Head of People Services
Warden Park Secondary Academy, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 5DP24 days remaining to apply
Start date details
ASAP
Closing date
25 May 2026 at 9am
Date listed
1 May 2026
Job details
Job role
- Other support roles
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- SLT Scale L £45091 - £47181 (based on 37 hours) subject to experience
Head of People Services job summary
Head of People Services
Based in Cuckfield, West Sussex
SLT Scale L £45091 - £47181 (based on 37 hours) subject to experience
34 - 37 hours per week
(with some flexibility to work more hours in term time and less during school holidays if required)
Are you ready to make Monday mornings something to look forward to?
At Sussex Learning Trust, we’re growing—and so is our commitment to our people. We’re looking for a dynamic HR Leader to step into this brand-new role and help shape the future of our People Services.
As a key partner to our Chief People Officer, you’ll be the bridge between big-picture strategy and high-impact operational delivery. If you are a "people person" who loves the "people process", we want to hear from you.
The Role
You’ll take the helm of our daily HR operations and payroll, leading a growing team in a fast-paced, evolving environment. We need a leader who is change-savvy - someone who can guide individuals through transition with empathy and clarity.
Your primary mission:
- Deliver Excellence: Lead a credible, customer-focussed HR service that supports our academies and staff with sensitivity and expertise.
- Coach & Mentor: Be the go-to expert for complex casework, coaching your team to provide top-tier advice across the Trust.
- Operational Precision: Ensure our payroll is accurate, timely, and seamless.
- Strategic Partnership: Collaborate with the CPO and academy leaders to drive initiatives and programmes that genuinely improve the working lives of our staff and the outcomes for our pupils.
About You
You’re a natural leader who is just as comfortable "getting stuck into the details" as you are advising senior leadership. You possess:
- Resilience & Rapport: The ability to build instant credibility and navigate organisational change with a positive, "can-do" attitude.
- Expertise: A proven track record of coaching managers and solving complex people puzzles.
- Balance: A team-player mindset with the autonomy to own your workspace.
- Flexibility: An outcome-focussed approach that values results over rigid processes.
Why Sussex Learning Trust?
In return for your hard work and commitment to our communities, we offer:
- A High-Impact Culture: A forward-thinking, supportive environment where you have the space to shine.
- Flexibility: We recognise your life outside of work and offer some flexibility in how you achieve success.
- Purpose: The chance to directly influence the educational experience and future of children across our region.
(Note: This role involves some travel to our academies.)
Ready to make a difference?
If this feels like your next chapter, our Chief People Officer julie.keylock@sussexlearningtrust.co.uk would love to hear from you.
PLEASE NOTE WE DO NOT ACCEPT APPLICATIONS MADE BY CV
Closing Date: 9.00am 25th May
Interview Date: TBC 1st week of June.
We advise applying promptly for this post as we reserve the right to close and interview early if sufficient suitable applications have been received.
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
Warden Park Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and to the equality of opportunity, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All shortlisted candidates will be subject to an online check. All applicants will be subject to a full Disclosure and Barring Service check before appointment is confirmed along with other relevant employment checks.
Applying for the job
This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
View advert on external website (opens in new tab)About Warden Park Secondary Academy
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 16
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- School size
- 1538 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Warden Park Secondary Academy website
Warden Park is an exciting and vibrant school focused on getting the Best from All. We are located in the beautiful village of Cuckfield and offer a very high quality educational experience for approx. 1400 students in the Mid-Sussex area.
Getting the Best from All is at the centre of all that we do here at Warden Park. By providing the very best learning opportunities for our students we ensure that they leave with the best possible qualifications and the skills and attributes of the life-long learner. Warden Park has a strong and enviable tradition for high standards in academic achievement and excellence in sports, the arts and charitable community projects.
We focus on empowering our students, developing them personally, socially and emotionally, as well as academically. We are committed to offering the highest quality education to our students, an education that is rich in variety and opportunity, that fully embraces digital technologies and that develops our students into confident and aspirational young adults.
The outstanding relationships that exist between teachers, students, parents and carers and the local community sit at the heart of our successes and ensure that students are fully supported in their learning and development.
At Warden Park we ensure that every student is known as an individual, that we are responsive to individual’s needs and that each child develops the confidence and resilience to reach their potential. We provide students with a real breadth of subject choice enabling them to acquire a broad base of knowledge and understanding that will help each to find and then pursue their interests and passions. We are one of only 40 accredited Apple Distinguished Schools in the UK and through our innovative use of iPad technology, students develop the digital skills that will prepare them for life in the 21st century.
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