Trust Specialist for People and HR
Location: Our Shared Services offices in Newquay
Contract status: Permanent
Hours: Part-time 22.5 hours/week, however full-time working would also be considered for the right candidate, 52 weeks
Salary Range: £56,017 - £66,861 FTE
Start date: September 2026
Are you our next people strategy pioneer?
We are looking for an excellent People leader to be our next Trust Specialist for People and HR and help us achieve our mission of Building Excellent Schools Together. You will join our trust at a pivotal time; a time where school budgets are being evermore squeezed and a time where our people have never been more critical to transforming the lives of children.
About our trust
Kernow Learning is a primary specialist multi academy trust of 21 schools in Cornwall. All our schools celebrate their individuality whilst holding our trust’s shared values, mission, and philosophy close to their heart. We believe that our trust has already achieved much; through a mix of collective synchronicity and autonomy, our schools are working together to provide collective strength so that they can stretch their offer beyond expectations in their drive for excellence.
In addition to our schools, we are proud to host a DfE English Hub, Teaching School Hub, Voice21 Centre of Excellence, and an Associate College of National Institute of Teaching; the only one in Cornwall.
About our Shared Services
Our trust has a semi-centralised People and HR Team, but with a vision to fully centralise those areas relating to payroll, recruitment and people management. This team sits within our wider Shared Services Team that performs a wide range of functions and services across a number of areas including finance, estates, IT, and HR, as well as our English Hub and Teaching School Hub, and our Initial Teacher Education programme, KITE (Kernow Initial Teacher Education).
About you
You will be a phenomenal HR professional, with the CIPD qualification. A leader that is able to quickly establish themselves as a team player; a leader who is a motivator with the ability to forge strong relationships and provide clear direction in order to secure success for everyone. You will dream big and achieve big; by ensuring that our trust continues to be an employer of choice and a place where our colleagues feel valued and well supporting, you will open up futures for all our children.
Our next Trust Specialist for People and HR will be an experienced and ambitious HR professional with a demonstrable record of leading HR in large and complex organisations. You will be able to evidence the ability to foresee future, difficulties and barriers, as well as being able to bring a strategic mind to navigate successfully around these. Our next Trust Specialist for People and HR will have the courage to innovate, but will also have the wisdom to ensure that we always operate within our own policies and external regulations. The successful candidate will want to make a difference; they will be committed to ensuring that every colleague is supported and valued in their role to ensure that every child, in every school, is able to achieve their best – after all, we are Building Excellent Schools Together.
If you think that you can bring brilliance to our trust and lead our People and HR department with both love and rigour, then we would love to hear from you. If you think that you can bring innovation, strategy, and a forensic eye for detail then we would love to hear from you. If you think that you are a team player, a motivator, and an inspirational coach, then we would love to hear from you. To apply for this role, visit our trust website at www.kernowlearning.co.uk, or our vacancies page at www.schooljobsincornwall.co.uk where you can complete our application form and read our Information Pack for Candidates.
Closing date: midnight on Thursday 16th July 2026
Interviews: anticipated – week beginning 20th July 2026
Kernow Learning is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and follows the Safer Recruitment process. The successful applicant will be expected to share this commitment and will be subject to checks including an enhanced DBS and prohibition checks. An ‘online presence’ check will also be undertaken for all shortlisted candidates. Contact: Contact our HR Team at [email protected] or call 01637 303106
Pay: £56,017.00-£66,861.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Free flu jabs
- Free parking
- Health & wellbeing programme
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
Work Location: In person
