People Partner (HR) - Full-time

Leigh Academies Trust

• Ref:KCC-F63-304-S
• Posted:10/06/2026
• Pay:£41,348 - £53,178 per annum
• Start Date:August 2026
• App Close Date:22/06/2026 at 23:45
• Interviews:Wednesday 1st July 2026

Advert

Who we are: Leigh Academies Trust (LAT) is one of the South East’s largest and most progressive multi-academy trusts, encompassing 33 academies across Kent, Medway, and South East London, spanning primary, secondary, grammar, all-through and specialist provision. We are ambitious, values-led and committed to our people

Our People Services team is at the centre of that ambition. We are guided by Be Leigh, our cultural framework that defines what every colleague should experience at the Trust, and we are now developing our next People Strategy, which will shape how we recruit, develop and retain our people through to 2030. This is a team with a clear sense of direction and senior leadership support to deliver it.

The role: This is a senior, varied and fast-moving role. You will manage the Employee Experience team, overseeing workload and casework, building capacity and being the person your People Advisors and Administrators turn to when they need support, guidance or a steer.

You will manage a complex caseload, support chairs at formal hearings, undertake and support investigations, lead on restructures, TUPE and redundancy, and provide expert advice and appropriate challenge to senior leaders. You will also play an active part in developing the team.

What we are looking for: You are an emotionally resilient, solutions-focused HR professional who puts colleague experience first. You possess the commercial acumen to advise at a senior level and the technical expertise to navigate complex employment law.

Why join us: This isn't a role where you will stand still. You will gain a varied, genuinely challenging portfolio with real autonomy in a massive, complex organisation. You are joining us at a pivotal moment as we build a world-class people function that directly impacts thousands of colleagues.

What we offer:

• Competitive salary from £41,348 - £53,178 per annum, based on experience
• Generous annual leave (25 days, increasing to 30 after 5 years' service + bank holidays)
• Hybrid working
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Enhanced Maternity Pay
• Free on-site parking
• Training and development opportunities
• Employee Assistance Programme & 24/7 GP service

This is a full-time, hybrid role. You will work four days in the office or across your academy portfolio, with one day working from home. Your academies will be based across North West Kent and South East London.

Interviews will take place on Wednesday 1st July 2026. For an informal discussion or to ask any questions, please contact Naomi Mercer, Deputy People Director, at naomi.mercer@latrust.org.uk.

Information about the trust

Leigh Academies Trust is one of the country’s largest and most-established multi-academy trusts operating across Kent, Medway and South East London. It contains primary, secondary and special academies and is highly inclusive and successful. Our mission is to deliver “education for a better world” by ensuring that young people in our academies have an excellent start in life regardless of their background or ability.

The Trust exists to support and assist schools to build upon their existing strengths and to help them achieve rapid educational transformation. It has significant experience in running schools, and today includes both sponsored academies and schools which have chosen to convert to Academy status.

In addition to providing high-quality educational opportunities for all of our children, aged from 2 months to 19 years, and their families, we are proud to provide many opportunities for lifelong learning. These are delivered through the organisations under our Leigh Institute umbrella. One of these is the Kent and Medway Maths Hub, providing access to the National Maths Hub programmes to over 80% of the schools in Kent and Medway over our ten year designation. Thames Gateway Teaching School Hub, ConnectED Hub Apprenticeships and Kent and Medway Training (KMT), which delivers routes into teaching, sit alongside the Maths Hub to form our comprehensive offer.

We warmly welcome you to Leigh Academies Trust and look forward to sharing with you our passion for transforming lives and shaping communities through great education.

Job Contact Information

• Name:Holly Neve
• Address:LAT Head Office,
  Carnation Road,
  Strood,
  Rochester,
  Kent,
  ME2 2SX
• Telephone: 01634 412 258
• Email: Joinus@LATrust.org.uk

Fax:

Documents

Below are documents that have been added to this vacancy.

• Job Pack | People Partner (HR) | Leigh Academies Trust