HR and Payroll Assistant (Maternity Cover)

Confidential; Lichfield; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential in the engineering and technology sector seeks an HR and Payroll Assistant (Maternity Cover) to support recruitment, onboarding and payroll administration on-site in Lichfield, collaborating with HR, Finance and line managers to ensure accurate employee data and timely payroll changes.

The role requires CIPD Level 3, solid knowledge of UK employment law, and experience with SAP, BrightHR and ATLAS, with a focus on process improvements and data integrity across systems.

Qualifications

• Experience in HR, payroll or people administration with payroll changes
• CIPD Level 3 or equivalent is essential
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practices
• Experience with pension administration and payroll data uploads

Responsibilities

• Support hiring managers through recruitment and interview coordination
• Manage new starter onboarding documentation and pre-employment checks
• Oversee employee lifecycle administration (changes, absences, leavers)
• Input monthly payroll changes and liaise with Finance for timely payroll processing
• Maintain HR data across SAP, BrightHR, ATLAS and other systems
• Assist with Level 0/1 employee relations queries and casework administration

Skills

HR experience

Payroll processing

Data accuracy

Communication

Education

CIPD Level 3 or equivalent

Tools

SAP

BrightHR

ATLAS

Job description

If you're looking for a rewarding entry point into HR operations with payroll responsibility, this HR and Payroll Assistant (Maternity Cover) role is a brilliant opportunity to make an immediate impact. Expect hands-on work, strong cross-functional exposure with HR, Finance and managers, and a clear, structured route to owning key employee lifecycle and payroll admin activities. The HR and Payroll Assistant (Maternity Cover) position is ideal if you love detail, enjoy improving processes, and want your work to be felt every month as teams and payroll run smoothly.

What You Will Do:

• - Support hiring managers through the recruitment process, including managing applications and coordinating interviews via the applicant tracking system.
• - Manage new starter administration, including onboarding documentation, right to work checks and pre-employment processes.
• - Handle employee lifecycle administration such as contractual changes, probation support, absence management and leaver processing.
• - Input and collate monthly payroll changes and liaise with Finance to support accurate and timely payroll processing.
• - Maintain and correct employee data across systems, including SAP, BrightHR, ATLAS and internal platforms, ensuring data integrity.
• - Assist with employee relations administration at Level 0 and Level 1 by responding to routine queries and supporting managers with casework administration.

What You Will Bring:

• - Proven experience in a similar HR, payroll or people administration role, with confidence processing payroll changes.
• - CIPD Level 3 (or equivalent) is essential, with further HR study viewed positively.
• - Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice, with the ability to apply it accurately.
• - Experience with pension administration, including managing uploads and changes in line with relevant deadlines.
• - Excellent systems skills and high attention to detail, alongside strong organisational and communication abilities.

This HR and Payroll Assistant (Maternity Cover) role sits within the engineering and technology industry and helps this company keep HR administration reliable, compliant and efficient. By supporting recruitment coordination, onboarding, employee lifecycle administration and payroll change input, you help maintain a smooth employee experience while also supporting continuous improvement in processes and controls.

Location:

Lichfield, with the role supporting HR operations on-site within the HR and payroll team.