Director of People

Please visit our website – www.oakham.rutland.sch.uk – for a full recruitment brochure and job details.

General

Oakham School was founded by Archdeacon Johnson in 1584 and is now one of the largest co-educational Boarding and Day Schools in the country.  It has some 550 staff and over 1,000 pupils ranging in age from 10 - 18 years.

Reporting

Whilst a member of support staff, in order to reflect the importance of the role across the whole school, the Director of People will report to the Headmaster as well as working closely with the Director of Operations and Strategic Planning (DOSP), who is responsible for the support staff.

Job Purpose

To provide strategic leadership of the HR Department, forging strong relationships across both teaching and support staff to create an integrated and aspirant culture that drives performance, promotes staff welfare, maximises efficiencies, celebrates success and champions diversity. 

To make a significant contribution, as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, to the overall strategic direction of the School to meet its future needs and educational aims.

To promote an understanding of HR policy and practice across the school community.

To provide information and guidance to the Headmaster and members of the Senior Leadership Team on matters of HR policy, legislation, governance and employee relations. 

Job Details

Key accountabilities and responsibilities

• As a member of the School Leadership Team, support the School to meet its ambitious strategy through the provision of appropriate HR strategies and high quality HR policies, systems and processes.
• Provide proactive expert advice on the organisational development of the School, with particular regard to the design and implementation of organisational structures, including their costing, workload planning models and change management initiatives to meet the needs of the School.
• Lead, motivate and manage the HR Department, to deliver a responsive, solutions focused service to inform and shape HR initiatives and drive continuous improvement to ensure the behaviours and attitudes of staff and service delivery reflects appropriate professional standards.
• Ensure that the recruitment and remuneration arrangements, including all terms and conditions of employment, for all staff allow Oakham to attract and retain exceptional talent, with competitive recruitment, retention and reward strategies.
• Work in collaboration with Senior Leadership Team to develop a high-performance environment, ensuring the delivery of effective appraisal processes and associated programmes and initiatives to support the enhancement of staff performance and leadership and management capabilities.
• Provide leadership and professional advice and guidance to senior staff on all employee relations issues, supporting complex casework (disciplinaries, capabilities, termination, grievances etc) to ensure consistency across the School and the timely outcomes, maintaining constructive relationships with the Teaching Staff Salaries Committee and Support Staff Consultative Committee as well as, where appropriate, trade unions.
• Develop and monitor the implementation of an effective induction programme to ensure a first class on boarding experience for all new employees or following promotion.
• Lead and collaborate on the design and implementation of an integrated talent management strategy, succession planning and career development programmes.
• Act as coach to senior and middle to support the development of leadership and people management skills.
• Support the School in the development and implementation of staff engagement and communication strategies.
• Lead cross-School strategic projects, as required by the Headmaster and Director of Operations and Strategic Planning.
• Engage with appropriate business and functional stakeholders to maximise opportunities for system integration and introduce lean working, ensuring these are legally compliant and consistently and effectively implemented across the School.
• To monitor and, where required, implement operational changes and service development to meet any issues arising from audit, governance and compliance reviews.
• Encourage and support the promotion of staff wellbeing and welfare, diversity and equality, ensuring the School fulfils its public sector duties.
• Produce HR dashboards and provide relevant information and workforce management reports to support the Senior Leadership Team, Trustee Body and managers to deliver key objectives and performance indicators.
• Lead on safer recruitment policy and practices, training managers where necessary and ensure effective management of the DBS application process and a fully compliant Single Central Register.
• Through appropriate external networking, maintain current and up to date knowledge of changes affecting the independent schools sector, HR best practice and legislative changes to ensure that the HR function stays compliant, notably with the ISI inspection regime, and innovative.
• Any other duties which may reasonably be asked by the Headmaster or DOSP from time to time.
• Line management of the HR Manager with dotted line responsibility for the Payroll Manager & HR Officer.

Person Specification

Skills & Experience

Essential

• Proven track record of exceptional strategic and operational HR leadership
• Experience in developing, implementing and monitoring HR strategies in line with organisational needs and priorities
• An in-depth understanding of UK employment law and recognised best practice with the ability to conceptualise and deliver solutions to complex problems
• Experience of leading successful change management programmes and initiatives
• Financially aware and commercially astute
• Proven ability to lead and motivate high performing teams
• Track record of delivering first class recruitment, retention and development strategies
• Evidence of establishing credibility with senior staff and engaging with multiple stakeholders to understand their requirements and adapt solutions as required to deliver strategic aims
• Experience of delivering measurable service improvement using innovative techniques
• Experience of delivering substantive improvements in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion and staff wellbeing in a large organisation
• Experience of implementing staff engagement strategies

Desirable

• Experience of forging demonstrably positive working relationships with trade unions and employee representatives
• Evidence of working within the Education sector or a similarly large and complex, knowledge-led organisation
• Experience of implementing HR systems such as MHR iTrent or Cascade

Personal qualities

Essential

• Personal credibility and gravitas with excellent ambassadorial, negotiation and influencing skills
• An articulate, diplomatic and persuasive communicator, both verbally and in writing
• A strategic thinker with political and commercial acumen
• Consultative, able to work collaboratively while providing constructive challenge and holding senior colleagues to account
• Possessing a high degree of integrity, honest and openness
• Strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion

 Qualifications

Essential

• Education to degree level, or equivalent
• Full membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, or equivalent
• Evidence of continuing professional development

   

Terms & Conditions

Salary

Up to £50,000 per annum, depending on relevant skills, experience and qualifications.

Hours

An average week of 40 hours. Due to the seniority of the role, some flexibility will be required.

Holidays

25 days paid annual leave, plus all English Public Bank Holidays. These are generally to be taken in the School Holidays.  

Other Benefits

• Pension Scheme - Flexible Retirement Plan run by tpt solutions (formerly The Pensions Trust): the School will double match the employee’s contribution up to 10%. Linked Death in Service Benefit is 4 x salary.
• Option to join Health Care Cashplan with ‘simplyhealth’ paid for by the School.
• Free lunches available during term time in the school dining room for staff with a contractual lunch break.
• Free use of school gym and pool at certain times.
• Childcare Voucher and Cycle to Work Schemes.
• Personal Accident Insurance.
• Free car parking on school campus.

To apply, please send cover letter and application form (available from our website or on request) by email (preferred) or post to:

Mrs Claire Betts, HR Manager, Oakham School, 15 Station Rd,

Oakham, Rutland LE15 6QT. Tel: 01572 758804

Email: jobs@oakham.rutland.sch.uk, Website: www.oakham.rutland.sch.uk

(Closing date 2pm on 24 May 2019)