Head of People and Culture

St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust

Salary: NJC SCP 45–52 (£56,673 – £65,084 per annum)

Hours: 37 hours per week, full-time, all year round

Contract: Permanent

Reporting to: Chief Operating Officer

Location: Trust Headquarters, Port of Liverpool Building, Liverpool, with travel across all SJCMAT schools

Start Date: By agreement

Shape the Future of a Growing Catholic Multi Academy Trust

Are you an experienced senior people leader ready to make a lasting impact across a growing family of schools?

St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust is seeking an exceptional Head of People and Culture to lead a pivotal Trust-wide function at an exciting stage of our growth and development.

This is a unique opportunity to shape and lead the centralisation of our People and Culture function, bringing consistency, expertise and insight to the way we support colleagues across all our academies. You will play a key role in developing a high-performing, values-led workforce and helping us achieve our ambition to become an employer of choice within the education sector.

Working closely with senior leaders, Headteachers, Trustees and the Archdiocese of Liverpool, you will develop the people strategies, systems and culture that will support both our existing schools and our future growth plans.

About St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust

SJCMAT is a growing family of Catholic schools serving communities across the North West. Inspired by our mission to provide the highest quality Catholic education, we are committed to ensuring that every child flourishes academically, spiritually and personally.

As our Trust continues to grow, so too does the importance of attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people. This role offers the opportunity to shape workforce strategy, influence decision-making at the highest level and contribute directly to the experience of colleagues working across our schools.

Why this role stands out

Lead Centralisation

Design and lead the transition from a school-by-school HR model to a consistent Trust-wide People and Culture function, creating clear policies, service standards and professional support for every academy.

Shape Strategy and Insight

Develop and deliver the Trust's People and Culture Strategy, creating workforce data, reporting and KPI frameworks that provide meaningful insight for the Executive Team, Committees and Board.

Drive Trust Growth

Lead the people aspects of Trust expansion, including due diligence, TUPE transfers, onboarding, harmonisation, workforce planning and organisational development.

A Mission Worth Serving

Join a Catholic Trust whose purpose is rooted in faith, service and community. Your work will help create a positive, supportive and values-led experience for everyone who works across our family of schools.

What you will lead

The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership for:

1. The Trust-wide People and Culture Strategy, aligned with our vision, growth plans and Catholic ethos
2. The development of a centralised and consistent people function across all academies
3. Workforce data, reporting, KPI frameworks and the optimisation of Trust HR systems
4. Complex employee relations, employment law compliance and trade union relationships
5. Safer recruitment, statutory employment compliance and workforce governance
6. Payroll inputs, pensions administration and reward strategies
7. Trust growth activity, including due diligence, TUPE transfers, onboarding and harmonisation
8. Colleague wellbeing, engagement, retention and talent development initiatives
9. Apprenticeship, workforce development and internal talent strategies
10. The development and leadership of the central People and Culture team

We are looking for someone who:

1. Has significant senior HR or People leadership experience at Head of People, Head of HR or equivalent level
2. Possesses strong knowledge of employment law, employee relations and workforce strategy
3. Has experience of centralising, redesigning or transforming people functions within complex organisations
4. Has experience supporting organisational growth, workforce planning and TUPE transfers
5. Can develop strong professional relationships with a wide range of stakeholders
6. Demonstrates excellent communication, influencing and leadership skills
7. Has the vision and ambition to build and develop a high-performing People and Culture function
8. Shares our commitment to service, integrity, excellence and continuous improvement

What we offer

1. A rare opportunity to shape a newly evolving Trust-wide function
2. A role that will grow alongside an ambitious and expanding Catholic Multi Academy Trust
3. A professional and collaborative working environment based within our landmark headquarters at the Port of Liverpool Building
4. Flexible and supportive working arrangements
5. Funded professional qualifications and sector-leading CPD opportunities
6. Access to our Employee Assistance Programme and staff wellbeing services
7. A highly supportive executive leadership team and Board
8. The opportunity to make a tangible difference to the colleague experience across a growing family of Catholic schools

Informal and Confidential Discussion

We recognise that senior leadership opportunities of this nature often prompt questions about the role, the Trust and our exciting growth plans.

For an informal and confidential discussion about the position, please contact:

Andrew Truby

Chief Executive Officer

✉️ CEO@sjcmat.co.uk

Andrew would be delighted to discuss the role, the strategic vision for SJCMAT and the significant opportunity this position offers to shape the future of people and culture across our Trust.