People & Recruitment Administrator

Orange Recruitment; Pitlochry; Hybrid; GBP 18,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Pitlochry Festival Theatre is seeking a People & Recruitment Administrator to coordinate recruitment, onboarding and HR records. You will support payroll data, like processing new starter information, and maintain HR systems with accuracy and discretion.

You’ll work closely with the Senior People Adviser, ensuring timely responses and reliable follow-through for colleagues and candidates alike. A CIPD Level 3 or progression toward it is welcome but not essential.

Qualifications

• Experience in HR administration in a busy environment.
• Experience administering end-to-end recruitment including advertising, shortlisting, offers and pre-employment checks.
• Experience maintaining confidential HR records and systems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication for letters and adverts.

Responsibilities

• Administer Recruitment Authorisation Process, ensure vacancies are approved, budgeted and described.
• Manage applications through recruitment process, acknowledge and update candidates at each stage.
• Support shortlisting with packs and matrices, coordinate panel scoring and decisions.
• Arrange interviews and assessments, book rooms/online meetings and prepare materials.
• Issue accurate offer letters and employment contracts, including different terms and pay rates.
• Maintain HR records, onboarding paperwork, payroll and system access for new starters.

Skills

HR administration

Recruitment administration

Microsoft 365 Excel

HR system management

UK employment law

Education

CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice (or higher)

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

Outlook

HR information system

Applicant Tracking System

Job description

Big ideas. Bold theatre. Brilliant people. That’s where you come in.

We make theatre in the hills with ambitions that reach far beyond them. With Alan Cumming as Artistic Director, we’re giving daring ideas room to breathe and making work that surprises people. It’s an exciting time to join us, and our people are at the heart of it.

We’re looking for a People & Recruitment Administrator who loves getting the details right, keeps things moving and brings warmth and care to a busy working day.

The part you’ll play

You’ll be the central coordination point for our People & Culture administration, helping every stage of working at PFT run smoothly, from someone’s first application to their last day.

Working closely with our Senior People Adviser, you’ll coordinate recruitment and onboarding, prepare employment documents, maintain our HR system and records, and keep payroll information and important deadlines on track. Colleagues and candidates will know they can count on you for a helpful response and reliable follow-through.

What you’ll bring to the mix

You’re organised, switched on and proud of doing a job well. You spot the missing detail, anticipate the next deadline and juggle competing priorities without losing sight of the people behind the paperwork.

You’ll bring strong administrative experience, including HR and/or recruitment administration, confident Microsoft 365 skills (particularly Excel) and experience maintaining an HR system or similar database.

A working knowledge of UK employment law is essential, along with discretion, sound judgement and an approachable manner. CIPD Level 3, or working towards it, would be welcome but isn’t essential.

Make your mark behind the scenes

There’s room here to take ownership, suggest better ways of working and help shape a People & Culture service we can be proud of. Your work will support the people whose creativity, skill and dedication bring our theatre to life.

The nuts and bolts

Job Title:People and Recruitment Administrator

Responsible To:Head of People and Culture

Salary:Up to £29,500, depending on experience.

Hours:Permanent, full time, 35 hours per week over five days, on an annualised hours basis.

Location:Primarily onsite at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, with some hybrid working by agreement and according to operational needs.

Key Tasks

Recruitment and Selection

• To administer the Recruitment Authorisation Process, checking that every vacancy is approved, budgeted and has an up-to-date job description and person specification before it is advertised.
• To manage applications through the Theatre’s recruitment process or system, acknowledging all applications promptly and keeping candidates informed at each stage.
• To support shortlisting by preparing shortlisting packs and matrices, coordinating panel scoring and making sure decisions are made against the person specification and recorded.
• To arrange interviews and assessments, including booking rooms or online meetings, coordinating panel availability, preparing interview packs and helping managers develop interview questions and practical tasks.
• To make sure candidates are asked about, and offered, reasonable adjustments at every stage of the process, in line with the Theatre’s Recruitment and Selection Policy and its commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• To administer equal opportunities monitoring, keeping monitoring data separate from applications, and to produce anonymised reports on applicant diversity to support the Theatre’s EDI Plan.
• To send outcome letters and emails to unsuccessful candidates and to arrange feedback where requested.
• To liaise with recruitment and employment agencies and job boards, and to maintain a record of all agency and temporary workers engaged by the Theatre, making sure the correct contractual and payment arrangements are in place.

Pre-employment Checks and Onboarding

• To complete and record right to work checks for all new starters in line with Home Office guidance, including follow-up checks for employees with time-limited permission, and to support the administration of any visa or sponsorship requirements.
• To request and record references and to follow up any that are outstanding or unsatisfactory.
• To administer PVG Scheme and other Disclosure Scotland checks for roles that require them, and to maintain a record of all checks and their renewal dates.
• To prepare and issue offer letters and contracts of employment, including permanent, fixed-term, seasonal and casual arrangements, making sure the correct terms and pay rates are applied.
• To coordinate the onboarding of new starters, including new starter paperwork, payroll and pension information, ID and system access, and to schedule and support corporate induction, working with line managers so that new employees feel welcomed and prepared.

Contracts and Employee Changes

• Support the senior people advisor with preparing and issuing variation letters for changes to hours, pay, job title, location or other terms, and to make sure changes are agreed, recorded and notified to Payroll.
• To monitor fixed-term and seasonal contract end dates and prompt managers in good time to confirm extensions, renewals or endings, issuing the appropriate letters.
• To administer the probation process, issuing reminders to managers, recording outcomes and issuing confirmation or extension letters.

