Strategic People Business Partner

We are looking for an experienced and strategic Senior People Business Partner to play a critical role in shaping and delivering the people strategy for Ark, Ark Start and Ark Curriculum+, and Ark UK Programmes. Working closely with senior leaders across all Ark entities, the Strategic People Business Partner will provide expert advice and leadership across people policy, reward and employee engagement, workforce planning, organisational change, and employer branding. The Strategic People Business Partner will work closely with the Head of People for Ark Schools to ensure consistency where required, aligned to strategic aims.

This role requires an experienced people professional able to apply a commercial outlook to their deep knowledge of the education sector. The Strategic People Business Partner will be able to balance strategic development with hands-on operational delivery with the aim of building and improving organisational performance, ensuring the employees are able and equipped to support the mission and priorities for Ark.

The Strategic People Business Partner will report into Director of Projects. This role is currently operating hybrid working in our West London Office on a permanent basis working full time or part time.

1st round interviews will be taking place in person on Tuesday 24th November with 2nd round interviews taking place in person on Monday 30th November.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the development, review and implementation of people policies, ensuring they are legally compliant, aligned to organisational values and support business objectives across Ark, Ark Start, Ark Curriculum+ and Ark UK Programmes
• Develop and maintain a compelling and coherent reward strategy that supports attraction, retention and engagement of high-performing employees and works across entities within Ark
• Lead on all reward projects including the development of pay frameworks and benchmarking ensuring that Ark remains a competitive employer
• Use survey data and feedback to develop and implement initiatives that strengthen employee engagement, wellbeing and inclusion across Ark
• Act as the senior strategic People partner for Ark leadership teams, providing expert advice and challenge on people and organisational matters
• Lead workforce planning activities to ensure organisational structures, capability and resourcing align with strategic priorities
• Design and deliver complex organisational change programmes, including restructures, consultations, TUPE transfers and redundancy processes
• Provide specialist advice and support on complex employee relations matters, including investigations, disciplinary, grievance, performance and absence management cases
• Lead the development and delivery of Ark, Ark Start and Ark Curriculum+ Employer Value Proposition (EVP), ensuring it clearly communicates what makes Ark a distinctive and attractive employer
• Develop attraction strategies that support organisational growth, workforce diversity and hard-to-fill recruitment challenges

Key Requirements:

• Right to work in the UK
• CIPD Level 7 qualification or equivalent professional experience
• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience
• Significant experience in a senior HR or People Business Partner role within a complex organisation, ideally with experience of the education sector
• Strong understanding of UK employment law and HR best practice
• Extensive experience managing complex employee relations cases and providing expert employment law advice
• Proven experience of leading organisational change and workforce planning initiatives
• Experience of developing people policies and frameworks
• Experience of developing employee engagement strategies and action plans
• Experience of supporting reward and recognition initiatives
• Experience of employer branding and EVP development
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, including at executive level
• Strategic and forward-thinking, with the ability to anticipate challenges and identify opportunities for improvement

• Our flexible working model offers the best of both worlds, balancing in person collaboration, either in our state of the art West London offices, with the flexibility of remote working.
• In addition to flexible working arrangements, employees can request to work fully remotely for up to 10 working days a year, whether this be in the UK or abroad.
• Our flexitime policy allows you to work your hours around our core hours of 10.00 - 16.00, helping you prioritise your work-life balance and personal commitments.
• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service up to 30 days after 3-years’ service. This entitlement is pro rata for part time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays.
• Full office closure between Christmas and New Year.
• As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to
• Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform.
• Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest-free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests.

Ark is an education charity committed to ensuring that all children, regardless of their background, have access to a great education and real choices in life.  

Our schools, nurseries, teacher training and education programmes work closely together, developing new approaches, sharing insights and driving improvement so that all children benefit, both within our network and beyond. 

• Ark Schools is one of the highest-performing multi-academy trusts in the country, serving 38,000 children in 48 schools across England. Despite working in areas of disadvantage, our schools achieve outcomes well above national averages at every stage. 
• Ark Curriculum Plus shares the subject mastery programmes and teaching approaches developed in our schools, with over 700 partner schools nationwide. 
• Ark Teacher Training offers a sector-leading, professional learning programme for trainee teachers, in partnership with Ark Schools and other trusts.  
• Ark Start is our growing network of nurseries in London and Yorkshire, providing high-quality, affordable early years education. We also advocate for better early years provision and long-term funding solutions to help ensure that every child gets the best possible start in life. 
• EdCity brings together decision-makers, practitioners and organisations focused on improving the lives of children, particularly through education. Home to Ark, the building forms part of a wider campus developed in partnership with Hammersmith & Fulham Council, creating opportunities for learning, living and working in the White City community.