MARK Education Trust is seeking to appoint an experienced, strategic and forward-thinking Head of HR with a strong track record of delivering organisation-wide impact, driving workforce efficiencies, and leading successful organisational change. This is a key trust-wide leadership role, shaping and steering our people strategy across all schools and central functions.
Working closely with the Executive Headteacher/CEO, CFO, the trust Executive Team and our Headteachers, you will lead a proactive, professional and highly efficient HR service aligned to our mission, vision and values. You will ensure the trust’s HR strategy supports long-term sustainability, delivers value for money, and strengthens our culture of high performance and staff wellbeing.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic HR Leadership
*Lead the development and delivery of a trust-wide people strategy that strengthens organisational capability, culture and performance.
*Drive workforce planning, analysing staffing structures, demographic data, and future needs to ensure the trust remains sustainable and financially efficient.
*Lead strategic HR initiatives that support organisational development, talent management, leadership capacity building and succession planning.
*Act as the senior HR advisor to the CEO, Executive Team and Headteachers, ensuring people implications are fully considered in trust-wide planning and decision-making.
Organisational Change and Workforce Efficiency
*Lead and manage organisational change projects, including restructures, staffing redesign, TUPE processes and transformation programmes.
*Ensure change management processes are fair, legally compliant and aligned with trust values.
*Identify and implement opportunities for workforce efficiencies, improved deployment of staff and strengthened financial stewardship of staffing budgets.
*Support leaders to communicate, implement and embed change in a way that maintains morale, clarity and operational continuity.
Leadership of HR Operations
*Oversee the delivery of a high-quality, consistent HR service across all schools and central functions.
*Ensure efficient and compliant recruitment processes that attract, select and retain high-quality staff, aligned with safer recruitment expectations.
*Ensure HR systems, data and reporting processes are robust, accurate and support strategic analysis and planning.
*Oversee high-quality induction, onboarding and probation processes to strengthen early staff experience and retention.
Employee Relations and People Management
*Provide senior leadership to complex and sensitive ER casework, ensuring resolution is fair, timely and legally compliant.
*Build capability and confidence in leaders to manage people effectively, consistently and in line with trust values.
*Quality-assure the application of HR policy across schools to ensure fairness, alignment and compliance.
Policy, Governance and Compliance
*Lead the development, review and implementation of trust-wide HR policies that reflect best practice and enable effective and consistent leadership.
*Ensure full compliance with employment law, safeguarding requirements, safer recruitment, GDPR and equality legislation.
*Provide strategic oversight of staff wellbeing, workload and culture, ensuring HR policies support a positive and healthy working environment.
Professional Leadership and Trust Wide Influence
*Build strong, open and effective working relationships with leaders across all schools.
*Provide training, coaching and guidance on HR leadership, organisational change, policy implementation and people management.
*Represent the trust at external networks, professional forums or regulatory interactions where HR expertise is required.
*Travel between trust schools as needed (mileage reimbursed in line with trust policy).
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA
Qualifications & Knowledge
*CIPD Level 7 (or equivalent)
*Strong expert knowledge of employment law, HR compliance and safer recruitment
*Understanding of safeguarding, GDPR and equality legislation
*Strong understanding of organisational change, workforce planning and HR-driven financial efficiencies
Experience
*Significant experience leading complex HR casework at senior level
*Proven experience delivering or leading organisational change (e.g., restructures, staffing redesign, workforce efficiency projects)
*Experience advising senior leaders and influencing strategic decision-making
*Experience improving HR systems, processes or structures to deliver efficiency and value for money
*Experience overseeing recruitment and safer-recruitment compliant pre-employment processes
*Experience drafting, reviewing and embedding HR policies across multiple schools or sites
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
*Flexible Working
*Staff Recognition
*Pension Schemes
*Generous Annual Leave
*Wellbeing Support
*Staff Voice
*Discounts
*Free on-site parking
NB: we advise applying promptly for this post as we reserve the right to close and interview early if sufficient suitable applications have been received.