Orion Education seeks an outstanding Director of HR to lead our Trust-wide people strategy and shape a values-driven, high-performing workforce.
Orion Education is recruiting a Director of HR to join our extended leadership team and lead a Trust‑wide people strategy that attracts, develops and retains exceptional staff.
This is an exciting moment to join us. We are a rapidly evolving organisation with a national reputation for instructional coaching, leadership development and staff well-being.
We are looking for a senior HR leader who can embed our new people plan, strengthen organisational capability and ensure our values of Trust, Kindness and Endeavour are reflected in every aspect of our culture.
If you are motivated by improving outcomes, transforming lives and enabling social mobility, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Who we are
Orion Education is a multi‑academy trust comprising four secondary schools and four primary schools across Bromley and Kent. We are proud of our commitment to developing teachers and leaders through nationally recognised coaching and professional development programmes.
Our mission is clear and ambitious: to improve outcomes, transform lives and enable social mobility.
We are values‑led, with Trust, Kindness and Endeavour at the heart of everything we do. Our culture is built on high expectations, academic rigour and a deep belief in the power of leadership. We invest heavily in staff well-being, professional learning and collaborative partnerships, ensuring that every colleague has the support, clarity and opportunity to thrive.
About the role
The Director of HR will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Orion Education. As a key member of our extended leadership team, you will lead the design and delivery of a comprehensive people strategy that spans the entire employee lifecycle. This includes attracting and recruiting great people, developing talent and leadership at every level, strengthening staff well-being and engagement and building an inclusive, values‑led culture that reflects who we are and what we stand for.
You will take responsibility for embedding our new people plan, ensuring that our priorities around organisational capability, workforce planning and leadership development are translated into clear, effective and sustainable practice. This role requires someone who can think strategically while also ensuring operational excellence, overseeing HR and payroll service delivery, workforce data reporting, safeguarding compliance and the continuous improvement of systems and processes.
A significant part of the role involves leading organisational design and change initiatives, ensuring that staff voice, well-being and inclusion are central to transformation. You will act as a strategic advisor to the CEO, executive team and Board, providing insight and guidance on culture, workforce trends, employee experience and organisational resilience.
You will also lead on employee relations, ensuring fair, consistent and legally compliant practice across the Trust. This includes oversight of complex casework, TUPE, restructures and workforce change programmes, as well as building constructive relationships with recognised trade unions and staff associations.
Ultimately, this role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the experience of our employees and the success of our schools. You will help ensure Orion is an employer of choice, where staff feel valued, supported and able to fulfil their ambitions and where our values are lived every day.
Who we are looking for
We are seeking a senior HR leader with the strategic capability, judgement and credibility to shape a Trust‑wide people strategy in a complex, multi‑site organisation.
You will bring a strong track record of delivering whole‑organisation HR strategies, including recruitment, reward, leadership development, employee relations and retention.
We are looking for someone who can:
- Lead organisational design and cultural transformation.
- Oversee complex employee relations, including TUPE and restructures.
- Build constructive relationships with trade unions and staff bodies.
- Develop leadership pipelines and succession planning across all levels.
- Champion well-being, inclusion and staff engagement.
- Deliver high‑quality HR operations and workforce data reporting.
- Drive continuous improvement and digital transformation in HR systems.
You will be an excellent communicator, able to influence at all levels and build strong relationships across schools and central teams. Experience in education or public services is helpful but not essential; what matters most is your alignment with our mission and values and your ability to create a high‑performing, values‑led workforce that enables every colleague to thrive.
This role will suit someone who is energised by growth, motivated by impact and committed to building a culture where people feel supported, valued and able to do their best work.
To view the role description and person specification, please go to the ‘How to Apply’ tab above, fill in your details and download the candidate pack.
For further information or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:
Kellie Gordon | kellie@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07506 742056
Eddie Caviezel Cox | eddiec@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07951 920768
Welcome from the Chief Executive Officer
Dear Candidate,
Thank you for showing an interest in our pupils, our schools, and our Trust. This is an exciting time to join Orion Education — we are a very different organisation in 2026 than we were five years ago.
In a long career in education, starting out as an English teacher, I have loved the fact that I get to work with some fantastic young people and a group of like-minded professionals who have a real passion for their work and share the same values. There aren’t many professions where that is the case.
We are driven by our desire to do the best for our young people. Our reason to exist is to improve outcomes, transform lives and enable social mobility.
Our values of Trust, Kindness and Endeavour underpin our work, and we succeed through ensuring a healthy culture and academic rigour. This emphasis on leadership involves nurturing a robust pipeline of leaders deeply committed to our values and mission.
Collaborative partnerships are integral to our goals, as we seek to forge strong partnerships to amplify our impact.
