HR Business Partner Primary

About Us

The founder and sponsor of the Harris Federation, Lord Harris of Peckham, opened our first school in 1990. We have, over the past thirty years, implemented ideas and initiatives that have transformed the opportunities of pupils from working class and disadvantaged backgrounds. Harris academies are widely recognised as a force for social mobility. We are immensely proud of the role that our alumni are now beginning to play in the world and of what we believe our current generation of pupils will go on to achieve.

We now have over 50 schools educating more than 40,000 young people across London and Essex, and employ over 5,000 staff across our academies and head office. With the majority of our academies located in areas of high socioeconomic disadvantage, a high-quality education is key to the futures of the pupils we serve.

As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.

Our work will impact many generations to come, and our staff come from all backgrounds and walks of life, coming together to inspire young minds. We promote an inclusive culture that embraces the valuable and enriching contribution that all of our community make. We continue to be proactive in uplifting and supporting all voices at Harris.

To discover more about our culture, ethos and what it is like to work here, visit the Why Work For Us page.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Providing professional and customer-focussed HR leadership, advice and support to the Primary Director and Assistant Directors of Primary Education
• Influencing and supporting the strategic direction of primary academies by providing and analysing workforce information and developing HR initiatives with the Director of Primary/Assistant Directors of Primary to respond to needs
• Coaching, supporting and mentoring senior leaders on people management practices, issues and priorities
• Providing expert advice to managers in complex employee relations cases
• With the Head of Employee Relations, managing employment tribunal cases, including liaising with ACAS on early conciliation, liaising with legal representatives regarding tribunal claims and attending tribunals if required
• With the Head of Employee Relations, negotiation and drafting of settlement agreements
• Working in partnership with academy leadership teams in providing expert guidance at all stages of organisational change processes

A full list of responsibilities can be found in the Job Pack.

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• An ability to communicate effectively with all levels of staff and to use influencing, persuading and negotiating skills
• The ability to build strong relationships quickly and gravitas to liaise capably and confidently to coach and support a wide range of senior stakeholders
• Highly developed empathetic and re-assuring skills
• Excellent written communication
• Strong leadership skills
• Experience of working under pressure and to tight deadlines
• Good knowledge of Employment Law and HR practice
• A problem solving attitude and sound decision making skills
• Sound analytical skills to support the design of improvement plans
• The ability to manipulate and present qualitative and quantitative data in a meaningful and persuasive way
• Experience of managing HR initiatives and projects
• Excellent time management, planning and prioritising skills
• Ability to work in a rapidly changing environment

For a full person specification, please download the Job Pack.

If you would like to discuss the opportunity further, or if you have any questions, please contact us via email to arrange a conversation.

Before applying please ensure you download the job pack from our careers website, this will help with completing your application. Please note that we only accept applications submitted online before the closing date.

When applying, you will have the option to import your CV or use a LinkedIn profile which will auto populate the online application. 

A reminder to check your junk mail for our email communications and add us to your safe senders list to ensure all future email communication is received.