Strategic HR Business Partner - #2147753

The founder and sponsor of the Harris Federation, Lord Harris of Peckham, opened our first school in 1990. We have, over the past thirty years, implemented ideas and initiatives that have transformed the opportunities of pupils from working class and disadvantaged backgrounds. Harris academies are widely recognised as a force for social mobility. We are immensely proud of the role that our alumni are now beginning to play in the world and of what we believe our current generation of pupils will go on to achieve.

We now have over 50 schools educating more than 40,000 young people across London and Essex, and employ over 5,000 staff across our academies and head office. With the majority of our academies located in areas of high socioeconomic disadvantage, a high-quality education is key to the futures of the pupils we serve.

As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.

Our work will impact many generations to come, and our staff come from all backgrounds and walks of life, coming together to inspire young minds. We promote an inclusive culture that embraces the valuable and enriching contribution that all of our community make. We continue to be proactive in uplifting and supporting all voices at Harris.

To discover more about our culture, ethos and what it is like to work here, visit the page.

We are seeking an exceptional Strategic HR Business Partner to join our central HR team. This is a rare opportunity to shape people strategy at scale, leading high impact initiatives that support over 5,000 colleagues and help drive better outcomes for more than 40,000 young people across our academies.

Working closely with senior leaders, you will lead complex organisation wide projects across areas such as workforce planning, organisational design, pay and reward, retention and culture change. You will operate as a strategic advisor, influencing decision making at the highest level while turning ambitious people strategies into tangible results.

If you are a forward thinking HR leader who thrives on driving transformation, building strong relationships and delivering meaningful change, this is an opportunity to make a lasting impact in a purpose led organisation dedicated to transforming lives through education.

If you are excited by the opportunity to shape the future of our workforce and make a difference at scale, we'd love to hear from you.

Your responsibilities will include:

Leading complex organisational change:

• Leading large-scale or complex people programmes across multiple academies such as pay and reward re-design, job evaluation, strategic workforce planning or cultural change initiatives, owning the strategy, risk management and stakeholder alignment.
• Designing the overall approach to consultation and change management, setting the framework that operational HRBPs then apply locally and ensuring consistency
• Identifying opportunities to modernise and improve HR ways of working across the Federation, working closely with the HR Director to shape the broader HR operating model and take plans through to delivery

Strategic workforce leadership

• Acting as a trusted strategic advisor to senior leaders on workforce planning, organisational design and people strategy across the Federation
• Leading the development of Federation-wide HR strategies and initiatives (e.g. retention strategy, sickness absence management, pay and reward framework) from concept through to implementation
• Representing HR at a senior level in cross-functional strategic discussions, including with Finance and Education teams, ensuring workforce implications are built into wider Federation planning

For a full list of responsibilities, please download the Job Pack.

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• Substantial experience operating as a senior HR Business Partner or HR Manager, ideally in a large, multi-site organisation.
• Demonstrable experience leading organisational change projects with measurable outcomes.
• Experience of Pay & Reward change programmes and organisational design
• Relevant degree or CIPD qualification
• Strategic thinker who can translate workforce data and trends into practical, actionable recommendations.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, including the credibility to challenge senior leaders constructively.

For a full job specification, please download the Job Pack.

If you would like to discuss the opportunity further, or if you have any questions, please contact us via email to arrange a conversation.

Before applying please ensure you download the job pack from our careers website, this will help with completing your application. Please note that we only accept applications submitted online before the closing date.

When applying, you will have the option to import your CV or use a LinkedIn profile which will auto populate the online application.

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Our vision, from the start, has been to provide the structure and services needed for our schools to amount to more than the sum of their parts, and to free-up our teachers and leaders to focus on one thing and one thing only: the outstanding education of all their pupils. Our young people and communities are at the heart of everything we do. Our core mission has always been to close the educational gap between young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers. Our ambition is one where every child in London, no matter their background, has equal access to high q...