People Advisor

About Us

Manor Hall Academy Trust is an expanding Multi-Academy Trust, uniquely founded by a collaboration of special schools, united by a shared ethos, values, and collective aspirations. Guided by our commitment that Everyone Belongs, Learns and Grows, it truly is a special place to work. At the heart of our approach is mutual respect, where the exchange of best practice, expertise, support, and challenge thrives. We maintain high expectations across all aspects of our work, ensuring continuous growth and improvement.

About the Opportunity

We are seeking a knowledgeable and pro-active People Advisor to join our dedicated central team. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in supporting our school leaders and colleagues across the Trust, providing high‑quality HR advice that helps create a positive, inclusive and high‑performing working environment.

Our current post-holder works 3 days per week, term-time only, valuing the additional rest, relaxation and flexibility that comes with time off at regular intervals in line with school holidays. However, we recognise the importance of flexibility and welcome conversations with candidates about working patterns and hours that differ from this - it’s most important that we select the very best person for the role so talk to us and where we can offer flexibility, we will do.

As our People Advisor, you will work closely with leaders and managers, offering guidance on a wide range of HR matters including employee relations, recruitment, attendance, wellbeing, performance and policy implementation. You will have the opportunity to influence best practice, support continuous improvement, and contribute to projects that strengthen our people strategy.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives on building strong relationships, enjoys problem‑solving, and is committed to delivering exceptional, pro-active HR support that makes a meaningful difference to staff experience and organisational culture. If you are motivated by supporting teams to deliver their best for our people, then this could be your perfect opportunity.

We are looking for someone who is:

Qualified at CIPD level 5, or demonstrable employee relations casework experience

Experienced in providing high-quality HR advice and guidance, often at pace

Understanding of UK Employment Law and HR best practice

Experienced in implementing and advising on, people-related policies

An excellent manager of their stakeholders, with the ability to influence

Advanced in communication skills in writing, via Microsoft Teams and in person

A collaborative team player who values the power and diversity of a good team to achieve great things for our organisation

Able to identify and promote best practice, and encourages the sharing of ideas

Adaptable in their approach and with high emotional intelligence

Able to work effectively with others to resolve differences of opinion and conflict

Willing and able to travel to our schools for face-to-face interaction, support and engagement as needed (mileage paid for business use insurance)

An enthusiastic role-modeller for our Trust Values, and who takes every opportunity to champion them!

Why Join us?

Joining Manor Hall Academy Trust offers you the opportunity to be part of a forward-thinking organisation with a big heart. Our inclusive, flexible and supportive culture, combined with a commitment to professional growth, provides abundant opportunities for learning and collaboration. By joining us you will experience an inclusive and supportive work environment where you feel valued and empowered to contribute to our mission. Our HR & People Team are valued, appreciated and are provided a seat at the ‘table’. You will play a key role in shaping a positive employee experience and enabling colleagues to thrive so we can deliver the best outcomes for our people, our organisation and our children.

We Can Offer

Hybrid working (50:50) if desired

Flexible working opportunities, with openness to discuss working hours and patterns to support work-life balance

Term-Time Only, so all school holidays taken off

Excellent working environment

Generous local government pension scheme

Tech & Cycle to Work Schemes

Onsite gym & great facilities

Health and wellbeing support including ‘Think Well’, fast track counselling service & Physiotherapy

Eye-sight testing

Retail discounts in supermarkets, high street shops, restaurants and days out

How to Apply

Please apply via My New Term. We will acknowledge receipt of your application and notify you if you are shortlisted for an interview. We are reviewing applications on a rolling basis and actively interviewing, so we reserve the right to close the vacancy once we find the right candidate.

For an informal discussion about the role please contact our Head of People, Laura Green ([email removed]), or to arrange a visit to the central Trust office please contact us on [phone removed].

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

As a ‘Disability Confident’ employer, we are committed to ensuring disabled candidates are included in our recruitment process. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria of the role, we will invite you to interview. Please let us know if you are eligible for this scheme at the application stage.

Don’t meet every single requirement?

At Manor Hall Trust, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet every single requirement in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be the perfect candidate for this or another role within our organisation.

If you are successful after shortlisting, you will be provided with the full details of the recruitment and selection process, together will the timeline.

We look forward to receiving your application!

Manor Hall Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. Child safety recruitment procedures operate and appointment is subject to satisfactory references, enhanced DBS, qualifications check and all other relevant employment checks. Please also note that if you are shortlisted for the role, we may conduct an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted candidates. This may help to identify any incidents or issues that have happened, and are publicly available online, which may indicate that you are unsuitable to work with children, and that we may want to explore with you at interview. You will find our policies (including Safeguarding, Safer Recruitment and Disclosure of a Criminal Conviction) here Policies - Manor Hall Academy Trust