At Orion Education, we take pride in the work that we do to develop our teachers and our leaders. Our approach to instructional coaching and leadership development has been recognised nationally. We are at the forefront of a coaching model that supports you in making the most of your career.
We hold ourselves and each other to high standards. In return, we offer you unrivalled professional development, so that you can fulfil your own ambitions.
Finally, I am extremely grateful for your interest in our Trust.
Yours sincerely,
Simon Garrill
Chief Executive Officer, Orion Education
About us
Orion Education is a values‑driven multi‑academy trust committed to improving outcomes, transforming lives and enabling social mobility for children and young people across our schools.
We are proud of the journey we have taken and the organisation we have become. In 2026, Orion is a very different Trust from the one that existed five years ago: more ambitious, more collaborative, more focused on leadership and more determined than ever to ensure that every pupil receives an exceptional education. Our work is shaped by a clear mission, a strong culture and a belief that great schools are built on great people.
We currently comprise eight schools — four primary and four secondaries — serving communities across Bromley in South East London and, more recently, Kent.
Each school retains its identity and connection to its community, but all benefit from the shared systems, professional development, leadership culture and values that define Orion. Our schools range from 4–7 and 4–11 primaries to 11–16 and 11–18 secondaries, giving us a rich and varied educational landscape in which to support children from early years through to post‑16.
At the heart of Orion is a commitment to developing teachers and leaders. Our approach to instructional coaching and leadership development has been recognised nationally and we are proud to be at the forefront of a coaching model that supports colleagues to fulfil their ambitions.
We believe that high expectations and high support go hand in hand. Our staff benefit from unrivalled professional development, including weekly mentoring for early career teachers, Trust‑wide training events, online CPD modules, practitioner research opportunities and access to NPQ programmes through the National Institute of Teaching. Our Trust Twilights provide deliberate practice and curriculum development time, ensuring that professional learning is purposeful, consistent and aligned to our vision.
Our values underpin everything we do. They shape our culture, our relationships and our expectations of ourselves and each other. We are driven by a desire to do the best for our young people and we succeed through ensuring a healthy culture and academic rigour.
We believe in nurturing a robust pipeline of leaders who are deeply committed to our mission and we invest heavily in collaborative partnerships that amplify our impact. Leadership at Orion is not simply a role; it is a responsibility to model our values, champion our vision and support others to thrive.
We also recognise that our people are central to achieving our mission. Our well-being strategy reflects a commitment to creating an environment where staff feel valued, supported and able to maintain a healthy work‑life balance. We aim to foster a sense of belonging, build a culture rooted in our values and ensure that well-being is integrated into day‑to‑day practice. Our approach includes protected PPA time, flexible working policies, occupational health support, an Employee Assistance Programme and a focus on reducing workload through smarter ways of working. We are continuously reviewing our well-being offer to ensure it meets the needs of our staff and supports recruitment, retention and satisfaction.
Our commitment to staff extends to our employment offer. We provide competitive salaries, automatic pay progression for main scale teachers, generous pension contributions through the Teachers’ Pension Scheme or Local Government Pension Scheme and 27 days of annual leave for year‑round staff. We also offer a wide range of benefits, which can be explored further on our website.
Orion Education is an organisation that values transparency, fairness and respect. Our Candidate Charter outlines our commitment to ensuring that every candidate has an informed, engaging and positive experience. We provide clear information, prompt communication, constructive feedback and real insight into what it means to be part of our team. We want candidates to feel confident, supported and able to make informed decisions about joining us.
As we look ahead, Orion continues to evolve. We are moving forward at a rapid rate, strengthening our leadership capacity, refining our systems and building a culture that supports excellence in every classroom.
We are proud of our schools, our staff and our pupils and we are excited about the next chapter of our development. You will be part of a trust that is ambitious, values‑led and committed to making a meaningful difference.
Thank you for your interest in this role. Please download the Role Description and Person Specification and click here to apply.
Before you apply: The online application above includes your career history, qualifications and a space for a supporting statement (ideally no more than two A4 pages). The statement is your opportunity to explain why you believe you’re a good fit for the role, referring to the person specification and your motivation for applying.
For further information or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:
Kellie Gordon | kellie@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07506 742056
Eddie Caviezel Cox | eddiec@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07951 920768
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Timetable
Closing date: 12 p.m. Wednesday 14th October 2026
Candidates informed of outcome: By Friday 23rd October 2026
Interviews: w/c Monday 2nd November 2026
Please note: we reserve the right to close early, should the right candidate come forward so early application is encouraged.
We are in the process of confirming interview dates. Once confirmed, we will update the site and contact those who have applied.
Equal Opportunities Monitoring
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