vetting checks. We ensure that we have a range of policies in place which promote safeguarding and safer working practice across our schools.

The Sigma Trust is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of any protected characteristics. This is embedded in our vision ‘To Be Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts’, where we believe we are strong and more successful working together, creating a workplace which celebrates diversity.