Human Resources Advisor - Full-time

The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust (Aquila)

• Ref:KCC-F33-48-S
• Posted:21/07/2025
• Pay:£34,000
• Start Date:As soon as possible
• App Close Date:06/08/2025 at 12:00
• Interviews:11th and 12th August

Advert

Location: Cheriton, Folkestone

Annual leave: 29 days per year plus 1 concessionary day (plus 8 Bank Holidays)

Are you an experienced HR professional with a passion for delivering high-quality, proactive HR services? Do you have proven experience in managing low level employee relations casework? If so, we’d love to hear from you!

We are seeking a confident and knowledgeable HR Advisor to join our Trust’s central HR team. This is a fantastic opportunity to play a key role in shaping and supporting HR practices across our schools, ensuring compliance, consistency, and excellence in all we do.

About the Role

As our HR Advisor, you will:

• Provide expert advice on low level employee relations including capability, performance, absence, and restructuring.
• Take ownership of the Single Central Record across all schools, our safeguarding register, ensuring full compliance and readiness for Ofsted.
• Oversee on-boarding and off-boarding processes, ensuring a smooth experience for all staff.
• Manage the HR inbox, contracts, and HR documentation using systems such as Access People, Collaborate, and Bromcom.
• Have overall responsibility for the accurate and timely issue of contracts.
• Manage the Occupational Health referral process
• Ensure that the performance appraisal process is effective
• Line manage the HR Administrator, supporting DBS checks, right to work, and training compliance.
• Collaborate with the Head of HR on ad-hoc projects and strategic initiatives.
• Deliver a professional and proactive HR service across the Trust.

What We’re Looking For

Essential:

• CIPD Level 5 (or working towards)
• Proven experience in a generalist HR role
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and employee relations
• Excellent communication, organisational, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently and manage a varied workload
• Experience with HR systems and data integrity
• A proactive, hands-on approach with a high attention to detail

Desirable:

• Experience in a multi-site organisation
• Whilst experience in education is desirable, your approach and professionalism and HR expertise is what matters most.

Benefits:

• Hybrid working after a successful probationary period
• Local Government Pension Scheme (with a 22.5% employer contribution)
• Generous occupational sick pay (linked to length of service)
• Enhanced maternity pay
• Cycle to work scheme
• Free on-site parking
• Employee Assistance Programme for wellbeing

Safeguarding Commitment

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and must share our commitment to safeguarding in line with statutory guidance.

Information about the trust

Through inclusive and innovative practice we nurture through the Aquila family to provide exceptional learning experiences enriching the lives of all in our unique communities.

We aspire to excellence; to secure the best possible outcomes for children and young people, enabling them to fulfil their potential and make a worthwhile contribution to our diverse, dynamic society.

The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust is an established and highly successful Multi-Academy Trust currently consisting of primary schools and expecting to grow over the coming years.

The Trust offers: • outstanding mentoring and coaching • full induction programme for all new staff • excellent professional development opportunities • an enviable track record of career progression • collaborative working in a supportive team environment

We are committed to ensuring our academies work together, sharing their strengths, to provide a great education for every pupil. We believe learning must be engaging and relevant and develop the whole child. Our academies design their coverage of the curriculum to provide challenging and exciting learning experiences in a caring and nurturing environment which is based on our strong values. Our academies value every individual and celebrate differences through their culture of mutual trust and shared values.

We want to deliver and develop best practice through learning together and engaging with action research with Canterbury Christ Church University. We want our academies to serve their local communities through links with churches, each other and to develop wider networks enabling staff and pupils to flourish. Through developing leadership at all levels we want the pupils in our academies to become happy, successful, well rounded individuals who develop into lifelong learners.

We have an English Hub within our MAT.

The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust is committed to safeguarding children and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all trustees, staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced Criminal Record Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service along with other relevant employment checks, including overseas criminal background checks, where applicable. All new trustees, employees and volunteers will be required to undertake safeguarding training on induction which will be regularly updated in line with statutory guidance.

Job Contact Information

• Name:HR Manager
• Address:Suites 19 & 20,
  Motis Business Centre,
  Cheriton High Street,
  Folkestone,
  Kent,
  CT19 4QJ
• Telephone: 01303 905100
• Email: hr@aquilatrust.co.uk

Fax:

Documents

Below are documents that have been added to this vacancy.

• Job Description and Person Specification