People Policy and Union Engagement Manager

Girls’ Day School Trust; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salaries

Professional development opportunities

Training grants for qualifications

Fees discount for GDST schools

Generous pension schemes

Life assurance benefit

Loans for training, computers and rail

Job summary

Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) seeks a People Policy and Union Engagement Manager to lead policy development and oversee union engagement across the Trust. You will translate employment law into practical guidance and work with senior leaders and school teams to ensure compliant, effective practices.

You will build governance around policy change, support negotiations with the recognised trade union, and drive improvements across multiple schools and the Trust Office.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and policy development.
• Experience working with trade unions and employee relations processes.
• Ability to translate complex legislation into accessible policies and guidance.
• Credibility to advise senior stakeholders on sensitive matters.

Responsibilities

• Lead review and development of employment policies and guidance across the Trust.
• Monitor policy governance and horizon-scanning for developments in employment law.
• Support Director of People and Culture in national trade union relationship management.
• Advise senior leaders and school HR colleagues on complex policy and union-related matters.
• Develop monitoring mechanisms to evaluate policy operation and compliance.
• Lead People & Culture projects affecting policies, contracts, and terms.

Skills

UK employment law

Trade unions experience

Policy development

Stakeholder engagement

Job description

We are pioneers in girls’ education, united by a shared purpose: to help girls learn without limits. As our People Policy and Union Engagement Manager, you will play a key Trust-wide role in ensuring our people policies, employment practices and approach to trade union engagement are robust, practical and aligned with our values. Working at the centre of the GDST’s People & Culture function, this is an opportunity to combine deep employment policy expertise with significant organisational influence. You will work with senior leaders, HR colleagues and school teams across the Trust, helping us respond confidently to legislative change, strengthen policy governance and maintain constructive relationships with our recognised trade union.

What you’ll be doing

Reporting to the Deputy Director of People and Culture, you will act as the GDST’s lead adviser on people policy and provide specialist support on trade union engagement. You will translate complex employment legislation and emerging developments into clear, accessible and workable approaches for colleagues across our schools, academies and Trust Office.

• Lead the review and development of employment policies, procedures and guidance, ensuring they remain compliant, accessible and effective across the Trust.
• Maintain a strong horizon-scanning and governance approach, identifying emerging employment law developments, policy gaps and areas where practice may need to change.
• Support the Director of People and Culture in maintaining a constructive national relationship with the recognised trade union, including consultation and Joint Consultative Group activity.
• Advise senior leaders, Heads, People Partners and school HR colleagues on complex policy, contractual and union-related matters.
• Develop mechanisms to monitor how policies operate in practice, using feedback, audit and review activity to strengthen consistency and continuous improvement.
• Lead and contribute to People & Culture projects, including organisational change and growth activity where employment policies, contracts and terms and conditions are affected.

What you’ll bring

• Strong practical knowledge of UK employment law, people policy development and implementation.
• Experience of working with trade unions, including consultation, collective agreements or employee relations processes.
• The credibility and judgement to advise senior stakeholders on sensitive and complex employment matters.
• Excellent written skills, with the ability to turn complex legislation and technical information into clear, accessible policies, briefings and guidance.
• Strong stakeholder and communication skills, including the confidence to deliver briefings, training and constructive professional challenge.
• A proactive, pragmatic and solutions-focused approach, with the ability to manage competing priorities and work independently.

Experience of working within education or a complex multi-site organisation would be advantageous, as would experience of working with the NEU, but this is not essential.

Who we are

The Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) is the UK’s leading group of 24 independent girls’ schools and two academies across England and Wales. We educate around 19,000 students and employ 4,000 staff, all united for a shared purpose: to help girls learn without limits, so they can go on to lead lives without limits and make the world a better place for us all. As recognised leaders in girls’ education, we combine more than 150 years of expertise with a forward-thinking approach to what education can be.

• We put girls first.
• We think and act fearlessly.
• We are forward-thinking.
• We are a family of schools.
• We want our people to have fulfilling and purposeful careers.

Why join us

Whatever your role, you will be part of a community committed to giving girls an exceptional education and helping the GDST continue to lead the way in girls’ education.

Our benefits

• Competitive salaries and pay progression
• Access to extensive professional development opportunities
• Training grants for qualifications
• A discount of up to 50% on fees for children at GDST schools
• Generous pension schemes
• Free life assurance benefit
• Interest-free loans for training, computer purchase loans and travel season ticket loans
• A Cycle to Work scheme
• Competitive terms and conditions of employment

Our commitment

The GDST is committed to diversity, inclusion and real change. We want every colleague to feel valued, respected and supported, and we actively welcome applications from all backgrounds and communities.