Location
London Borough of Hackney

Hours
Fixed-Term / Secondment Opportunity – 12 Months

Salary
£59,574 per annum

About the Role
Hackney is one of the most dynamic and progressive local authorities in the UK. We are a resilient, vibrant, and creative borough in the heart of London, with strong, diverse communities and a powerful set of shared values. Over the past twenty years, the Council has built up first-class services, outstanding public infrastructure, and a reputation for excellence, innovation, and ambition. We are leading the way on essential work such as our fight for equity in Hackney with a particular focus on becoming an actively anti-racist borough. But the work doesn’t stop there; we are proactive in our approach to bringing fairness to all aspects of life including gender, neurodiversity and across the poverty divide.

This is a fantastic opportunity to step up, gain exposure to complex casework, and contribute directly to the strategic people goals of our local school community. As an HR Consultant, you will deliver a high-quality, commercial, and advisory HR service to schools and traded partners across Hackney. You will lead on complex casework, champion best-practice employee relations, and help design workforce strategies that support exceptional public service delivery.

Why Join Us?
- Strategic Exposure: Lead on high-profile, complex Employee Relations (ER) investigations, capability processes, and transformational change projects (restructures and redundancies) from end to end.
- Specialised Expertise: Become a subject matter expert in education HR, navigating the unique dynamics of school governance, safeguarding, and compliance (including Single Central Record oversight).
- Leadership Development: Line-manage an Employee Relations Officer, gaining valuable experience to build your people management skillset.
- Commercial Impact: Drive our traded services offer, managing key relationships to ensure Hackney remains the preferred HR provider.

Key Responsibilities
- Advisory & Casework: Provide expert advice to Headteachers, Chairs of Governors, and school leaders on complex ER issues, sickness absence, capability, discipline, and grievances.
- Organisational Change: Support managers through organizational design and restructuring, producing Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) to maintain an inclusive workforce culture.
- Recruitment & Talent: Collaborate on senior recruitment initiatives (including Headteacher appointments), oversee pre-employment checks, and manage migrant worker sponsorship compliance.
- Performance Metrics: Monitor HR key performance indicators (KPIs) and service level agreements (SLAs) to continuously elevate service delivery.

Experience
Extensive generalist HR experience advising management on complex casework and organizational change. Experience in education or public sector HR is highly desirable.

About you
Strong understanding of employment law and the specific operational frameworks within the education or public sector. Exceptional communication skills with the confidence to influence senior stakeholders and governing boards in high-pressure scenarios. Analytical and commercial mindset with the ability to interpret HR data, resolve complex problems, and foster a customer-first, commercially viable service model.

Qualifications
CIPD qualification or equivalent experience is preferred.