HR Officer; Casual

Role Overview

We are seeking to appoint an excellent HR professional to join our Central Trust team on a temporary casual basis, in the role of HR Officer. The role has come about as we have a vacancy to fill, whilst we recruit to our permanent HR structure. We envisage that this role will last for between 3 and 6 months. It is a casual post, which means that there is no guarantee of hours and that you do not need to accept the assignments offered, however, we are looking for someone to work for us on a casual basis for between 3 and 6 months for around 3-4 days each week (more or less hours would be available).

If you are someone who has experience of working in HR, have experience working with employee relations cases and have your level 3 CIPD (or above), you may be the person we are looking for and we would love to have a chat with you about the role and your potential application.

We are a friendly and professional team, working from our Central Office in Rochdale. This is an exciting time to join our Trust, as we enter into the next phase of our growth. Hollingworth Learning Trust currently has three academies:
Hollingworth Academy, Newhouse Academy and Heap Bridge Primary School. Hollingworth Learning Trust’s core purpose is to make a positive difference to the lives of its children. Its role as a sponsor of our schools is to provide the support, challenge, expertise and resources necessary to significantly improve the provision for education. This position is a key link between our schools and the employment experiences that the staff in our trust family have.

If this sounds like a role perfect for your skills, experience and career goals, we would love to hear from you!

The successful candidate will have a HR generalist background, a good understanding of all aspects of the HR function and a working knowledge of employment law. They will have a passion for working with people, enjoy working in a fast-paced environment and have excellent attention to detail. In addition, their personality and experience will ensure they have exceptional communication skills, with the ability to approach situations and problem solve with an appropriate balance of support and challenge.

The role is a HR Generalist position, and the post holder will have the opportunity to gain experience in all aspects of HR. The post will be based at the Trust Head Office, with travel to our schools for meetings. A driving licence is essential for this position.

• Experience working in HR
• Experience dealing with employee relations cases
• Level 3 CIPD (or above)
• Working knowledge of employment law
• Excellent attention to detail
• Strong communication skills

Casual contract, no set hours. Casual hours likely to be needed for between 3 to 6 months. Assignments to be planned in advance to meet the needs of the Trust and to ensure adequate resources in the department.

Start date:

1st February 2026 (or sooner if possible)

Salary: NJC Grade 6 SCP
19 Paid at an hourly rate of £16.96 plus holiday pay.

Other Benefits:
Various health & wellbeing benefits including discounted gym memberships; health care cash plan; confidential staff counselling; discretionary leave and family friendly working practices and more. The Pension provider is the Local Government Pension Scheme, GMPF. The employer contributions are generous and help to provide you and your family with security for your future.

To apply for this position: download the application form and supporting documentation and send completed applications to  before the specified closing date. We may close this post early if we receive enough applications, so please submit your application ASAP if you are interested in applying. Closing Date: 11.59pm on Wednesday 21st January 2026.

Hollingworth Learning Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will have to meet the person specification and will be required to apply for an enhanced DBS disclosure and all other pre-employment checks outlined in Keeping Children Safe in Education.

We particularly welcome applicants from under‑represented groups including those based on ethnicity, gender, transgender, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.