HR Manager

Job Description

Southend High School for Girls

HR Manager

Salary: Scale 9 (FTE £39,862 - £44,075) (actual salary £36,926 - £40,828 per annum)

Closing date: 18th March 2026

37 hours Per Week

8:00am - 4:00pm Monday - Thursday
8.00am - 3.30pm Friday

Term Time (including 5 inset days + 3 additional weeks during school holidays)

We are seeking an experienced, aspirational HR Manager to join us from May 2026. This is a key role within the school, working closely with the Senior Leadership Team to deliver an exemplary HR service across our community.

At Southend High School for Girls, we have high expectations and an unwavering commitment to meeting the needs of our pupils. Our values sit at the heart of everything we do, and we strive to create a safe, happy and successful environment for pupils, families, staff and the wider community. We are proud to be a positive, inclusive and supportive workplace where staff wellbeing and professional growth are prioritised.

Southend High School for Girls is an oversubscribed, outstanding selective grammar school.

If you are highly skilled, enthusiastic, ambitious, energetic, and dedicated to raising achievement, and ready for a rewarding new challenge, we would love to hear from you.

As HR Manager, you will:

• Be the first point of contact for all HR queries, providing expert advice to staff and leadership.
• Work closely with the Senior Leadership Team to lead, shape and implement effective HR strategies and policies aligned with the school's goals and vision.
• Manage the school's HR caseload, ensuring efficient, positive outcomes that nurture strong employee relations.
• Manage recruitment, onboarding, payroll, and HR compliance processes.
• Maintain robust processes and practices, ensuring full compliance with employment law, data protection legislation and statutory guidance.

The successful candidate will:

• Be an experienced HR practitioner, ideally with experience in a school environment, and hold (or be willing to work towards) a CIPD Level 5 (or equivalent )qualification.
• Have knowledge and understanding of the upcoming employment law changes.
• Have excellent numeracy skills.
• Ideally, the candidate will have previous experience working in a school environment, including involvement in payroll processes (our payroll is managed via Juniper Services), as well as knowledge of the Green and Burgundy Books.
• Be a flexible, positive, proactive team player.
• Have excellent attention to detail, strong organisational ability and outstanding communication skills.
• Be able to build effective working relationships with a wide range of colleagues.

In return, we offer:

• The opportunity to make a meaningful impact in a well-established, outstanding Grammar school.
• Strong support from an experienced and committed Senior Leadership Team.
• A commitment to ongoing professional development and staff wellbeing.
• Access to high-quality external CPD.
• A positive, supportive staff culture with a strong family ethos.

Working Pattern:

• 5 days per week, 37 hours per week
• Monday-Thursday: 8:00am-4:00pm, Friday: 8:00am-3:30pm
• 30 minute unpaid lunchbreak
• Term time including 5 INSET days,plus three weeks (15 days during school holidays, agreed in advance with your line manager).
• Attendance on GCSE results day in August is required; remaining additional days will be scheduled around payroll deadlines and agreed in advance.
• The successful candidate will also be required to attend up tofour Pay and Personnel Governor meetings per year which will be either taken as TOIL (time off in lieu) or paid.

This is an on-site role, working closely with the Senior Leadership Team to deliver a high-quality HR service across the school.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all staff to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Please note: we do not accept applications via agencies.

Application forms must be completed in full online on My New Term and must include a supporting statement explaining how your skills and experience meet the requirements of the role, with particular reference to the Person Specification and Job Description.CVs will not be accepted.

As we may interview suitable candidates as applications are received, applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

All staff at Southend High School for Girls have a responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The successful applicant will be required to complete an enhanced DBS check.This is a customer-facing role needing fluent spoken English.

Information about the School

“Pupils flourish and excel at Southend High School for Girls.”

– Ofsted, July 2024

Southend High School for Girls (SHSG) is an outstanding grammar school with academy status, proudly educating generations of students for over a century. We blend tradition with innovation, creating a dynamic learning environment where students are safe, happy, and successful.

Our school is a family-orientated community where pupils thrive. Students achieve exceptionally high outcomes and benefit from an ambitious curriculum and an exemplary careers education programme. As one pupil told Ofsted, “The school will literally help you do anything you want to do.”

We offer a vast range of clubs, trips, productions, and leadership opportunities, including the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and World Challenge. Students are encouraged to lead and contribute, with many acting as ambassadors and house captains.

SHSG is proud to be a member of NACE (National Association for Able Children in Education), reflecting our commitment to stretching and challenging all learners. Our curriculum goes far beyond the National Curriculum, with students in Key Stage 3 studying three separate sciences and two languages, and engaging in ‘super-curricular’ tasks that promote independent research and critical thinking.

Staff are passionate, well-supported, and receive high-quality professional development. Our shared ethos of high expectations, mutual respect, and continuous improvement makes SHSG a truly special place to work.

If you are enthusiastic about education and excited to join a high-performing, caring school community, we warmly invite you to explore our current vacancies and consider becoming part of the SHSG family.