About the role:

An exciting opportunity has become available within our People Team, we are on the hunt for a dynamic People Team Leader. This is a hybrid opportunity, of which you will be required to work from the various sites within the Academia Technology Group (ATG) such as, Reading and Hemel Hempstead on a regular basis. This is a full time opportunity, offering an immediate start on a FTC for a period of six (6) - eight (8) months maternity cover.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work closely with all divisions across the business including the Senior Management Team and Board of Directors. This is an incredibly exciting time to join our team as you will be part of the ATG journey as we continue to rapidly grow across the Group. This role would suit an experienced HR Professional with strong knowledge surrounding UK Employment Law and experience managing a small team.

As a business we strongly believe in internal progression and work hard supporting all staff throughout their Academia careers giving them the tools, the freedom and the support to take on additional key responsibilities and functions to continue to contribute towards the growth and success of the company.

The successful candidate will report directly to the MD. The People Team Leader will be responsible for the full provision of HR services across multiple sites including all Recruitment, Remuneration, Benefits, Employee Relations, Performance Management, Employee Engagement and Payroll. This includes leading the existing HR team in the transactional day-to-day HR operation. You will be heavily involved in overseeing the day-to-day matters - no two days are ever the same!

It’s a fantastic opportunity for someone who enjoys working within an incredibly busy team. The People are at the core of what we do at Academia, so we’re looking for someone who is dynamic, energetic and eager to get stuck in; who puts people first whilst maintaining an excellent business approach; and generally, someone who loves the challenge of working in a fast-paced and ever-changing environment. You’ll need to be able to juggle multiple conflicting tasks and positivity to keep up with it all (we’re not robots)!

* CIPD qualified or working towards is advantageous but not essential.

Amongst other tasks, you will be responsible for the following tasks across the Group:

• Oversee recruitment and selection, ensuring budget compliance and monitoring monthly recruitment spend.
• Support structural changes, including TUPE, Redundancy, and potential M&A.
• Plan training and development initiatives across multiple sites.
• Collaborate with Senior Management to develop high-potentials and implement succession planning.
• Ensure compliance with legal HR obligations, company procedures, and policies, including on-boarding processes and checks.
• Build strong relationships with Senior Leadership to support changing business needs.
• Develop organizational structure and culture to meet business objectives.
• Ensure accurate HR data and produce monthly Board reports.
• Manage monthly payroll submission.
• Oversee reward and benefits schemes administration.
• Drive performance management and consistency with Senior Management.
• Conduct salary reviews and monitor KPI criteria with the ATG Board.
• Support HR team with daily duties, including employment offers, terms, probation, administration, new starters, leavers, and exit interviews.
• Act as point of escalation for staff absence monitoring and disciplinary or grievance situations.
• Provide HR policy advice and support to line managers and employees.
• Manage and support the HR team, ensuring regular 1:1s and team development.

Key Skills:

• Exceptional work quality.
• Productive, efficient, and works well under pressure.
• Team player with strong relationship-building skills at all levels.
• Experienced in the full 360 recruitment cycle.
• Self-motivated, ambitious, and adaptable.
• Strong organisational and multi-tasking skills.
• High attention to detail for accurate document preparation.
• Maintains confidentiality with sensitive information.
• Acts as a point of escalation.
• Proactive, business-focused, and determined.
• Commercially-minded HR approach.

Why Academia?

Academia are a rapidly growing Technology company with a strong footprint in the educational space. We specialise in supplying software, IT hardware, training and managed service solutions to both public and private sectors. Within the Academia Technology Group, we also have a dedicated division who specialise in recycling and re-purposing of IT equipment. We were acquired by Strive Capital in September of 2020, who have provided further support and financial strength to the company.

Established in 2003, we employ over 200 dedicated professionals across multiple locations throughout the UK with a group annual turnover of over £100m. Our growing customer base means we have now worked with every single university in the UK. Furthermore, as Ranked #1 supplier on many national frameworks, we are growing our provision more so to strengthen our position as a leading educational supplier.

Benefits

• Gym membership contribution
• Health Cash Plan
• Increased annual leave with length of service
• Free annual leave on your birthday
• Length of service bonus
• Flexible working hours
• Hybrid working
• Free Will Writing service
• Borrow My Doggie membership
• Life Insurance
• Well-being Days ... And much more!

If you believe you have the skills and experience to excel as our People Team Leader, we want to hear from you! To apply, please email your CV and cover letter to us and we will be in touch :-)