Head of People

Job description / Role

Job overview

About this role
Established for over ten years, BPET is the single employer across twelve primary schools. All have been judged good or outstanding by Ofsted and we are performing in the top 10% of primary academy trusts in the country. We currently employ over 610 staff and educate 4,170 children.

Our vision is to run schools where academic excellence is just one aspect of an outstanding education, sitting alongside a rich extended curriculum, building emotional intelligence in pupils through the learning experience. The head of people role is key to the delivery of our vision; with proactive collaboration and staff development support at its core.

We are seeking to appoint a head of people who is not only an exceptional and experienced practitioner but also a strong people person. We are looking for someone who is excited by the opportunity to engage and develop high performing school leaders, through professional challenge, coaching and support in resolving our small number of complex employee relations issues.

With a creative and proactive approach, you will develop the people strategy at BPET across the various school communities and central team, supporting our aim to be an employer of choice. The head of people will inspire, motivate and develop teams, centrally and across the schools, adding value and enabling others to develop and grow to the best of their abilities.

We want to provide the very best opportunities for every young person we educate to achieve their potential. If you feel you have the necessary skills and experience, and share our vision for education, then please apply, outlining why you are the right candidate for the role.

People manager person specification

Qualifications / training:

• High level of literacy and numeracy
• CIPD qualified - level 5 or above
• IT related qualifications

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years proven broad, generalist HR experience in education/public sector across a range of disciplines including (but not limited to) recruitment, learning and development, culture and engagement
• Staff development experience including objective setting, appraisals and managing performance
• Proven experience of working with senior leaders to develop policy and influence change
• Experience of TUPE
• Experience of trade union engagement and negotiation

Skills, knowledge and aptitudes

• Working knowledge of public sector HR practice and up-to-date legislative practice
• Ability to build positive relationships at all levels of the organisation
• Ability to manage complex employee issues sensitively and timely
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills appropriate to the need to communicate effectively with colleagues and other professionals
• Ability and knowledge to produce complex and confidential reports
• Excellent stakeholder management and the ability to work with colleagues at all levels across the organisation
• Ownership and commitment to continuous learning and development
• Knowledge of teachers pay and conditions (u201cThe Burgundy Booku201d)
• Knowledge of school support staff pay and conditions (u201cThe Green Booku201d)

Personal qualities

• A high degree of emotional intelligence, self-awareness and a commitment to personal and professional development
• Ability to work with initiative, strict confidentiality and to tight deadlines
• Ability to constructively challenge self and others to continually improve own and team performance
• Resilience under pressure
• Good organisational skills
• Committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people
• Ability to relate to and promote the BPET vision
• A genuine ambition and interest in improving the life choices for our young people and the wider community
• A keen interest to develop the organisation with use of benchmarking and comparison data to inform strategic decisions