People Partner – South Yorkshire (Full Time, Permanent)

Location: Astrea Academy Trust (with regular travel across South Yorkshire academies)
Salary: £43,261
Hours: 8:30am – 4:30pm, Monday to Friday
Contract: Permanent, Full Time (52 weeks per year)
Annual Leave: 29 days plus bank holidays
Closing Date: 5 July 

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and proactive People Partner to join our Central Team, supporting academies across South Yorkshire.

This is a strategic and varied role, where you will act as a trusted advisor to leaders, providing expert guidance across the full employee lifecycle, from recruitment and onboarding through to employee relations, development, and workforce planning. You’ll play a key role in delivering our People Strategy, driving cultural change, and ensuring our academies are supported with a high-quality, consistent people service. 

You will work closely with leadership teams to “connect the dots” across HR, recruitment, and learning & development, ensuring people initiatives align with school improvement plans and wider Trust priorities. 

Regular travel to academies is an essential part of this role, enabling you to build strong relationships and deliver impactful, on-the-ground support.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic People Partnering

• Partner with academy leadership teams to develop and deliver people strategies aligned to improvement plans
• Build strong, trusted relationships as an extension of the leadership team
• Lead on workforce planning, succession planning, and talent development

Employee Relations & Advisory

• Manage complex employee relations cases, providing expert guidance and risk mitigation
• Support leaders with performance, absence, disciplinary, and grievance matters
• Ensure compliance with employment legislation and Trust policies

Change & Organisational Development

• Lead on change management activity including restructures and TUPE processes
• Support leaders to develop business cases and staffing models aligned to financial and curriculum needs
• Drive cultural change and continuous improvement initiatives

Recruitment & Workforce Planning

• Work in partnership with Recruitment to identify current and future staffing needs
• Support onboarding and induction to enhance employee experience
• Contribute to attraction strategies and promote academies as great places to work

Data, Insight & Continuous Improvement

• Analyse people data and dashboards to inform decision-making and identify risk
• Contribute to policy development, process improvement, and HR best practice
• Deliver training, coaching, and practical toolkits for leaders

Stakeholder & Industrial Relations

• Build strong relationships with trade unions and support consultation processes
• Provide regular updates and insights to Principals and Business Managers

About You

We are looking for someone who is passionate about people and thrives in a fast-paced, values-driven environment.

You will have:

• Strong experience in a generalist HR/People advisory or partnering role
• A solid understanding of employment law and HR best practice
• Experience managing complex employee relations cases end-to-end
• Excellent communication, influencing, and relationship-building skills
• The ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality outcomes
• A driving licence and willingness to travel regularly across academies 

Experience within the education sector and/or a CIPD Level 5 qualification (or equivalent) would be advantageous. 

Why Join Astrea?

Astrea Academy Trust is a family of academies committed to providing an exceptional education that inspires every child to reach their full potential. With a strong focus on collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement, we create environments where both scholars and staff thrive.

Our values underpin everything we do and we are looking for a People Partner who shares this commitment and can help shape positive, inclusive workplaces across our academies.

Interested in Applying?

If you are passionate about making a difference through people, we would love to hear from you.

Please review the candidate pack for further details or contact our Recruitment Team at recruitment@astreaacademytrust.org.

Commitment to Safeguarding and EDI

Astrea Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All posts are subject to enhanced DBS checks and satisfactory references.

We value diversity and are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. We welcome applications from underrepresented groups and will provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

Flexible Interviews

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early and to interview shortlisted candidates during the application window. Early application is encouraged.

Ready to Make a Difference?

Join us and play a key role in shaping a positive, high-performing workforce across our South Yorkshire academies.