What skills and experience we're looking forBased at: The main place of work would be agreed with the successful applicant, w.....
What skills and experience we're looking for
Based at: The main place of work would be agreed with the successful applicant, with the postholder being required to travel between schools within the trust as required to effectively fulfil their duties.
Arrangement: Full time – 37 Hours. Term time + 2 weeks.
Annual leave to be taken during school holidays unless authorised by the CEO.
Main purpose:
• To provide the Trust with specialist HR knowledge and expertise to ensure compliance, to promote employee wellbeing, motivation, retention, productivity and performance and ultimately enhance the student experience.
• To be a trusted adviser on all aspects of the HR function and employee relations matters across the Trust.
• To lead the development and delivery of HR related projects and policies as and when required.
• To lead the learning and development of HR Team members in schools and, more widely, to support the development of line managers’ people/employee relations skills.
• To lead, working closely with the CFOO, an efficient and effective payroll and pensions function.
• To ensure that HR systems/databases, policies and procedures are developed, maintained and updated in a compliant, effective, manner efficient and support the WMAT mission and principles.
Key responsibilities: Employee relations
• Provide pro-active and tailored support to line managers across the range of employee relations casework including grievance, disciplinary, capability etc.
• Foster an open employee relations culture where colleagues feel comfortable raising concerns and are open to suggestions for improvement.
• Provide support and advice to employees on work related matters.
• Support the delivery of sound absence management practices which includes holding health review meetings, liaising with occupational health providers and working to reduce the impact of long term absence.
• Be wellbeing champion for the trust in line with DFE Well-Being charter.
• To ensure that there are arrangements in place to secure Staff Voice.
• To ensure that there are arrangements in place to receive feedback from staff if they leave WMAT, and from candidates (both appointed and unsuccessful) regarding the application and selection process. , including regular and/or thematic, including staff surveys.
• Utilising a strong knowledge of Keeping Children Safe in Education, support any reviews into allegations against individuals working onsite (including Low Level Concerns).
• Provide guidance on any restructures or reviews of employees’ Job Descriptions.
• Lead engagement with trade union representatives, including both scheduled engagement (such as a JCC) or on any proposals that require consultation.
Key responsibilities: Compliance
• Remain up-to-date with changes to legislation to ensure that the Trust’s HR practices meet its statutory employment, equality, safeguarding and health and safety obligations and reflect best practice in the school/academy sector.
• Support the CFOO and Executive Team in the development and review of employment related policies to ensure compliance and support the WMAT mission and principles; ensure that due consultation is completed and that any changes to processes are communicated accordingly (including the development of employee guides in key areas).
• Work collaboratively with the HR Team in schools to ensure that all actions relating to Safer Recruitment are managed appropriately e.g. accurate maintenance of the Single Central Record, pre-engagement checks for volunteers etc.
• Ensure the schedule of Trust policies remains up-to-date.
• Lead the completion of the workforce census.
• Documents are retained in line with GDPR.
• Ensure that the Trust complies with requirements for data collection, publication and/or reporting to external organisations (for example, diversity, gender pay gaps etc).
Key responsibilities: HR policy and practice
• Be responsible for the WMAT template contracts of employment for teaching and support staff (all-year and term-time contracts).
• Ensure that processes for recruitment, induction, contract variation, and staff leaving employment are clear and are consistently applied.
• Support the CFOO and Executive Team in the scoping, development and delivery of projects across the range of HR practice relating to the people strategy.
• If appropriate, take the lead on specific projects, delegating work as needed with the HR Team.
• Act as the Investigating Officer in disciplinary casework, or support the Investigating Officer when that is a colleague.
• Support the CEO and Headteachers in instances of allegations or grievance.
• Lead evaluation of workforce and staff attendance data to identify when triggers for formal action have been reached (such as sickness absence or special leave), and lead/support Headteachers in progressing cases appropriately. Providing reports for trustees.
• Develop, agree, and monitor/analyse workforce and staff Key Performance Indicators, including reporting to the Executive Team and Board of Trustees.
Key responsibilities: Payroll
• Working in conjunction with the outsourced payroll providers, CFOO, school HR teams and the Executive Team, support delivery of the payroll process to include the accurate inputting of instructions into the online system and verifying payroll reports.
• Complete any pay-related calculations accurately.
• Support the annual pay review processes including the preparation of communications to staff.
• Develop a strong working knowledge of pensions/benefits/statutory and organizational deductions to be able to provide sound advice to employees’ queries.
• Ensure completion of statutory requirements including pensions, auto enrolment, P11ds, pension end of year certificates , IR35.
Key responsibilities: Learning and development
• Utilise opportunities through day-to-day operational work and more formalised training to develop HR professional knowledge and expertise of staff across WMAT, especially the HR Team.
• Support the development of a CPD programme for line managers to include delivery of training sessions and the development of materials to all employees relating to HR policies.
Key responsibilities: Trust growth
• Support due diligence, conversion, joining and TUPE processes leading up to, during and after onboarding of new schools to the Trust, demonstrating flexibility to work with new colleagues as needed.
Additional duties:
• Occasional evening and weekend work could be required.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly between school sites.
• Any other reasonable tasks commensurate with the role, which could involve non-HR project work with the Executive Team.
• To undertake appropriate personal professional development including adhering to the principle of performance management.
• To have a responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people you are responsible for or come into contact with.
• To ensure all tasks are carried out with due regard to Health and Safety and GDPR.
What the school offers its staff
HR Principles
The Board of Trustees has approved the following HR Principles for WMAT:
1. Continue to employ all teachers in accordance with School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) and Burgundy Book terms and conditions as a minimum;
2. Continue to employ all support staff in accordance with Green Book terms and conditions as a minimum;
3. Continue to recognise those trade unions recognised by Birmingham City Council; and
4. Ensure continuing professional development for all staff.
In recognition of its commitment to employing staff in accordance with national terms and conditions as a minimum, WMAT commits that any proposal that is not in accordance with those principles would require:
• Consultation with all affected staff and the recognised trade unions prior to a decision;
• A 14-day notice period for Trustees of the Board meeting where a decision would be made;
• A requirement for 80% of Trustees to be present at the Board meeting where a decision would be made; and
• A requirement for 80% of those Trustees present at the Board meeting to vote in favour of the decision.
Current staff Each school currently has:
• Hall Green: Approximately 150 staff, 120 FTE in total (includes approximately 75 teachers (65 FTE), and 75 support staff (55 FTE)). Cleaning and catering are outsourced.
• Kings Norton Girls’: Approximately 130 staff (100 FTE) in total (includes approximately 70 teachers (65 FTE) and 60 support staff (35 FTE)). Cleaning is in house and catering is outsourced.
• Swanshurst: Approximately 220 staff (185 FTE) in total (includes approximately 125 teachers (120 FTE) and 95 support staff (65 FTE)). Cleaning and catering are both in house – staff are included in support staff total.
Additional support
WMAT will have access to external legal support, including for HR, which you would be able to call upon where required.
Commitment to safeguarding
Hall Green School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its pupils and expects all those working at the School to share this commitment. If you are shortlisted online searches may be carried out as part of due diligence checks (i.e. Google and Social Media Platforms). The successful applicant will be subject to the following checks: Enhanced DBS, Childcare Disqualification (where applicable), a prohibition from teaching (where applicable), qualifications (where applicable), medical fitness, identity and right to work. All applicants will also be required to provide two suitable references.
