HR Manager | Schools HR Team

Job Description

Salary £46,142 - £51,356 | Full time, 37 hours | Permanent | Schools HR Team

Please note that we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Are you an experienced HR professional looking for a role where you can make a real difference?

We're looking for a skilled and motivated HR Manager to join our successful Schools HR Team. This is an exciting opportunity to support schools across Lancashire, helping headteachers, governors and leaders navigate complex people matters while ensuring schools remain great places for both staff and pupils.

You'll partner with education leaders to provide expert HR advice, deliver practical solutions and support schools through a wide range of employment matters, organisational change initiatives and workforce challenges.

About the role:

As a HR Manager within our Schools Team, you'll provide high-quality HR support to Schools. This will initially be across Burnley, Pendle & Rossendale, although you may also be required to support colleagues in other areas of the county, or move to schools in other areas at a later date.

You'll take ownership of complex casework, advise on policy and organisational change, deliver training and build trusted relationships with school leaders and governing bodies.

This is a varied and rewarding role where no two days are the same. From supporting Headteachers with employee relations matters to delivering training and helping schools navigate change, you'll play a key role in ensuring our customers receive a responsive, professional and commercially focused service.

Key Responsibilities:

• To undertake and effectively manage serious and complex casework, providing high-quality HR advice, predominantly within an allocated geographic area.
• To review, develop and implement HR policies and procedures.
• To work effectively with trade unions to promote positive employee relations.
• To develop and deliver training and development programmes for Headteachers, Governors and other school leaders.
• To contribute to the continuous improvement of the Schools HR Team service offer and identify new business opportunities as they arise.

What we are looking for:

• Excellent communication and customer service skills, with the confidence to take ownership of and accountability for the advice and guidance provided to customers.
• Sound knowledge of employment law, effective people management practices, and local and national issues affecting the management of schools and the conditions of service for school teachers.
• Recent experience of successfully performing in a similar role within a diverse, complex and challenging environment.
• The ability to demonstrate resilience, energy and reliability when working in pressured situations.
• CIPD qualified, or able to demonstrate equivalent recent and relevant professional HR experience.
• A full driving licence and access to a vehicle for business use.
• Flexibility to attend meetings outside normal office hours on occasion, including school governing board meetings where required.

Although this is a full-time position, we welcome applications from candidates seeking part-time working arrangements and/or a job-share opportunity.

This role offers agile working. The successful candidate will be required to regularly attend meetings in schools as part of service delivery and will also be required to work from County Hall, Preston, as necessary.

Job Description & Person Specification

How to apply:

Please ensure you have uploaded and attached your supporting statement to evidence how you meet the criteria for the role. The panel may be unable to shortlist you for interview without this evidence.

Scheduled Interview date: 22nd October 2026.

For an informal and confidential discussion about the role, please contact Karen Tracey the Senior Schools HR Manager on: 01772 535175

You will be required to provide a car for use in connection with the duties of this post and must be insured for business use. However, we may consider you if you cannot drive because of a disability.

The post your applying for is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). If successful you will be required to apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for a 'disclosure'. Further information can be found on the 'Our Recruitment Process' tab.

In return Lancashire County Council offers a range of benefits, which can be found on LCC Vacancies website.

We reserve the right to close down a vacancy early, before the closing date, if we receive sufficient applications.

Local Government Reorganisation

The Government has confirmed that local government across Lancashire will be reorganised, with the current 15 councils being replaced by four new unitary councils covering North, South, East and West Lancashire from April 2028.

If you are successful in your application, you will initially join Lancashire County Council. However, as part of the planned transition, your employment will transfer to one of the new unitary councils from April 2028, subject to the implementation of the reorganisation and relevant employment legislation.

Throughout this period, our focus remains on delivering excellent services to our communities. By joining us now, you'll play an important role in shaping the future of local government and helping to build a strong new organisation that will serve residents for years to come.