HR Business Partner

CATS Global Schools; Braintree (MA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

CATS Global Schools is seeking an HR Business Partner to provide expert HR support to CATS Academy, Boston, working closely with the senior management team and the UK HR group. This standalone onsite role will own HR processes, guide policy implementation, and drive key HR projects across the school and brands.

You will lead recruitment, onboarding, training, and performance processes, ensuring legal compliance and a proactive employee relations approach in a dynamic education environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in a relevant subject.
• Excellent knowledge of Employment Law.
• Experience with I-9 and E-Verify.
• Demonstrable experience across a generalist range of HR activities.
• Demonstrable experience in handling complex HR issues.
• Experience of working in a fast-paced, evolving company.
• Experience of working in the education industry (Desirable).

Responsibilities

• Provide HRBP services to CATS Academy, Boston and partner with senior management.
• Lead strategic people plans and ensure delivery across the employee lifecycle.
• Promote engagement, run annual appraisals, and support learning needs.
• Manage recruitment processes and onboarding for senior roles.
• Ensure compliance with US laws, safe recruitment, and CORI checks.
• Collaborate with UK HR team to align HR policies and practices.
• Deliver training sessions on people management and induction programs.

Skills

Employment law knowledge

HR generalist

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Microsoft Office proficiency

I-9 / E-Verify experience

HRIS (Paylocity) familiarity

People management

Education

Bachelor's Degree in a relevant subject

Experience in education industry (Desirable)

Tools

Paylocity HRIS

Job description

ABOUT CATS COLLEGES

CATS Colleges is a leading provider of pre-university academic courses and English language courses in the US and UK. We provide a safe and welcoming boarding high school experience, as well as English Language Study, to a growing number of international students seeking to get accepted into top Colleges and Universities in the US and around the world.

We operate a number of different educational brands: CATS Academy Boston in Braintree, MA; CATS Colleges in Cambridge, Canterbury and London; Cambridge School of Visual and Performing Arts (CSVPA) and Stafford House English language schools and study holidays. We benefit from being part of a global team focused on teaching and learning.

OVERVIEW OF THE JOB

The role will be responsible for the provision of an HR Business Partner service to CATS Academy, Boston partnering with the relevant senior management team and liaising with the wider HR team based in the UK; providing expert HR knowledge, support and guidance to the school. The HR Business Partner will be proactively involved in key cross-organisational HR-related projects and a key contact and member of the strategic board. This role, although part of the wider HR Team based in the UK is a stand‑alone role based onsite 5 days per week; providing a great opportunity to work autonomously taking full ownership of HR processes and making a direct impact on business decisions, whilst being supported by the wider HR team.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE JOB

The following section outlines a more detailed, but not exhaustive, description of the duties pertaining to this post.

HR Business Partnering:

• Provides support, advice and guidance to line managers and employees in relation to HR policies and procedures, employee relation issues and organisational change.
• Partners with the relevant Senior Management regarding the strategic people plans of their schools and brands.
• Ensures that management is enabled to lead on the delivery of the full remit of the employee lifecycle.
• Promotes employee engagement, analysing the data from engagement surveys and working with the schools to proactively implement actions.
• Champions the completion of high‑quality annual appraisals and supports any gaps in learning needs.
• Ensures central communication is delivered across their region.
• Delivers and supports the business on a wide range of HR projects.
• Works collaboratively with the other HR Business Partners to ensure a consistent and joined‑up approach is applied to HR service delivery across the schools and brands.

Monitoring and Compliance:

• Analyses HR reports and drives HR KPI improvements.
• Works with the Global HR Admin Team and US Finance to ensure timely and accurate production of HR administration in support of the schools.
• Monitor's absence and supports line managers to ensure effective absence management and completes occupational health referrals where necessary.
• Champion the use of Paylocity HRIS and Payroll system by all staff.
• Works with the admin team to ensure compliance with Government departments in the USA and Canada to ensure we meet local laws and regulations in relation to Safer Recruitment.
• The key point of contact for our Benefits and Perks – Healthcare, 401k and FSA.
• Process and track CORI and Fingerprinting background checks for all new hires and existing employee renewals.

Learning and Development:

• Delivers training sessions regarding people management practices and collaborates with the senior management teams to ensure that there is a collaborative approach to training delivery across the brands.
• Contributes to the development and effective delivery of the staff induction at the corporate and school level.

Recruitment and Onboarding:

• Work with the central Talent Team and the Senior Team to manage the recruitment process for the business area.
• Attends as a panel member where required, at interview and selection events for senior candidates and contributes to the decision‑making process relating to the most appropriate choice of candidate.
• Onboard new employees; ensure paperwork and I-9 are completed, inform eligible employees of company benefit programs, ensure compensation and employee details are accurate in our HRIS and Payroll system.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Academic

• Bachelors Degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject.
• Excellent knowledge of Employment Law.
• Experience with Employment Eligibility Verification (I-9) and E-Verify.
• Demonstrable experience across a generalist range of HR activities.
• Demonstrable experience in handling complex HR issues.
• Experience of working in a fast‑paced, evolving company.
• Experience of working in the education industry (Desirable).

Skills

• Professional credibility.
• Excellent relationship‑building skills.
• Strong influencing skills.
• Attention to detail and a high level of accuracy.
• Good numeracy skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Self‑motivated, driven, able to work on own initiative to prioritise own workload effectively with minimal supervision.
• Problem solver.
• Exceptional time management & organisational skills can manage multiple tasks and projects.
• Highly proficient with Microsoft Office.

OUR COMMITMENT TO INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY

We are committed to diversity, inclusion and belonging. Building on our core values – Pioneering, Persevering, People – We pledge to deliver a series of events, guest speakers and focus groups to make CATS Global Schools and employer of choice for all.

SAFEGUARDING

CGS is dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and well‑being of children and young people. As such, appointment is subject to the satisfactory completion of safer recruitment employment checks in line with KCSIE guidelines. This will include satisfactory references, enhanced DBS from the Disclosures and Barring Service and, where applicable, any international equivalent being obtained. Shortlisted candidates will be subject to online checks which may include social media.