Director of HR - #2151749

Director of HR

London

£60,000 - £80,000

A specialist education provider supporting young people with additional needs through a personalised, nurturing and highly supportive approach to education we are seeking a Director of HR. With provisions across Cambridge, Peterborough and London, we provide an alternative to mainstream education for young people who may have experienced challenges, barriers or disengagement within traditional educational settings. Our approach is built around a simple belief: that every young person has the potential to succeed when they are understood, valued and given the right environment in which to thrive.

Having grown considerably, we are now strengthening the leadership, systems and support that will underpin our next stage of development. As we look towards welcoming additional schools into the Group, our priority is to build on what makes our provision distinctive while ensuring that we have the expertise and organisational foundations to grow well. Our new Director of HR will play a central role in this next stage. Reporting to our Chief Financial Officer, you will develop a consistent, professional HR function that supports our schools and can grow with the organisation. We are looking for someone who can provide trusted advice, develop our managers and translate our agreed values into fair policies, effective working practices and a positive staff experience. This is an opportunity to build something lasting, working closely with colleagues who care deeply about the education we provide.

Job Description Reporting to: Chief Financial Officer

Location: Primarily London-based, with regular travel to Cambridge and Peterborough

Scope: Group-wide, including future schools as the Group expands

Role purpose

To provide strategic and professional HR leadership, ensuring that the Group has effective, consistent and legally compliant HR practices that support organisational growth, workforce quality and strong leadership. The Director of HR will lead the development of the Group-wide HR function across London, Cambridge and Peterborough and ensure that the HR operating model is capable of supporting the Group as it expands to include additional schools in future. The role will report to the Chief Financial Officer and act as the principal professional HR adviser to the CFO, founders and Headteachers across the Group. The Director of HR will also support the implementation of the organisation’s agreed values and cultural expectations through appropriate policies, management practice, leadership behaviours and workforce processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic HR Leadership
• HR Function Development
• Employee Relations
• Workforce Planning and Organisational Development
• Recruitment and Retention
• Pay, Reward and Benefits
• Performance and Development
• Culture and Behaviours
• Employment Law and HR Compliance
• Management Information and Workforce Data

Key Working Relationships

Chief Financial Officer

Founders/Directors

Director of Safeguarding and Compliance

Headteachers

Senior leadership teams within each school

Finance and payroll

External HR and legal advisers

Recruitment and other professional partners

Essential Requirements

Significant senior-level HR leadership experience.

Strong knowledge of employment law and employee relations.

Demonstrable experience of developing, improving or professionalising an HR function.

Experience of operating at a strategic leadership level.

Strong influencing, communication and relationship-management skills.

Ability to provide constructive professional challenge to senior leaders.

Strong judgement, discretion and personal credibility.

Experience of managing complex employee relations matters.

Experience of organisational change and workforce planning.

Experience of developing HR policies, procedures and systems.

Commercial awareness and an understanding of the financial implications of workforce decisions.

Experience of supporting organisational growth, ideally within a multi-site or expanding organisation.

Ability to work effectively across multiple locations and build strong relationships with senior leaders.

Ability to operate both strategically and practically in a developing organisation.

Desirable

Experience within education, SEND, healthcare, social care or another highly regulated environment.

Experience of safer recruitment and safeguarding-related HR processes.

CIPD Chartered or Fellow status, or equivalent senior professional standing.

Experience of developing salary structures, reward frameworks and organisational design.

Experience of supporting a growing or founder-led organisation.

Experience of integrating new sites or organisations into common HR structures and processes.

Please make a statement of interest through this channel via your CV and covering letter, which should clearly outline your suitability and our recruitment partner, Neil Massie from Academicis will contact you. The following stage will require the completion of a formal application. Any direct applications will be sent to Academicis for review.

The successful candidate will be subject to all necessary pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS check, references, verification of identity, qualifications and right to work in the UK, together with any other checks required by Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE). Online searches may be undertaken on shortlisted candidates. We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates.