Head of Employee Relations

Employer

Learning Partners Academy Trust

Location

Guildford, Surrey

Contract Type

Permanent

Hours

Part Time, Term Time

Salary

£59,033 - £65,022 per annum FTE

Posted

13th November 2026

Expires

30th November 2026 10:00 AM

Start Date

As Soon As Possible

Job ID

1584325

Job Reference

HeadofER

Head of Employee Relations

36 hours per week, 41 weeks per year - Hybrid Model

LPT Grade 11 £59,033 - £65,022 per annum FTE, £53,857.43 - £59,321.36 pro rata

Location: Guildford

A great opportunity for an experienced ER specialist to lead HR casework across a Multi Academy Trust and make a real difference

Your opportunity

This is a pivotal time to join our growing Trust as we invest in a new People Strategy to shape our future workforce agenda. To drive this forward, we have created the new role of Head of Employee Relations to lead our ER team and guide our schools through complex HR casework.

Sitting on the central People Leadership Team, you will also spearhead key strategic projects that directly impact our school communities and the outcomes of our students.

While you will travel to our schools when on-the-ground presence is needed for casework, we make full use of virtual meetings where appropriate.

What we are looking for

• CIPD Level 7 qualification with significant ER experience, preferably with a background in the state education sector
• Excellent HR knowledge and ability to influence key stakeholders
• Ability to lead, motivate and inspire the team
• Can demonstrate professional integrity and compassion when dealing with challenging HR cases
• Proactive in their professional development and keeping themselves up to date with Employment and HR practice
• A confident communicator, able to influence and coach Headteachers and other senior leaders
• A flexible, calm approach and a ‘can-do attitude and is comfortable working at pace with multiple priorities
• A pragmatic and solution-focused approach to resolving HR casework
• Ability to deliver people management training to both senior leaders and line managers

Willingness to lead the team but to business partner with an allocation of schools until we have further capacity within the ER team

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About Learning Partners Academy Trust

Learning Partners Academy Trust, is a collaborative Multi Academy Trust (MAT), built on partnerships with local schools working together, in and around the Guildford area. See the attached information for more information about our trust.

Employee Benefits

We can offer you:

• The ability to develop your skills across the wide spectrum of HR
• The opportunity to work as part of an aspirational team to deliver a new People Strategy
• A welcoming central team dedicated to do their best for the students in our schools
• Flexible working approach to meet both the operational needs of the business and your personal working circumstances
• Pension scheme – Local Government Defined Benefits Pension Scheme where the employer’s contribution is over 18% of base salary
• Employee assistance programme – free and confidential third-party telephone counselling service available 24 hours a day

How to Apply

If you are interested in applying for this exciting role please use the links provided to access the full job description and person specification and apply online.

Please note, your application will take you to our ATS system (SAMpeople Recruit)

If you would like to discuss the role, please contact Maria Cicero-Scott, Chief People Officer at Learning Partners Academy email mciceroscott@ learningpartners.org

Closing date: Monday 30h November 2026 at 12pm

Interview date: TBC

Important Information

• The closing date given is a guide only. There may be some occasions where we close a vacancy due to a high a volume of applications being received. It is therefore advisable that you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
• When completing the application form please ensure that you clearly evidence your relevant skills and experience in relation to the requirements detailed in the job description.
• Please ensure you check your emails regularly as this is how we will communicate with you throughout the recruitment process.

Head of ER Job description_Nov26

Safeguarding Statement:

Learning Partners Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We particularly welcome applications from under represented groups including ethnicity, gender, transgender, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.

Diversity & Inclusion Statement.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to be part of Learning Partners Academy Trust. We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workforce and particularly welcome suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to join our trust.