Head of HR

Forward Education Trust (FET) is a growing Multi-Academy Trust established in 2017 serving 7 special schools based in Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull.  Following a strategic review of the Trust’s central services, we are undertaking an exciting transformation with the HR team at the forefront of this organisational change.  Key to this will be the appointment of a new Head of HR for the Trust.  In this critical role, you will advise and support the Chief Executive Officer, whilst working with a wide range of school leaders, staff, business partners and external companies.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who is seeking to further develop their HR career and has the ambition to grow with the Trust and become a Director of HR.

To succeed in this role, you will be a rounded professional and have significant experience at a strategic HR level, identifying, developing and driving the people agenda, together with a track record of delivering successful people outcomes at pace and leading on significant organisational change projects.

Inquisitive, driven and an excellent communicator, you will need to instill confidence from the start through having the ability to exercise professional judgement and provide clear advice, whilst identifying appropriately risk-assessed solutions.  You will be a role model for the Trust, who embodies the Trust’s vision and values, as well as displaying the behaviours of someone working in the Trust today.

With a positive outlook and professional manner, you will be able to demonstrate the necessary skills, experience, confidence and ability to guide on key human resources processes from complex ER casework to strategic thinking and project implementation.

Ideally you will possess previous experience of the education sector, and be someone who will support the Trust to become the employer of choice and continue to create an environment that attracts and retains our valued employees.  We believe that appointing a successful Head of HR is pivotal to the future success of our Trust in providing the best possible education and care for our children.

We will provide a highly competitive salary, a supportive Executive team and ongoing professional development. Some flexibility around working arrangements is available, although as the role supports the Central Team and our schools, we anticipate that the role will be largely office based.

If you would like to discuss the scope of the role, or your suitability for it, please make contact via Clare Kellet of Hays to arrange a meeting with FET CEO, Simon Dilkes.  You can find useful information about Forward Education Trust and details about this role via this link.

Our Employee Value Proposition includes:

Closing Date: Tuesday 21^st March 2023 5pm

Interview Date: Friday 31^st March 2023

Applications are normally required on the Forward Education Trust application form but we will accept a comprehensive Curriculum Vitae (CV) in order to short-list candidates.  A full application form will be required from short-listed candidates prior to attending an interview, as part of our commitment to safer recruitment to education.

The Trust may review CVs upon receipt and may call applicants for interview prior to the advert closing date. Therefore, you are encouraged to make an early application for this role and we reserve the right to close the vacancy earlier than the advertised closing date.

Forward Education Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect staff and volunteers to share this commitment and promote this ethos.  All appointments will be subject to the receipt of satisfactory enhances DBS and pre-employment checks.  This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. Forward Education Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

If you do not hear from the Trust within 14 days of returning your application to us, please assume that your application has not been shortlisted.

Applications

To apply, please complete an application form and email it to recruitment@fet.ac

The Trust may review applications upon receipt and may call applicants for interview prior to the advert closing date. Therefore, you are encouraged to make an early application for this role and we reserve the right to close the vacancy earlier than the advertised closing date.

Please note that only fully completed Forward Education Trust Application forms will be accepted; we will not read accompanying Curriculum Vitae (CV) or accept them in place of an application form.

If you do not hear from the school within 14 days of the closing date, please assume that your application has not been shortlisted. The successful applicants will require an enhanced DBS check and will be subject to relevant pre-employment checks.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020

This post is covered by Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) and therefore the ability to speak fluent spoken English is an essential requirement for this role.

 Forward Education Trust is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate must promote this ethos.