Compass Associates
HR Manager | Specialist Education & Care Provider

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HR Manager | Specialist Education & Care Provider
£55,000 p.a Interim - Permanent Stoke-on-Trent
Are you a hands-on HR professional looking for a new challenge?
Would you like to join a business with a strong reputation supporting children and young adults across the Midlands?
Compass Associates are proud to be working in partnership with a reputable provider with a strong presence across the Midlands through their portfolio of residential homes and specialised educational settings for vulnerable children and young adults.
They are currently seeking a HR Manager to join the team who will lead the day-to-day delivery of the HR function overseeing learning and development, recruitment and employee relations. The successful candidate will partner closely with operational leaders to implement people initiatives and ensure the consistent application of policies and best practice across the organisation.
Responsibilities:
- Partner with senior leaders and managers to deliver the organisation's people strategy, building management capability and ensuring consistent application of HR policies, best practice and employment legislation.
- Provide commercially focused HR support and advice across the full employee lifecycle.
- Lead end-to-end recruitment, onboarding and workforce planning across the organisation.
- Build strong relationships with hiring managers to attract and retain high-quality talent.
- Manage complex employee relations matters, including disciplinary, grievance, absence and performance cases.
- Lead learning and development initiatives, performance reviews and succession planning.
- Drive employee engagement, wellbeing and organisational development initiatives.
- Produce HR reports and insights to support workforce planning and decision-making.
- Lead and develop the HR team, including Recruitment, Learning & Development, HR Administration and Employee Relations.
- Continuously improve HR processes, policies and systems to enhance service delivery and employee experience.
Reasons to use Rodeo
I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.
Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.
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Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme
Why you're a good match
StrongYour economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.
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Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Why you're a good match
You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.
Experience fit
Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.
Only hits
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Requirements:


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- CIPD qualified (or working towards)
- Demonstrable experience operating within a HR Manager or other senior position across a HR function.
- A proven oversight of overseeing and improving multiple aspects of a HR function
- Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and build credibility at all organisational levels.
- Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities within a fast-paced environment.
If you would like to be considered for this exciting opportunity, please contact Simon Codling directly on 0161 241 7686. Alternatively, email an updated CV to scodling@compassltd.co.uk
Recommendations:
Compass Associates Ltd is acting as a Recruitment Consultancy for this permanent vacancy; we offer £500 of vouchers for each successful recommendation.
“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
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