Senior People Partner

Location: Home based with occasional travel
Salary: £75,000 to £80,000
Hours: 40 hours per week
Contract: Permanent

Be part of making a difference

At Aurora, we are driven by one purpose: to improve the lives of the children, young people and adults we support. As a leading provider of specialist education and care services, we know our people are at the heart of everything we do.

We are looking for an experienced and commercially minded Senior People Partner to provide operational leadership across our HR service. This is a senior role with responsibility for leading our People Partner team, overseeing complex and high-risk employee relations matters, and supporting organisational change across the Group.

Working closely with the People Director and senior leaders, you will provide trusted advice, constructive challenge and practical solutions to complex people matters.

 The role

You will lead, coach and develop our People Partner team, ensuring a consistent, pragmatic and high-quality HR service across Aurora's education and care services.

As the senior escalation point for employee relations matters, you will personally lead the most complex and sensitive cases, including senior-level disciplinary and grievance matters, investigations, potential dismissals, appeals, settlement agreements, ACAS processes and Employment Tribunal claims.

You will also:

• Lead TUPE transfers, restructures, reorganisations and consultation processes.
• Monitor caseloads, service delivery and emerging people risks across the team.
• Build manager capability and confidence in managing people matters.
• Lead HR projects that improve efficiency, organisational capability and employee experience.
• Use HR data and trends to identify risks, priorities and opportunities for improvement.
• Maintain and develop Aurora's HR policy framework.
• Work with the HR Compliance & Processes Manager to support safeguarding and regulatory compliance.
• Provide senior oversight of key HR activities, including pay review and performance moderation.

 What we are looking for

You will have:

• Significant senior HR experience ideally within highly regulated environments such as education, care, health or social care.
• Substantial experience managing complex and high-risk employee relations cases, including tribunal-related matters.
• Strong and current knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Experience leading TUPE transfers, restructures and organisational change.
• Experience advising, coaching and influencing senior leaders.
• Experience managing and developing HR professionals.
• Strong commercial awareness, professional judgement and a pragmatic, solutions-focused approach.

The role requires professionalism, resilience and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment. Occasional travel, including overnight stays, will be required.

 How to apply

Please complete the online application form in full, including all employment and education details, and provide a personal statement that makes us keen to speak to you.

If you need assistance or would like further information, please contact Stephen in the Aurora Group Recruitment Team at Stephen.Hughes@theauroragroup.co.uk.

 Important:

• Successful applicants will be subject to pre-employment safeguarding checks including an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check. 
• The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Aurora Group is therefore permitted to ask job applicants to declare all convictions and cautions (including those which are "spent" unless they are "protected" under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children. 
• The Aurora Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children and young adults in our care and is a disability confident and equal opportunities employer. 
• This advert could be taken down at any point in time without prior notice if the position is filled. 
• Please note that candidates that are shortlisted might be subject to an online search.