People Partner (Employee Relations)

Uppingham School; Oakham; On-site; GBP 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading independent school in the UK is seeking an ambitious HR professional to join their People and Culture team. The role focuses on supporting managers with employee relations and requires a Level 5 CIPD qualification or equivalent experience. Applicants should have experience in people management and a solid understanding of employment law. This full-time position offers a salary of £45,000 per annum.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a generalist people management role.
• Solid understanding of employment law and best practices.
• Experience of managing complex employee relations casework.

Responsibilities

• Support managers across the school on people matters.
• Manage complex casework with strong focus on employee relations.
• Provide timely advice and build trust with stakeholders.

Skills

People management

Change management

Employment law

Recruitment

Collaboration

Education

Level 5 CIPD qualification

Level 7 CIPD qualification

Job description

Use your HR expertise to influence, support and develop a thriving professional community at one of the UK’s most distinguished schools.

Uppingham is looking for an ambitious HR professional to take the next step in their career and join our growing People and Culture team. Reporting to the Head of People Operations, you will play a key role in supporting managers across the school, providing thoughtful, confident and timely advice on a wide range of people matters. The role has a strong focus on employee relations, offering the opportunity to manage more complex casework while continuing to develop your knowledge and judgement in a supportive and collaborative environment.

About You

You will bring experience of working in a busy HR function, with a good understanding of employment law and a passion for getting the best outcomes for people and teams. The ability to build trust, communicate clearly and manage sensitive issues with care will be essential. This is an excellent opportunity for someone ready to move beyond an advisory role into true people partnering, with the support and guidance of an experienced senior team. Ideally you will hold, or be working towards, a CIPD Level 5 qualification, or bring equivalent experience gained in a people‑focused HR role, together with a commitment to professional growth.

Qualifications

• Essential: Level 5 CIPD qualification or equivalent experience
• Desirable: Level 7 CIPD qualification or working towards this with equivalent experience

Experience

• Essential:
• Proven experience in a generalist people management role
• Experience of managing change and consultation processes such as redundancy, restructure and proposed changes to terms and conditions of employment
• A solid understanding of employment law and people management best practices
• Experience of reviewing and drafting employment policies
• A successful track record of providing people management advice on employment matters to line managers and managing complex employee relations casework
• Experience of leading on recruitment and selection processes, and ensuring diversity and inclusion is embedded
• Experience of working flexibly in a fast‑paced, collaborative team
• Experience of managing a challenging and varied workload, to tight deadlines
• Experience of handling personal information responsibly and securely

Experience Of Delivering Skills Workshops

• Desirable:
• People partnering experience
• Experience of leading large change projects such as department restructures and redundancy
• Experience of people management in the educational sector
• Experience of safer recruitment processes and the Single Central Register
• Experience of a regulated environment and in preparing for audits/inspections
• Experience of working within a manager dashboard people environment
• Experienced in the design and delivery of engaging, relevant and cost‑effective development programmes for employees and managers
• Employee forum experience
• Experience of implementing wellbeing or engagement initiatives
• Experience of reward management such as salary structures, job evaluation and salary and benefits benchmarking

Working At Uppingham School

Uppingham is a vibrant, stimulating, energetic and forward‑looking school. Our community is made up of talented people offering a diverse range of experiences. We welcome applications from candidates who are both experienced and new to working within the independent education sector.

For further details and to apply please click the apply button.

The closing date for applications is 7th November 2025.

Uppingham School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Successful candidates must be willing to undergo full screening in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE), including an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. Issues relating to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils will be explored at interview.

The School reserves the right to close this vacancy prior to the advertised closing date should a sufficient number of applications be received or if a suitable candidate is identified. Early applications are therefore strongly encouraged.

Location: Uppingham

Contact Type: Permanent

Hours: Full time, 35 hours per week

Salary: £45,000 per annum

You may also have experience in the following: People Partner, HR Officer, HR Executive, HR Administration, Human Resources Administrator, HR Assistant, Human Resources Assistant, Payroll, Accounts, Finance, HR Administrator, HR Generalist, Human Resources Generalist, HR Support etc.

REF-224 643

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