HR Assistant

We are seeking to appoint a personable and highly organised HR Assistant to join our HR team. The scope of HR work within the School is wide ranging and varied, with the focus for this post holder being on the recruitment of staff, undertaking a range of pre-appointment vetting checks, and maintaining a Single Central Record (SCR) of all staff checks, in line with complex Governmental regulatory requirements. They will provide support to the HR Manager and HR Officer in delivering generalist HR advice and support throughout the School., The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

The Human Resources department

The department comprises three linked offices in the older part of the School, situated above the School Chapel. The team consists of a full-time HR Manager, a part-time HR Officer and a full-time HR Assistant (the post-holder). The team work closely together in order to provide effective HR support to the Leadership team, senior managers and the wider staff.

The department benefits from access to employment legal advice providers, opportunities to attend regular employment law update sessions and specialist courses/conferences geared to school HR specialists. Access to an Occupational Health adviser and services are available, as and when required. HR training and professional networking is encouraged., Recruitment and selection

• Draft advertisements, job descriptions and person specifications.


• Liaise with our external marketing agency to arrange the publication of adverts in the appropriate media.


• Upload final adverts and job details to the school website.


• Collate and acknowledge applications received and prepare packs for shortlisting.


• Devise interview schedules and make associated arrangements; diary availability, room bookings, catering.


• Seek and obtain references.


• Prepare and send out invitations to interview, and rejection emails.


• Welcome and look after candidates on interview days, supervising assessments, escorting them to lessons and interviews, and checking their identification and qualification documentation.


Regulatory compliance (for which full training will be given)

• Carry out the requisite range of vetting checks on all new staff, i.e., DBS check (see section below), fitness for work, right to work in UK, prohibition from teaching/management checks etc.


• Maintain the School's Single Central Record (SCR) (held in an Excel spreadsheet), under the direction of the HR Manager, ensuring the necessary information is requested, received and logged in a timely manner.


• Perform regular audits of the list of staff on the SCR, and identifying and taking action on any outstanding checks, thus ensuring the register is absolutely up-to-date.


• Keep knowledge up-to-date with Regulatory requirements through reading updates, as prompted by the HR Manager., Set up new staff files with appropriate checklists and complete and track actions.


• Log and track probation periods, prompt probation reviews and draft letters to confirm the successful completion of the probationary period.


• Similarly, to complete and track actions for leaving staff.


• Input new starter details to our HR systems and our Staff List on the website and remove leavers.


IT systems

• Help maintain the current HR systems (PASS and iSAMS); adding and amending staff details and helping with mass updates.


Other

• Open post, field telephone calls and emails.


• Deal with a variety of queries from staff and management, at a first level.


• General HR administration.


• Monitor absence inbox.


• Help assist with HR casework, as appropriate.


• Establish and maintain effective filing systems, i.e. for personnel files, archive files, recruitment files, and to arrange for the disposal of confidential documentation in line with agreed timescales and best practice.


• Provide support as required to the Joint Staff Consultative Committee (JSCC).


• Maintain an awareness of employment law., These job details should be read in conjunction with our Safeguarding policies, available within the Working at St Helen's section of our website.
  
  This post would suit a team player with the requisite skill set and a high level of attention to detail, who is able to prioritise their workload and remain calm under pressure., Excellent all round organisational and administration skills.


• A keen attention to detail, working to a high level of accuracy.


• Strong writing skills; e.g., able to write clear and succinct minutes, draft job advertisements and job details and business letters.


• Very good verbal communication skills, able to communicate effectively with all staff, managers and Leadership.


• Numerate; confident to undertake basic calculations, i.e., pay, holiday entitlement calculations.


• Able to interpret regulatory requirements and HR policies/procedures and apply them in practice.


• A strong aptitude for IT; in particular, a confident user of spreadsheets and databases (HR systems).


Experience, knowledge and qualifications

• Good standard of general education, to a minimum of A-level or equivalent.


• A CIPD qualification (in part or full) would be an advantage, though it is not essential.


• A sound general knowledge of Employment Law.


• Schools or education sector knowledge would be an advantage.


• Experience of recruitment and selection or a generalist HR role would be an advantage.


Personal attributes

• A professional and approachable manner.


• An appreciation of the need for discretion and confidentiality is essential.


• Confident in working on your own initiative and with making decisions.


• The ability to manage a busy workload and work effectively under time pressures.


• A willingness to be flexible with hours of work, in line with the demands of the role.


• A genuine interest and enthusiasm for working in a school environment.


• A commitment to safeguarding our students in line with the School's Safeguarding Policies.
  
  This is a full-time, full-year post and we are looking for the successful candidate to start work as soon as possible.


All staff share the responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of the students, in accordance with the School's safeguarding policies.,
• This is a permanent, full-time post. Standard hours of work are 37.5 per week, Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.00pm with a one-hour unpaid lunch break.


• Holiday entitlement of 6 weeks, plus all statutory public holidays (total of 7.6 weeks). In addition, at the discretion of the School, this role attracts a 20% reduction in working hours during school holiday periods with no impact on pay.


• Starting salary within the range of £34,625 to £36,417 per annum, depending on level of qualifications and experience.


• Employees may join a stakeholder pension scheme. The School currently double matches employee contributions with a minimum employee contribution of 3%. The maximum employer contribution is capped at 10% of gross salary. Salary sacrifice on pension contributions may be possible.


• Life assurance.


• Employee Assistance Program via confidential telephone service.


• The School currently operates a cycle to work scheme.


• Employees are entitled to free lunches during term time.


• There is free car parking on site.


• Employees may use the fully equipped gymnasium/sports facility on site (when open to staff).


St Helen and St Katharine is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers, the Disclosure and Barring Service and overseas Police checks, if applicable. Employment is subject to these checks.