Employee Relations Manager

Start date: September 2024 (or as soon as possible after that)

Contract term: Permanent

Working hours: 32 hours per week, worked over four days

Weeks per year: School term-time plus INSET days and 2 weeks of school holidays working

Grade: 12

Salary range (per annum): £41,418 to £43,421 (£33,122 to £34,723 pro rata) on appointment, with further progression opportunities to £47,420 (£37,921 pro rata). With a pay award pending.

Location: Office-based at The Grange School, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 3AU.

About the Post

Are you an HR professional who is motivated by making a difference to the lives of children in our local community? This is a rare opportunity to join a small team providing specialist HR support to a group of eight local academy schools and their support functions, totalling c.850 staff. The role is part of a friendly and professional wider Core Services team who lead on Finance, Estates, IT, Risk, Governance, School Improvement and CPD for our Trust. It reports to the HR Manager, and involves working closely with school leaders and trade union representatives.

The purpose of this role is to lead and manage the non-operational, strategic aspects of HR across our trust. Your overall goal will be to establish Twynham Learning as an employer of choice in our local communities, through employer branding, engaging internal communications, bringing our staff attributes and values to life across our settings, recognition/benefit schemes, inclusion and wellbeing initiatives and promoting staff voice. You’ll provide high-quality HR advice and guidance to school leaders and case/project management on all employee relations matters, including disciplinary, grievance, organisational change and TUPE. You’ll also lead on succession planning and talent management programmes to support our trust to thrive and grow.

You will be office-based, working 32 hours per week, over four days, during school term-time (including INSET days), plus two weeks in the school holidays (that’s 11 non-working weeks per year during the school holiday periods). We understand that you’ll want to balance your work and home lives, so we are open to agreeing a work pattern that works for us and you.

What we can offer you

·      A friendly, professional, collaborative working environment where your knowledge and skills will be appreciated and will ultimately support us in our aim of providing world class eduction for our pupils

·      A culture of continuous improvement and growth, open to new ideas and positive change

·      Automatic membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme

·      Free on-site parking

·      The opportunity to work within Twynham Learning; a progressive multi-academy trust

·      The opportunity to work in one of the most beautiful areas of the South Coast

Who we are looking for

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with a proven track record in generalist or employee-relations focussed HR role(s), who is CIPD qualified (or has equivalent HR experience). You will be a self-starter with the ability to manage your own workload, drive forward agendas, make things happen and demonstrate impact. You will also have up-to-date HR knowledge and be passionate about employee voice, wellbeing, equality, diversity and inclusion at work. You will be a confident, credible HR professional who is skilled at communicating with staff at all levels who operates in a highly professional and discrete manner. A background of working in HR in a local government/education setting would be beneficial, but not essential.

You will also be keen to live our Twynham Learning employee values which are:

·      Aim high

·      Keep improving

·      Don’t leave anyone behind

·      See the bigger picture

Any questions?

To discuss the post or your application, please contact Twynham Learning HR on 01202 402789 or email us at recruitment@twynhamlearning.com

How to apply

To apply for this vacancy, please submit a Job Application Form and Diversity Questionnaire by email to: recruitment@twynhamlearning.com  

Only applications made using our own official application form will be accepted. You can download the form and questionnaire here: www.twynhamlearning.com/187/staff-vacancies

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 31st August 2024 at 6pm. However, we reserve the right to interview and/or appoint strong candidates before this, so we encourage you to apply early.

Twynham Learning values diversity and inclusiveness. We aim to eliminate unlawful discrimination and promote diversity throughout our whole workforce. We want our workforce to be representative of all sections of our community, so we give equal opportunities to all job applicants. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability status, gender reassignment, marital/partnership status, pregnancy/maternity, race/colour/national origin, religion/belief, sex or sexual orientation. Only people who can evidence their right to work in the UK will be considered for this vacancy. We are committed to robust Safer Recruitment processes as part of our strong commitment to safeguard children and young people. An enhanced criminal records check will be undertaken on the successful candidate. Candidates must disclose all unprotected spent and unspent cautions and convictions. It is an offence to apply for this post if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity with children.