People and Payroll Assistant

Yorkshire Cancer Research; Harrogate; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Job summary

Yorkshire Cancer Research is seeking a People and Payroll Assistant to deliver accurate HR administration, payroll processing and benefits support. You will maintain employee data, assist with recruitment and respond to routine queries while supporting ongoing people initiatives across the charity.

The role focuses on payroll accuracy, benefits administration and employee lifecycle processes, with opportunities to contribute to wellbeing and inclusion activities and the broader People Team

Qualifications

• Educated to A level standard or equivalent, or measurable relevant experience.
• CIPD Level 3 qualification desirable with willingness to progress to Level 5.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office 365 (SharePoint, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Responsibilities

• Provide professional HR administration across the employee lifecycle in line with policy.
• Support payroll and benefits administration, recruitment, and data maintenance.
• Prepare documentation, update records, and respond to routine queries.
• Assist with training, wellbeing, inclusion and engagement activities.
• Ensure payroll and benefits changes are processed within timescales.

Skills

Organisation

Attention to detail

Data handling

Communication

Teamwork

Education

A level or equivalent

CIPD Level 3

Tools

Microsoft Office 365

Job description

Job title: People and Payroll Assistant

Role profile: People and Payroll Assistant Role Profile

Directorate:Finance and Corporate Services

Salary: Circa. £26,000

Hours:Full-time, 37 hours per week

Closing date:03 September 2026

Permanent or Fixed Term:Permanent

About Us

Yorkshire is one of the regions hardest hit by cancer. Together, we can change this.

Yorkshire Cancer Research is a charity dedicated to funding research so that you and those you love live longer healthier lives, free of cancer.

Thanks to supporters, the charity funds vital cancer research and pioneers innovative new services for people with cancer. These life-giving medical breakthroughs are helping more people survive cancer – in Yorkshire, and beyond.

As an inclusive employer, our aim is to ensure our workforce reflects the rich diversity of our region. We believe a diverse workforce is vital to us taking action to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer more effectively in Yorkshire. We offer equal opportunities regardless of race, religion or belief, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnerships.

We’ve got a strong set of values that inform everything we do, and we’re looking for people who are aligned with these. As a People and Payroll Assistant, you will put people in Yorkshire at the heart of everything you do, unite with colleagues and other organisations in this cause, and dare to think big and bold to make positive solutions happen.

To find out more about our values and how important they are to us, please read the role profile linked above.

The Benefits

We offer a wide and generous range of benefits designed to support our employees through every stage of life. To read about these, please see the benefits section of our Careers Page.

The Role

As a People and Payroll Assistant, you will provide a professional, accurate and responsive administration service across the charity. The role focuses on payroll and benefits administration, recruitment support, maintaining accurate employee data across People systems, and supporting wider People Team activity.

Supporting the People Officer, the post holder will play an important role in ensuring payroll, benefits, recruitment and employee records are administered accurately and within agreed timescales. This includes preparing documentation and letters, updating systems and employee files, following up outstanding information, responding to routine employee and manager queries, producing reports, and supporting activity linked to training, induction, wellbeing and inclusion.

Specifically, you will:

• Provide a professional HR administration service to managers and employees throughout the employee lifecycle, in line with charity policies, procedures, employment law and good practice.
• Support regular employee drop-in sessions, for example on PDRs or Cezanne queries, helping to resolve issues at an early stage.
• Maintain accurate People system records, including annual leave, sickness absence, changes to terms and conditions and personal details.
• Keep People Team files, systems, intranet and public internet pages accurate, current and easy to navigate.
• Support the People Officer with monthly sickness absence monitoring, ensuring return-to-work meetings, formal reviews and fit notes are recorded and followed up where needed.
• Act as a People system superuser, providing guidance to new employees and responding to ad hoc system queries.
• Support recruitment administration as required, including using the charity ATS system, arranging interviews, communicating with candidates as required, coordinating interview IT requirements and assisting with pre-employment checks and shortlisting as appropriate.
• Lead day-to-day payroll administration, including preparing the monthly payroll submission, processing changes such as starters, leavers, contractual changes and overtime, monitoring sickness and maternity pay, issuing associated letters and ensuring records are retained for audit purposes.
• Administer employee benefits, including health insurance, pensions and salary exchange, maintaining accurate HR and provider records and responding to routine benefits queries.
• Follow up outstanding payroll and benefits information to ensure changes are processed within agreed timescales, escalating issues where required.
• Support employee engagement activity, including People Team communications, benefits presentations and wellbeing surveys, helping to promote organisational development and strategic aims.

About You

To be considered for this role, you will need:

• To be educated to A level standard, or equivalent, or able to demonstrate relevant experience in a similar role.
• To have a CIPD Level 3 qualification, with willingness to progress to Level 5, is desirable.
• To be confident using Microsoft Office 365 packages, including SharePoint, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• To have strong organisational skills and excellent attention to detail.
• To have experience of processing high volumes of data accurately.
• To have excellent administration and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks accurately and efficiently.
• To have clear and confident communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
• To have the ability to maintain confidentiality, integrity and high professional standards at all times.
• To have a proactive approach, with a willingness to contribute ideas that improve the People service.
• To be motivated and reliable, with the ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• To be able to use initiative, prioritise workload and meet deadlines.
• To have good time management skills, with the ability to balance a range of objectives.

Application

Before applying, please read the full role profile linked above.

Yorkshire Cancer Research is a responsible and flexible employer. We welcome any discussion for flexible working at the interview/offer stage where we will consider an individual’s circumstances against the needs of the charity.

We positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates from all backgrounds. If we can make any reasonable adjustments to support your application, please contact us.