People Management magazine
Group Director of People
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
About the Role
St Dunstan’s Education Group is one of the fastest-growing not-for-profit independent school groups in the UK, comprising a dynamic family of schools across south-east London with 500 employees. Educating close to 2,000 pupils from early years to sixth form, the Group is united by a shared ethos, a commitment to Excellence. Differently, and a bold ambition to be recognised as a modern, socially purposeful and commercially sustainable model for independent education.
This is a significant and exciting opportunity for an accomplished HR professional to shape and deliver a modern, ambitious and values-led people strategy across a high-performing educational Group.
Responsibilities
Reporting to the COO, with a dotted line to the CEO, and sitting on the Professional Services Leadership Team, the Director of People will lead on all aspects of HR, including recruitment, retention, reward, employee relations, professional development, wellbeing and inclusion. They will lead a team of eight and working closely with the Heads of each school, they will deliver a high-impact business partnering service that drives school improvement, strengthens staff engagement and supports a positive, inclusive high-trust working environment fully compliant with regulations.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Requirements
Candidates will bring a strong track record of HR or People leadership in complex organisations, with experience of shaping culture, managing change, and building effective teams and systems. They will combine a clear understanding of employment law and safeguarding compliance with the ability to think strategically, work collaboratively across multiple sites and influence at senior level. The role requires deep HR sector expertise, high-quality service delivery and strong interpersonal skills across the full breadth of people management.
Application Process
Interested candidates are invited to contact RSAcademics to arrange a confidential discussion:
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
- Hannah Freestone-Smith: hannahfreestone-smith@rsacademics.com
- Nina Lambert: ninalambert@rsacademics.com
Closing date: 10.00am UK time on Monday 10 August 2026.
Safeguarding
St Dunstan’s Education Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo appropriate child protection screening, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.
The safeguarding responsibilities of this post are detailed in the candidate information brochure.
RSAcademics is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and to promoting diversity, and inclusion in schools.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills