HR Operations Assistant/Advisor

Hollybank Trustees Ltd; Huddersfield; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

25 days holiday

Health cash plan

Pension scheme

Discretionary bonus

Critical illness

Cycle to work

Job summary

AHR Architects Ltd is seeking a proactive HR Operations Advisor/HR Assistant to join our Huddersfield office. You will manage the full employee lifecycle, act as the first line contact point, and deliver a high-quality HR service to 280 employees across 9 UK offices.

This hands-on role requires strong HR administration, stakeholder management, and technical skills in Excel and HR systems. Hybrid working and a comprehensive benefits package are offered.

Qualifications

• Has had previous experience in a similar HR generalist hands-on operational role.
• Good working knowledge of general employment law and its practical day-to-day application.
• Able to manage a busy shared inbox and maintain confidentiality and accuracy.
• Comfortable working in a small team and taking ownership of detailed HR administration and lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Provide practical, timely advice to managers and employees on HR policies, procedures and day-to-day employment law matters.
• Manage a broad range of employee lifecycle administration, including contracts, offer letters, changes to terms, family leave and leavers.
• Coordinate onboarding and offboarding across locations using HR systems and liaising with local office coordinators and hiring managers.
• Support recruitment activity, including adding jobs to the ATS, preparing documentation and liaising with managers and hired candidates.
• Work closely with Payroll to ensure employee changes are processed accurately and on time.

Skills

HR Generalist

Employment law

Teamwork

Organization

Employee relations

Communication

Independence

CIPD qualification

Education

CIPD qualification

Tools

Excel

HRIS

Job description

Location: Hybrid / Huddersfield, UK
job type: Permanent / Full-time
Sector and subsector: Architecture | Architecture
Salary: Competitive salary

About Us

AHR is a multi-award winning architecture and building consultancy practice.Based on our strong heritage and breadth of services, we provide imaginative solutions to make a positive contribution for our clients, society and the built environment.

Our people make us who we are – we are a people business and want to create a welcoming and supportive environment where all can flourish. We see diversity as a strength which creates fresh perspectives and generates new ideas. We enjoy what we do and are determined to do an outstanding job. We deliver best when working in teams. Our culture is a product of the combined mindsets and behaviours of our people.

The Opportunity

We’re looking for a proactive and highly organised HR Operations Advisor or HR Assistant looking to step up to join our friendly HR team in our Huddersfield office. In this varied role, you’ll manage the full employee lifecycle, be the contact point for all first line queries, and help us deliver a high-quality HR service to 280 employees across our 9 UK offices.This is an excellent opportunity to gain hands‑on experience, develop your expertise, and make a real impact in a supportive environment.

This is a busy role where you will quickly become a key member of our small team taking responsibility for your own workload and employee lifecycle activities.

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Key Responsibilities

• Provide practical, timely advice to managers and employees on HR policies, procedures and day to day employment law matters.
• Manage a broad range of employee lifecycle administration, including contracts, offer letters, changes to terms, family leave and leavers.
• Take ownership of the central HR inbox, managing varied day to day queries from employees and managers across the business.
• Monitoring recurring queries and able to identify opportunities to improve HR guidance, FAQs, processes and HR system automation.
• Support employee relations cases such as absence, performance, disciplinary and grievance matters, escalating where required.
• Maintain accurate HR records and ensure HR system (Cezanne) and employee files are up to date.
• Coordinate onboarding and offboarding processes across all locations using Cezanne and liaising with local office coordinators and hiring managers.
• Support recruitment activity, including adding jobs to the ATS, preparing documentation and liaising with managers and hired candidates.
• Work closely with the Payroll Officer to ensure employee changes are processed accurately and on time.
• Monitor absence, probation periods and other key HR processes, following up with managers as required.
• Produce HR reports and management information on a monthly basis using Excel to analyse and reconcile data, including formulas, pivot tables and lookups.
• Support the review and development of HR policies and processes and help develop and optimise HR system functionality.
• Contribute to HR projects, people initiatives and system improvements throughout the year.
• Help ensure HR activity is compliant with employment legislation and internal policies.

Our Ideal Candidate

• Has a had previous experience in a similar HR generalist hands on operational role
• Good working knowledge of general employment law and its practical day to day application to business situations.
• Is comfortable working in a small team and managing a varied workload.
• Is highly organised and willing to take ownership of detailed HR administration and the employee lifecycle.
• Has experience advising employees and managers on day-to-day employee relations matters, escalating when required.
• Has strong IT skills and is confident learning and using Excel and HR systems.
• Able to manage a busy shared inbox effectively, balancing responsiveness and client service with accuracy, confidentiality and sound judgement.
• Can balance operational delivery with involvement in projects and process improvements.
• Has strong attention to detail and a practical, service-focused approach.
• Is confident communicating with employees and managers across multiple locations.
• Can work independently, use good judgement and know when to elevate matters.
• Is comfortable working in a changing environment where priorities may shift.
• Ideally holds a CIPD qualification or equivalent qualification.

What we offer you

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Hybrid working (3 days office/2 days home based)
• 25 days holiday plus public holidays, increasing to 27 after 3 years
• BUPA Health Cash Plan
• Salary sacrifice pension scheme - 4%
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Critical illness
• Cycle to work scheme

This is a genuinely hands‑on role. Whilst there will be some opportunities to contribute to HR projects, candidates should be comfortable with a high volume of HR administration and day to day operational activity. This is a great opportunity for somebody who values accurate delivery and excellent employee service as well as the opportunity to develop and improve HR practices.

Our full benefits package can be seen on the AHR careers site.

AHR is an equal opportunities employer, we do not discriminate on any grounds other than ability to carry out the job role. If you require any adjustments to make the recruitment process easier, please let us know.

Please check your Junk Mail/Spam for application acknowledgements and any updates on your application, including invites to interview, as some email accounts automatically divert there.

If we need recruitment agency assistance for this role, we will contact agencies direct.Any speculative CVs that we receive will not be accepted as an introduction.

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive and other duties within the practice may be required.Job descriptions do not form part of the contract of employment.Job descriptions will be reviewed annually and when necessary in accordance with organisational needs and any major changes will be discussed with the post holder.

Please remember to check your spam or junk folder, as our emails may occasionally be filtered there.

Please note that if you have already applied for this role through other channels or recruitment platforms, there is no need to reapply. Duplicate applications will not be considered.

The administrator of your data is AHR Architects Ltd with its registered office in Manchester, UK, M2 4EW, at 55 Princess Street. The data is collected for the purposes of recruitment for the position given in the advertisement, it can also be processed in future recruitment processes with your additional consent. Providing personal information is voluntary. You have the right to access the data, correct or delete it. Detailed information on the processing of personal data by AHR Architects Ltd can be found in the principles of data processing in Cezanne Recruitment and our Privacy Policy. I agree to the processing of my personal data by AHR Architects Ltd for the purposes of this recruitment process for the position specified in the advertisement. I consent to the processing of my personal data by AHR Architects Ltd for the purposes of future recruitment processes. By applying to this job you accept the Privacy Policy