HR Manager: Workforce Strategy, Data and Talent

Thank you for your interest in joining Anthem. We are a dynamic organisation committed to supporting thousands of children and young people to achieve great things through one of our schools.

Anthem is one of the most established school trusts in the country, serving nearly 8,000 students across primary and secondary schools in the East Midlands, London and the Thames Valley. As a multi-academy trust, Anthem is first and foremost a school improvement organisation, committed to creating ambitious and successful schools where everyone thrives, guided by our values of integrity, collaboration and excellence.

To lead and deliver a strategic, data-driven approach to workforce planning, recruitment and talent management across Anthem, ensuring the Trust secures and retains the people it needs to deliver its educational priorities.

Working in close partnership with the Head of HR, the role will develop and implement a coherent workforce strategy, aligning staffing models, recruitment approaches and talent pipelines with organisational needs, financial sustainability and pupil demand.

The postholder will provide expert leadership on workforce planning, organisational change and safer recruitment, ensuring consistent, compliant and high-quality practice across all schools. The role will also strengthen talent development and retention, using workforce insight to inform decision-making and drive continuous improvement in workforce capability and resilience across the Trust.

Lead the development and maintenance of workforce reporting frameworks, dashboards and people metrics across the Trust.

Analyse workforce data to identify trends, risks and opportunities relating to recruitment, retention, absence, workforce supply and organisational performance.

Ensure workforce planning and talent strategies are informed by accurate, timely and meaningful workforce intelligence.

Produce regular people analytics reports to support strategic decision-making by senior leaders and trustees.

Lead the development of predictive workforce planning approaches, using data to support organisational sustainability and future workforce requirements.

Maintain oversight of workforce data quality, working with schools and central teams to improve accuracy, consistency and reporting standards.

Oversee exit data analysis and workforce trend reporting to inform recruitment, retention and succession planning initiatives.

Lead Trust-wide workforce planning, working with schools to review staffing structures and establishment models.

Develop workforce models aligned to pupil numbers, curriculum delivery and financial planning.

Take a lead role in organisational change processes, including restructures and TUPE transfers.

Direct consultation processes, ensuring a consistent, compliant and values-led approach.

Identify workforce risks and gaps, proposing and implementing solutions.

Lead strategic workforce planning discussions with Headteachers and senior leaders.

Design and deliver a trust wide recruitment and attraction strategy across Anthem.

Oversee recruitment campaigns, advertising approaches and candidate pipelines.

Develop recruitment workflow processes.

Manage recruitment platforms, suppliers and agency relationships, including preferred supplier arrangements.

Develop and standardise trust wide recruitment processes and workflows and ensure consistency across schools.

Develop and lead the implementation of a trust wide talent strategy and oversee talent pipelines, including early career teachers, trainees, apprenticeships and career changers.

Lead succession planning for leadership and hard-to-fill roles.

Support development of internal progression pathways across teaching and professional services roles.

Maintain oversight of safer recruitment standards and compliance across Anthem.

Ensure recruitment documentation, processes and vetting requirements are consistently applied.

Provide assurance on SCR governance and audit readiness.

Analyse turnover and retention data to identify trends and risks.

Lead the development and implementation of retention initiatives.

Oversee exit data and use insights to inform workforce planning and organisational decisions.

Provide clear, timely and practical HR advice to Headteachers, senior leaders and managers across Anthem as needed, in complement to our outsourced provision.

Direct and guide leaders in managing people matters, ensuring decisions are consistent, well-evidenced and aligned with employment law and Anthem policies.

Take ownership of complex workforce issues, providing clear recommendations and ensuring matters are progressed to resolution.

Work directly with schools and central teams to address workforce challenges, applying…