HR Lead

Bmat Education, Harlow, CM20 2NR

19 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  February or March 2026

• Closing date

  25 January 2026 at 11:59pm

• Date listed

  2 January 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Administration, HR, data and finance
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Part time
• Contract type: Fixed term
• Full-time equivalent salary: £18,221.00 - £21,654.00 Annually (Actual) 29.5 hours per week, term time plus inset days plus two weeks

HR Lead job summary

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for a friendly, organised, and people-focused HR Lead to join our Trust and provide high-quality HR support across two welcoming primary schools on a maternity cover basis.

This is a varied and rewarding dual-site role where you will be a trusted first point of contact for staff, working closely with Headteachers, senior leaders, and the central HR team. You will play an important part in ensuring our people processes run smoothly, are compliant, and support a positive staff experience.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING

• Supporting the full employee journey, including recruitment, onboarding, contracts, absence management, and leavers

• Coordinating safer recruitment processes and maintaining the Single Central Record

• Ensuring payroll and workforce information is accurate and up to date

• Supporting leaders with absence management, wellbeing processes, and day-to-day HR queries

• Keeping HR records and systems accurate and compliant with GDPR

• Providing clear, professional HR advice in line with Trust policies

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

You will be someone who:

• Has demonstrable working knowledge of HR processes, ideally within a school or public sector setting

• Enjoys working with people and building positive relationships

• Is organised, adaptable, and confident managing priorities across two sites

• Handles confidential information with care, discretion, and professionalism

• Shares our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children

CIPD Level 3 (or working towards) and previous school-based HR experience are desirable but not essential.

For a full person specification, please see the Job Description.

WHY JOIN US

• A supportive Trust environment with access to a central HR team
• A role with real variety and the opportunity to make a difference to staff wellbeing
• Term-time working, supporting work-life balance
• The chance to develop your HR experience within an education setting

WHAT CAN BMAT OFFER YOU

You will have access to a variety of benefits, support programmes and initiatives including:

• Pension scheme (Teachers' Pension Scheme or Local Government Pension Scheme) with generous employer contribution
• 27 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, or equivalent for staff on term time contracts
• BMAT Health and Wellbeing Cash Plan including cover for routine and specialist healthcare and wellbeing services
• Employee Assistance Programme for free and confidential advice
• Cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme
• Wide range of shopping, leisure, and travel discounts
• Nursery Fee Salary Sacrifice scheme
• Home and Electrical salary sacrifice scheme

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if a suitable candidate is shortlisted and appointed. Early applications are therefore strongly encouraged.

BMAT is committed to safeguarding children; successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. In line with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidance, we may also conduct an online search about any shortlisted candidates as part of our due diligence to identify any matters that might relate directly to our legal duty to meet safeguarding duties, in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE).

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

Commitment to safeguarding

All staff are responsible for the safeguarding and wellbeing of pupils and must follow BMAT guidance and policies. Burnt Mill Academy Trust Directors are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment.

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.

About Bmat Education

• Type: Multi-academy trust
• Website: Bmat Education website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/bmat-education

Schools, teachers and pupils freed to succeed.

These few words sum up what BMAT is about. We are a growing multi-academy trust supporting primary and secondary schools across Essex and East London.

We started as a team of educationalists who succeeded in turning around the fortunes of Burnt Mill Academy in Harlow between 2010 - 2012. Since that time, we have built up a regional schools trust that is committed to the following:

‘No limits’ attitude towards children'. We believe that no child should be limited by where they’ve come from; that every child within the

BMAT family deserves the chance to move on from where they are now to somewhere better. This belief – this attitude – is a non-negotiable for us here at BMAT.

Letting our teachers truly teach. We believe in letting our teachers do what they’re best at – teach. Our experience is that a strict scheme of work and carbon copy approach doesn’t work. Why? Because, ultimately, instinctive teaching is the kind of teaching that will inspire a child to see and discover new possibilities.

Local schools with local personalities. We are not in the business of making every school in our network look like each other. In fact, we
celebrate the personality and character of each school that joins our network. Local schools by nature have local personalities – and we aren’t afraid of that.

Head office location

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