People Officer

The University of Kent Academies Trust is seeking to appoint a People Officer to join its dedicated and professional People team, supporting the delivery of accurate and efficient HR, payroll, recruitment and HR systems administration across the Trust. This is a key operational role within a busy central team, providing essential technical support to ensure employee data is maintained accurately, payroll processes are completed correctly, and recruitment activity is delivered smoothly from advertising through to onboarding. You will play an important part in ensuring high standards of compliance, safeguarding, and data integrity across all HR systems and processes. Working closely with the Senior People Officer and wider HR colleagues, you will support the coordination of payroll inputs, maintain HR and pension records, and assist in the production of workforce reporting and system updates. You will also contribute to the delivery of recruitment processes, including candidate coordination, pre-employment checks and safer recruitment compliance, as well as providing administrative support for HR casework where required. This is role is for 37 hours per week, term time only plus 2 weeks, and is being offered on a permanent basis. This role is based on-site five days per week, reflecting the collaborative and systems-led nature of the work within the central team environment. We are looking for a highly organised and detail-focused individual who can manage a varied workload, work accurately under pressure, and maintain confidentiality at all times. You will either bring experience in HR, payroll or recruitment administration, or have the transferable skills and aptitude to develop quickly within a technical HR environment. Strong communication skills, reliability, and a proactive approach to problem-solving are essential. The successful applicant will be responsible and resilient, and in return will be coming to a multi-academy trust wide supportive learning environment, characterised by open management, and in the knowledge that they will enjoy the full support and care of the pragmatic (and down to earth) leadership team. We have a dynamic, innovative team of professional staff who want to make a difference to the lives, aspirations and opportunities of our young people. We would encourage applicants to visit the UKAT website to view the many employee benefits on offer https://www.universityofkentacademiestrust.org.uk/careers-with-ukat