HR and Payroll Assistant

Cleone Foods Ltd; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave and holidays

Pension scheme

Life Insurance

Reward card

Training & development

Job summary

Cleone Foods Ltd in Birmingham is looking for an organised HR and Payroll Assistant to join our team. You will support weekly payroll processing, on-boarding, training administration and employee records across the full employee lifecycle.

Reporting to the HR Manager, you will work in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment, ensuring confidentiality and compliance with UK employment law while developing your HR and payroll experience within a growing business.

Qualifications

• Experience in an HR administration role.
• Experience supporting payroll administration.
• Experience using Sage 50 Payroll or similar.
• CIPD Level 3 or working towards HR qualification.
• Good understanding of UK employment law and HR procedures.
• Strong administrative and organisational skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook).
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Ability to prioritise workloads and meet deadlines.
• Confidentiality and discretion in handling employee information.

Responsibilities

• Support the delivery of weekly payroll and ensure accurate processing of hours, overtime, absences and payroll adjustments.
• Monitor attendance records and resolve payroll-related queries.
• Maintain confidential employee and payroll records across departments.
• Assist end-to-end recruitment, onboarding and pre-employment checks.
• Coordinate new starter onboarding and inductions.
• Provide admin support for employee relations activities and investigations.
• Arrange meetings, take confidential notes and maintain records.
• Support attendance management and Return-to-Work processes.
• Provide guidance to managers on HR procedures and escalate when needed.
• Coordinate training and development activities with managers and training providers.
• Maintain training records and the training matrix.

Skills

HR admin experience

Payroll support

Attention to detail

Communication skills

MS Office

Education

CIPD Level 3 or higher

Tools

Sage 50 Payroll

HRIS systems

Job description

HR and Payroll Assistant

Location: Birmingham, B18 5AY
Salary: Up to £28,000 per annum, DOE + Excellent Benefits!
Contract: Full time, Permanent
Hours: 40 hours per week (Monday to Friday) 09 30
Benefits: 24 days' annual leave plus 8 bank holidays, Workplace Pension Scheme, Life Insurance, Employee Reward Card, Training and development opportunities and Opportunity to develop your HR and payroll experience within a growing operational business!

Cleone Foods Ltd is a leading UK food manufacturer, specialising in high-quality Jamaican patties and frozen Caribbean food products under our flagship Island Delight brand.

With over 30 years of heritage, we have built a strong reputation for producing authentic, flavourful, and innovative food products enjoyed by customers nationwide.

Our team-driven culture values collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. At Cleone Foods, we combine traditional recipes with modern production techniques, ensuring every product meets rigorous quality standards.

Our people are central to the success of our business, and we are looking for an organised, proactive and confidential HR and Payroll Assistant to join our team.

You will report directly to the HR Manager, providing day-to-day HR and payroll support across the employee lifecycle. This is a varied, hands-on role suited to someone who enjoys working in a fast-paced operational environment and want to continue developing their HR career.

As our HR and Payroll Assistant you will be responsible for:

• Support the delivery of weekly payroll, ensuring employee hours, overtime, absences, statutory payments and payroll adjustments are processed accurately and on time using Sage 50 Payroll.
• Monitor and maintain time and attendance records, investigating discrepancies and resolving payroll-related queries.
• Maintain accurate, confidential employee and payroll records, liaising with internal departments as required.
• Support the end-to-end recruitment process, including advertising vacancies, coordinating applications, arranging interviews, conducting pre-employment checks, and preparing offer and onboarding documentation.
• Coordinate new starter onboarding activities and support employee inductions to ensure a positive introduction to the business.
• Provide administrative support across employee relations activities, including disciplinary, grievance, capability, absence management and investigation processes.
• Arrange meetings, prepare documentation, take confidential meeting notes, and maintain accurate employee relations records.
• Support attendance management processes, including sickness absence monitoring and Return-to-Work administration.
• Provide first-line guidance to managers on established HR procedures, escalating more complex matters where appropriate.
• Coordinate employee training and development activities, working closely with managers and external training providers.
• Maintain training records and the company training matrix, monitoring training requirements and certification expiry dates.
• Assist with employee engagement initiatives, HR projects, and general HR administration to support the wider business.

In order to be successful in this role it s essential that you have:

• Previous experience in an HR administration, HR Assistant or HR/Payroll support role.
• Experience supporting payroll administration.
• Experience using Sage 50 Payroll, or strong experience with a comparable payroll system.
• CIPD Level 3 qualification or above, or currently working towards a recognised HR qualification.
• Good understanding of fundamental UK employment law and HR procedures.
• Strong administrative and organisational skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, Word and Outlook.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to prioritise competing workloads and meet deadlines.
• Professional and approachable manner.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and handle sensitive employee information appropriately.
• Ability to build effective working relationships with employees, Team Leaders and Managers.

It would be great if you had:

• Previous experience within food manufacturing, FMCG or another fast-paced operational environment.
• Experience supporting weekly payroll.
• Experience using HR information and time-and-attendance systems.
• Experience providing administrative support for disciplinary, grievance and absence-management cases.
• Knowledge of workplace health and safety requirements.