Head of People Systems, Pay and Benefits - Full-time

Leigh Academies Trust

• Ref:KCC-F63-305-S
• Posted:30/06/2026
• Pay:£60,000 - £75,000 per annum
• Start Date:September 2026
• App Close Date:20/07/2026 at 23:45
• Interviews:TBC

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What you will be doing

You will provide strategic leadership for payroll, systems and benefits whilst leading an experienced team responsible for:

• Delivering 38 monthly payrolls accurately, compliantly and on time.
• Leading the Trust's administration of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme and Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Acting as the strategic lead for iTrent, driving system development, self-service and continuous improvement.
• Leading future HR and payroll systems procurement and supplier relationships.
• Developing workforce reporting through Business Objects, providing insight that informs executive and governance decision-making.
• Producing statutory workforce reporting, including Gender Pay Gap reporting and wider people analytics.
• Developing and enhancing employee benefits that strengthen the Trust's employer offer.
• Ensuring the highest standards of governance, compliance, audit and payroll controls.

Who we are looking for

• iTrent Expert: You haven’t just used iTrent; you have configured, challenged, and optimised it.
• Pensions Authority: You know the TPS and LGPS inside out, from contributions and returns to employer responsibilities.
• Data-Driven Leader: You use Business Objects to transform raw data into meaningful insights that shape organisational strategy.
• Strategic Thinker: You view technology as an enabler to automate and simplify processes, backed by a proven track record of managing payroll at scale.

Why join us?

This is far more than a payroll role. You will join an ambitious People Services leadership team with genuine executive backing, giving you the autonomy to modernise services and directly improve the experience of 4,000 colleagues.

What we offer

• Salary of £60,000 - £75,000 per annum, depending on experience
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme, with Shared Cost AVCs available for LGPS members
• 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 after five years’ service, plus bank holidays
• Hybrid working
• Enhanced maternity and adoption pay
• Two weeks’ paternity leave at full pay from day one of employment
• Medicash Health Cash Plan, providing reimbursement of everyday health costs including optical, dental and health screenings
• Employee Assistance Programme and 24/7 virtual GP service, available to you and your immediate family
• Financial wellbeing support, including flexible access to pay as it is earned, budgeting tools and financial education resources
• Salary sacrifice schemes including Cycle to Work
• Free on-site parking
• Professional development opportunities, including access to CPD, qualifications and specialist training

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Lorraine Mottram, People Director, at lorraine.mottram@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 | Head of People Systems, Pay and Benefits | Leigh Academies Trust