Chief People Officer

Compass Eko Trust is one of the UK's top ten primary multi-academy trusts, with 28 schools across London, Essex and Suffolk committed to securing strong outcomes for every child and young person through high-quality teaching and a knowledge-rich curriculum. We employ around 1,700 colleagues. Formed in April 2026 through the merger of The Compass Partnership of Schools and Eko Trust, we are building one ambitious organisation where every child and young person flourishes, every colleague thrives and everyone belongs. Great schools are built by great people, and this role sits at the heart of that belief. The role The Chief People Officer is a core executive role with Trust-wide accountability for people, culture and workforce strategy. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and working closely with the Co-CEOs, Board and executive colleagues, you will lead the design and delivery of the Trust's People and workforce approach across all schools and central services. You will lead our work on recruitment, retention, reward, culture, employee relations, trade union engagement, workforce assurance and wellbeing - setting clear standards for school-based HR practice, building capability, and supporting senior leaders to take ownership of people delivery locally. A central part of the role will be helping the Trust move from legal merger to full organisational integration, bringing clarity to frameworks, ways of working and decision-making, and ensuring that People practice is evidence-informed and legally compliant. About you You will be an experienced senior People leader with expert knowledge of employment law, workforce risk, organisational change and People strategy in a complex organisation. Leading through others at scale will come naturally to you: setting clear frameworks, building leadership capability, and diagnosing whether the root cause of an issue is structural, cultural, procedural or capability-related - then translating that into clear advice and action.