DescriptionSupporting documentsEmployerLocation
Salary: PO2 salary scale, Spine point 35 – 38, £42,760 - £45,746 FTE (Actual Salary £39,961 - £42,751 pro rata).
Location: Copthall House, 9 The Pavement, Grove Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 1DA
Working Pattern: Full time (Term Time plus 3 weeks, 42 working weeks), 8.45am - 4.30pm M – Th, 8.45am - 4.15pm F.
Contract: Fixed-Term until the end of the Academic Year (Wednesday 22nd July 2026)
Orchard Hill College & Academy Trust (OHC&AT) is a family of specialist education providers for pupils and students from nursery to further education. We operate across academies and college centres in London, Surrey, Sussex and Berkshire. Supporting our academies and college, OHC&AT also operates learning support services, such as nursing and therapy, and a central business support team which includes HR, finance and IT.
Pupils and students within the OHC&AT family have a wide range of learning abilities and additional needs. These include autistic spectrum disorder; speech, language and communication difficulties; social, emotional and mental health needs; profound and multiple learning disabilities; and physical disabilities including multi-sensory impairment and complex health conditions.
We’re looking for a proactive and detail-oriented HR Advisor to join our team and deliver a high-quality, people-focused HR service. You’ll play a key role in supporting managers and employees, providing clear advice, maintaining accurate records, and ensuring smooth HR processes. This is a great opportunity for an organised and collaborative HR professional who enjoys variety, takes initiative, and wants to make a real impact within a supportive and dynamic environment.
Key Responsibilities:
•Provide first-line HR support to schools and the central team across the Trust, offering generalist advice and guidance under the direction of HR Business Partners.
•Support employee relations processes, including drafting formal documentation, maintaining accurate meeting notes, and ensuring timely case management in line with HR policies.
•Administer HR systems and processes, ensuring accurate data entry on iTrent, maintaining personnel records, and supporting payroll, absence, and pay change procedures.
•Coordinate recruitment and onboarding checks, ensuring compliance with safer recruitment policies and advising on pre-employment requirements such as DBS, references, and right-to-work.
•Promote HR service excellence, upholding confidentiality, safeguarding, equality, and wellbeing standards while maintaining up-to-date knowledge of employment terms and HR best practice.
Key Requirements:
•Successful experience of working within Human Resources or an office environment providing customer services.
•Awareness of issues relating to people with learning difficulties and willingness to work alongside students who may communicate through challenging behaviour.
•Experience of maintaining both manual and computerised records.
•To possess or be willing to work towards CIPD level 5 qualification, or equivalent
•Able to operate at an advisory level, advising and informing colleagues within the central team and school on policy, procedure and legislation relating to HR and tackling sensitive issues
•Willingness to travel to sites across all OHC&AT locations on an ad-hoc basis.
•To possess a current driving license and to own a suitable vehicle.
OHC&AT is an exciting, forward-thinking organisation, and we offer many benefits to attract and keep our staff, contributing towards maintaining and improving wellbeing, and encouraging our required behaviours, achievements, values, and skills. Below is just a selection of the benefits available to our employees:
Rewards & Benefits:
•Pathways for progression within the trust, ensuring you can grow and thrive in a supportive and inclusive environment.
•Pension Scheme - you will be enrolled in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) offering life cover and financial protection for your family.
•Salary Sacrifice Schemes (Cycle Scheme and Home Electronics Scheme)
•Employee Wellbeing - We support employee wellbeing with access to counselling, mental health support, generous leave, flexible working, and enhanced parental leave including Employee Assistance Programme, MyGym Discounts, Corporate Eyecare Scheme
•Employee Discounts (Blue Light Card, Costco Membership, Discounts for Teachers, and more)
•Other (Season Ticket Loan and Employee Referral Scheme)
Find out what makes OHC&AT a truly rewarding place to work - visit our ‘Work for us’ page to hear from our Chief Executive Officer, John Prior, and watch inspiring messages from students and parents about the difference our staff make every day.
Working together to transform lives is what we do and across the whole organisation we have a range of experts and practitioners who advocate for children and young people with SEND to ensure they receive the best possible opportunities to achieve their full potential.
As a large specialist education provider we employ over 1500 people across our schools, college and central support team. There is a wide range of job roles available, ranging from teaching and therapy to business support roles and significant career progression opportunities.
It is an exciting time to be part of OHC&AT and we are keen to recruit talented people who can play a key role in realising our mission and who want to make a difference. In return, we offer training and development, competitive pay and benefits in a positive and inclusive working environment.
We are committed to promoting and advancing equality of opportunity by attracting and retaining the most diverse range of students, staff and partners.
Your application form will be scored according to each of the requirements laid out in the person specification for this role. Please demonstrate in your statement how your experience, skills and knowledge match the criteria that are required for the role.
To apply for this role, please click ‘Fast Apply’, you will then be directed to a ‘Login’ page, once signed in, please complete and submit the Application Form.
Please note that CV applications cannot be considered.
Closing Date: 28th October 2025
Interviews will take place on: 4th November 2025
Safeguarding Statement
Orchard Hill College and Academy Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Appointments made will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure via the Disclosure and Barring Service.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.
Orchard Hill College and Academy Trust is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, committed to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace for all.