Head of Human Resources

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Head of Human Resources to provide operational leadership of HR across the School, ensuring the development of a high-performing, values-led workforce. The role supports the School's educational mission by delivering effective people management, robust safeguarding practice, and compliance with employment legislation and regulatory requirements.

This is a key leadership position and sits on the Senior Leadership and Management Team (SLMT).

Key responsibilities:

· to implement the HR strategy, aligned with theSchool'svision, values, and development plan

· to oversee all aspects of recruitment andselection, including safer recruitment practices and compliance with safeguarding requirements

· to provide expert advice and guidance to senior leaders and line managers on employment law, employee relations, and best HR practice

· to oversee staff induction, probation, and performance management processes across teaching and support staff

· to manage employee relations matters, including discipline, grievance, absence management, and wellbeing support

· to ensure compliance with UK employment legislation, Independent School Standards, ISI requirements, and data protection regulations

· to lead workforce planning, pay review processes, and benefits administration in collaboration with senior leadership

· to promote staff development, training, and professional learning

· tomaintainaccurateHR records and systems,always ensuring confidentiality and data integrity

· to act as a visible and trusted presence within theSchoolcommunity

Person Specification:

Essential:

· to have HR leadership experience, ideally within education or a similarly regulated environment

· to have strong knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice

· to have proven experience of safer recruitment and safeguarding responsibilities

· to be able tooperateboth strategically and operationally in a busySchool environment

· to have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the confidence to advise senior leaders

· to haveahigh levelof discretion, integrity, and professionalism

· to have strong organisational skills and attention to detail

· to have a commitment to the values and ethos of an independent boarding school

Desirable:

· to be a practising Catholic

· to have knowledge of the education sector or independent schools

· to hold a CIPD qualification (Level 5 or Level 7) or equivalent professional experience

· knowledge of ISI inspections and regulatory frameworks

· experience of leading change management or organisational development initiatives

Information about the School

New Hall is a Catholic independent boarding & day school for girls and boys aged 1-18. New Hall School operates the highly successful 'diamond model', where students are educated in co-educational classes from ages 1 to 11 and at Sixth Form. However, from ages 11 to 16 they are taught in single-sex lessons. Click on one of the four diamonds below to find out more about our divisions.

The main benefits of the 'diamond model' and five years of single-sex teaching, derive from the ability to tailor pastoral and academic provision more sensitively and expertly to the needs of young people going through the physical, emotional and social upheaval of adolescence. Young teenagers are liberated from the negative peer pressure of having to perform in mixed classes. The gender stereotyping of subjects is also removed. Girls and boys follow an identical curriculum and do not learn to perceive subjects as being more suited to either girls or boys.

The Sixth Form experience at New Hall is about expanding students' horizons, both in their specialist areas of study and, more generally, in terms of their personal development.

From the moment New Hall students first travel up the mile-long, tree-lined avenue that leads to the grand façade of the former Tudor palace, they will be given individual opportunities to grow, learn, be challenged and to develop into confident young men and women. New Hall is set in an idyllic and convenient location, on the outskirts of the City of Chelmsford, Essex, just 30 minutes by train from London and within easy reach of all major London airports.

As a Catholic independent boarding & day school, at New Hall with every student we aim to educate the whole person: academically, creatively and socially, in a community which also nurtures the spiritual dimensions of human life.