HR Manager

Job Overview

We are delighted to offer an exciting opportunity to join the Feltonfleet team as our HR Manager, playing a key role in supporting our people and helping to create a positive, engaging and well-managed working environment.

This is a varied and rewarding role, with no two days quite the same. You will take the lead on a broad range of HR activity, including recruitment, appraisal and performance management, employee wellbeing, leave and absence, and providing practical, trusted advice to managers and senior leaders on people matters and employment law.

Working across the school, you will build strong relationships with colleagues at all levels, providing a visible and approachable HR presence while ensuring that our people processes are delivered effectively, consistently and with the needs of the school at their heart.

Key Responsibilities

Employee Relations & Casework

• Keep up to date with changes in employment legislation and alongside the Director of HR, provide advice, guidance and administrative support to SLT members and line managers on all employee relationship matters, including but not exclusively:
• Absences – sickness, unauthorised, authorised, long or short term
• Disciplinary procedures, capability, grievance and redundancy
• Performance management
• Probation
• Provide trusted and pragmatic HR advice to managers and senior leaders, supporting them to manage people effectively, consistently and in accordance with employment legislation and School policies.
• Prepare confidential HR correspondence, including but not exclusively salary changes, disciplinary decisions, job offers and contract changes.
• Assist the relevant members of staff in ensuring that all staff, peripatetic teachers, volunteers and sports coaches are trained and are aware and understand the policies, procedures and best practises designed to ensure compliance, specifically those relating to ISI regulatory requirements including safeguarding, child protection, Health and Safety and Welfare, Safer Recruitment and Data Protection, ensuring annual declarations to confirm the above have been completed.
• Oversee the full employee lifecycle, ensuring HR processes and documentation are managed accurately and efficiently from recruitment and onboarding through to changes in employment and termination.

Recruitment, Safeguarding & Safer Recruitment

• Lead the recruitment of all staff in accordance with the School's Safer Recruitment Policy and Procedures, which reflect Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE).
• Ensure all relevant pre-employment checks have been completed in line with KCSiE maintaining the School’s Single Central Record (SCR) accurately.
• Support workforce planning, advising managers and senior leaders on staffing requirements, resourcing options and changes to staffing structures.
• Manage the recruitment process for external and internal recruitment, liaising with line managers to develop job descriptions and person specifications, posting and promoting job adverts, managing candidate pipelines, phone screening, interviewing and interview assistance to managers, calculation of salaries in liaison with the Bursar, and drafting offer letters and employment contracts.
• Manage the end-to-end recruitment and onboarding process for Gap Tutors joining the School each January, including screening applications, conducting online interviews, making offers and completing all relevant pre-employment checks and documentation. Maintain regular communication with Tutors prior to joining, ensuring visas, safeguarding checks and other requirements are in place. Coordinate their arrival and induction, working with relevant colleagues to ensure they are welcomed into the School community and have appropriate timetables, uniform and other arrangements in place to support a successful start.
• Ensure induction training is delivered and completed for all new staff.

HR Policies, Procedures, Training & Compliance

• Review all contractual terms and conditions in line with employment legislation, including ensuring the School adheres to the Working Time Directive.
• Ensure the School complies with HMRC Employment Status guidelines where it employs non-payroll staff.
• Assist the Director of HR in developing, reviewing and implementing HR policies and procedures, ensuring they remain legally compliant, fit for purpose and aligned with the School's values and operational requirements.
• Oversight of Feltonfleet Staff, Contractors and Peripatetic training.

HR Reporting & Workforce Data

Produce and analyse HR reports and workforce data to support effective decision-making, including information relating to staffing, absence, turnover, recruitment, remuneration and other key HR metrics.

Staff absence management

Monitor and manage staff absence, working closely with line managers and Occupational Health where appropriate, and provide advice and support regarding short- and long-term absence and return-to-work arrangements.

Pay, Rewards & Benefits

• Maintain accurate records of authorised salary and responsibility allowances and benefit entitlements, providing payroll with accurate and timely information affecting pay – including but not exclusively starters, leavers, absences, and changes in contracts or salaries.
• Process all employee changes within the payroll system, ensuring accurate and timely monthly payroll processing.
• Advise the Bursar on current pay scales in relation to competitors and on other remuneration issues (see also Employee Relations and Casework, above).

Performance, Development & Wellbeing

• Support the School's performance management process, analysing training needs identified in performance reviews and from other sources.
• Provide oversight of each employee's appraisal, including sourcing and implementing relevant and cost-effective training solutions. Where appropriate, lead and deliver training in areas of HR and compliance.
• Oversee the training budget, ensuring expenditure remains within budget and is allocated fairly and effectively to meet the organisation’s training and development needs each year.
• Monitor mandatory training and compliance requirements, maintaining accurate records and working with managers to ensure staff complete required training within appropriate timescales.
• Support employee wellbeing, promoting a positive staff experience within the School's warm and welcoming culture.

HR Systems & Compliance

• Maintain and manage the Single Central Register (SCR).
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date employee records across HR systems, ensuring data integrity, confidentiality and compliance with relevant legislation and School procedures.
• Identify opportunities to improve HR systems and processes, supporting the implementation of new systems, automation and more efficient ways of working.

HR Projects / change management

Support and, where appropriate, lead HR projects and organisational change initiatives, including restructures, consultations, changes to terms and conditions and TUPE processes.

Other

• Undertake such other comparable duties as the Bursar and Director of HR may require from time to time.
• Promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people for whom you are responsible and with whom you come into contact.

Person Specification

• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Empathetic and a good listener, with a sound knowledge of HR processes.
• Organised, methodical and able to work on own initiative.
• A pragmatic approach to HR issues, and comfortable advising senior management on staffing requirements and HR law.
• The ability to maintain confidentiality where appropriate without compromising the integrity of the post, ensuring that compliance is not ignored, dismissed or breached.

Skills & Experience

Essential

• Degree qualification
• Previous experience of working within an HR function in a generalist role.
• Able to provide professional support at all levels of the School in matters relating to HR and compliance.
• Able to research, analyse and interpret legislation, with the confidence and ability to explain requirements to a variety of audiences.
• Able to work independently as well as part of a team, remaining highly organised and calm under pressure whilst meeting tight deadlines.
• Able to prioritise effectively, multi-task, plan and problem solve.
• Technologically literate, with a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Docs and staff databases.

Desirable

• CIPD qualified.
• Experience of working in an independent school, with prior knowledge of school regulatory compliance and awareness of company and charity law.

Pay: £40,000.00-£45,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Canteen
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee discount
• Free flu jabs
• Free parking
• On-site parking

Work Location: In person