HR Assistant (Maternity Cover)

Joseph Rowntree Foundation; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Hybrid working

Disability Confident Employer

Job summary

Joseph Rowntree Foundation is seeking an organised HR Assistant to join the People Shared Services team on a 12-month maternity cover contract. You will manage HR administration across the employee lifecycle, handling recruitment, changes, absence, benefits and more.

With solid experience in HR administration, you will maintain confidential records, support pre-employment checks and respond to queries. A CIPD Level 3 qualification is advantageous, and flexible/hybrid working is offered.

Qualifications

• Experience in HR administration within a busy environment.
• Good understanding of employment legislation and HR processes.
• Proficient with HR and payroll systems and data handling.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality HR administration across the employee lifecycle.
• Process new starters and changes on HR/payroll systems.
• Support recruitment, absence, changes, and employee benefits.

Skills

HR administration

Microsoft Office

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Confidentiality

Education

CIPD Level 3

Tools

HRIS

Job description

We're looking for an organised and proactive HR Assistant to join our People Shared Services team on a 12-month maternity cover contract., Working as part of a busy People Team, you'll provide a high-quality HR administration service across the employee lifecycle, supporting areas including recruitment, employee changes, absence, learning and development and employee benefits.

You'll maintain accurate and confidential employee records, process new starters and changes on our HR and payroll system, prepare contracts and other HR documentation and respond to queries from colleagues, candidates and managers. You'll also support pre-employment and compliance checks, including right to work, references and DBS checks, as well as Occupational Health referrals and regular data audits.

As a first point of contact for general HR enquiries, you'll provide straightforward guidance on policies and processes, escalating more complex matters where appropriate. You'll also have the opportunity to support wider People Team projects and identify ways we can continue to improve our systems and processes.

You'll have solid experience of HR administration within a busy environment and a good understanding of employment legislation and HR processes. Highly organised and able to manage competing priorities, you'll have excellent attention to detail and be confident working accurately to deadlines. You'll be a strong communicator who can build positive relationships with colleagues at all levels and provide a friendly, professional and responsive service.

You’ll be comfortable using Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel and Outlook, as well as HR software systems, and will be confident handling sensitive and confidential information. You'll be proactive, flexible and willing to use your initiative to solve problems and improve ways of working.

A CIPD/Level 3 qualification would be advantageous but are not essential.

We positively encourage applications from people from marginalised backgrounds, including but not limited to those with experience of living in poverty.

We are committed to being an anti-racist organisation and operate an anonymised recruitment process so that bias is eliminated from the shortlisting process.

In support of our approach to flexible working, we are happy to receive applications from those seeking full‑time employment, as well as those who may want to share the role on a part‑time basis. When making your application, please state whether you want to be considered for either full or part‑time work and, if part‑time, the number of hours per week you would be looking for.

At JRF we're at our best when we're continually building on trust, showing we care and making a difference - and hope others will do the same. So, for those roles which allow it, we're developing a more blended approach to how and where you work. This means you can expect to work flexibly between the office and home with an expectation of one day in the office a week.

We offer a supportive and flexible workplace. For details about our benefits click here: JRF Benefits

We are a Disability Confident Employer. This means that we are committed to the recruitment, progression and retention of disabled individuals. We shall also offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for the job. If you have a disability, please tell us if you would like to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme.

If you have any additional needs and need reasonable adjustments to be made to the interview process, please let us know.

£24,839.36 per annum (FTE £31,049.20 per annum)