HR Inbox and Administrative Support

• To manage the HR inbox, responding to routine queries from managers, employees and external parties, directing people to the relevant policy or procedure, and passing anything other than routine matters to the Head of People and Culture.
• To provide occasional administrative support on employee relations matters as directed by the Senior People Advisor or Head of People and Culture, such as arranging meetings, preparing standard letters, taking notes and keeping case records securely filed.

Family Leave, Absence and Wellbeing

• To administer maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental and other family leave, including issuing standard confirmation letters using the Theatre’s templates, recording keeping in touch days and pointing employees and managers to the relevant policy.
• To keep absence records up to date, produce regular absence reports and let managers know when trigger points have been reached.
• To administer stress risk assessments, including issuing the Theatre’s template, arranging meetings and keeping records of completed assessments and agreed actions.
• To administer referrals to Occupational Health, including consent forms and appointments, and to pass reports to the Head of People and Culture and the relevant manager.

Pay, Payroll and Leavers

• To provide accurate and timely information to the Payroll team on all starters, changes and leavers, and to help Payroll resolve pay queries, particularly those linked to sickness absence, family leave, special leave and contractual changes.
• To support the annual pay review process, including preparing data and issuing pay letters by mail merge.
• To process resignations, including acknowledging resignations, confirming notice periods and calculating final holiday pay in conjunction with Payroil.
• To manage the leaver process, including issuing leaver letters, sending exit questionnaires and collating the feedback.
• To provide factual references for current and former employees in line with the Theatre’s reference policy.

HR Records, Systems and Reporting

• To maintain accurate and up-to-date personnel files and HR systems in line with UK GDPR, including retention schedules, secure storage and the handling of subject access requests.
• To keep the Theatre’s HR calendar up to date, including probation reviews, contract end dates, right to work follow-up checks, PVG renewals and other key dates.
• To oversee training records and help monitor completion of mandatory training.
• To maintain HR templates, standard letters and forms so that they are accurate, consistent and reflect current legislation and policy.

Policy and Engagement

• To provide administrative support to the Senior People Advisor & Head of People and Culture on policy reviews, including formatting, version control, publishing updated policies and letting employees know about changes.
• To provide administrative support for employee engagement activity, including the annual employee engagement survey and pulse surveys, such as issuing surveys, sending reminders and collating results.
• To support the Theatre’s commitment to Fair Work First and its EDI Plan through fair and inclusive recruitment and HR administration.

Environmental

• To support the Executive Director, as Chief Executive of the organisation, and the nominated Green Champion in meeting organisational aims and ambitions for its environmental impacts.

Health and Safety

• To support the Executive Director, as Chief Executive of the organisation, in their legislative duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
• Attend training as required to update knowledge and skills, and to be able to comply with relevant statutory requirements to a high standard.

Other

• To handle all information with the highest level of confidentiality and discretion.
• To champion and promote the Theatre’s values and behaviours, and act as an ambassador for the Theatre.
• Actively promote staff welfare, development and training opportunities throughout the Theatre.
• To keep own knowledge and skills up to date through continuing professional development.
• To participate, where required, in Theatre events which sometimes fall outside standard core hours, including evenings, weekends and Bank Holidays.
• Any other duties or projects reasonably required by the Head of People and Culture to ensure the smooth and efficient operation of the People and Culture function and the organisation.

Person Specification

The successful candidate will need to be able to demonstrate the following skills, experience and attributes in both the written application and the interview process:

Qualifications and Knowledge

Essential

• A basic understanding of UK employment law and employee relations, sufficient to recognise when a matter needs to be referred on
• Working knowledge of UK GDPR as it applies to HR records and recruitment
• Knowledge of right to work requirements and pre-employment checks

Desirable

• CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice (or a higher CIPD qualification) or working towards it.
• Knowledge of the PVG Scheme and Disclosure Scotland checks
• Knowledge of inclusive recruitment practice and Fair Work First
• Awareness of family leave and statutory pay entitlements

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in an HR administration role, or a similar administrative role, in a busy environment
• Experience of administering end-to-end recruitment, including advertising, shortlisting, interview arrangements, offers and pre-employment checks
• Experience of preparing contracts of employment and other HR correspondence accurately
• Experience of maintaining confidential HR records and systems

Desirable

• Experience of high-volume or seasonal recruitment
• Experience of taking notes at formal meetings
• Experience of using an applicant tracking system or HR information system
• Experience of working in the arts, charity, hospitality or a similar sector

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage a high volume of work, prioritise competing demands and meet deadlines
• A high level of accuracy and attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to write clear, professional letters and adverts
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook, including mail merge and working with spreadsheets
• Able to build effective working relationships with managers and employees at all levels
• Able to recognise when a matter needs to be escalated

Desirable

• Able to produce simple HR and recruitment reports and analyse data
• Experience of using social media and online platforms to advertise roles

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Discretion, honesty and integrity, with the ability to handle sensitive and confidential information appropriately
• Approachable, calm and professional, with a commitment to providing a high standard of service
• A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and to treating people fairly
• A strong team player who is flexible and willing to learn
• An interest in the arts and the vision of Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Closing date

5pm on Thursday 5 November 2026. We may close the advert early if we receive a high number of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as you can.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. Please let us know if you need any adjustments to take part in the recruitment process.