Senior HR Generalist

MDPI AG; Manchester; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible hours

Paid time off

Culture & events

Bonus schemes

Perkbox

Private health plan

City centre office

Cyclescheme

Techscheme

Job summary

MDPI AG in Manchester is seeking a Senior HR Generalist to oversee the UK HR function, from recruitment and onboarding to payroll and employee relations. You will lead the local HR team and collaborate with Europe and North America on global initiatives.

The role is full-time and in-office at our Manchester city centre office, next to Piccadilly Gardens. Strong UK employment law knowledge and payroll experience are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or related field.
• A recognised HR qualification, such as CIPD Level 5 or equivalent.
• Proven track record in progressive HR roles with strong UK employment law knowledge.
• Hands-on payroll processing and HR administration experience.
• Experience leading a team or managing others; strong feedback skills.
• Proficient with HR systems and Microsoft 365.
• Fluent English with excellent written and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• Own the employee lifecycle for the UK office: recruitment, onboarding, probation, promotions, contracts and offboarding.
• Be the trusted HR contact for employees and line managers; advise on policies and UK matters.
• Handle employee relations cases from performance to disciplinary and grievances.
• Prepare and check monthly payroll; support salary benchmarking and bonus/OKR info.
• Maintain accurate HR administration: contracts, records, right-to-work and visas.
• Support hiring managers with job descriptions, requisitions, offers and contracts.
• Lead the local HR team: manage the HR Assistant, coordinate projects, provide feedback.
• Contribute to regional/global HR projects, bringing UK perspective.

Skills

HR Generalist

Payroll

Employee relations

UK employment law

People management

Microsoft 365

Recruiting

Onboarding

Education

HR degree

CIPD Level 5

Tools

MS Office

HRIS

Payroll software

Job description

As Senior HR Generalist, you’ll be the go-to HR contact for our UK office, covering everything from hiring and onboarding to employee relations and payroll. You’ll lead the local HR team and work closely with colleagues across Europe & North America to ensure consistent HR processes and ways of working.

While locally focused, the role also offers broader international exposure through cross-country HR initiatives and projects, giving you the opportunity to contribute beyond the UK while remaining close to day-to-day HR operations.

This is a full-time, in-office role based in our Manchester city centre office, which is located next to Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the employee lifecycle for the UK office: recruitment, onboarding, probation, promotions, contract changes and offboarding




• Be the trusted HR contact for employees and line managers, advising on policies and UK employment matters and escalating complex or higher-risk cases




• Handle employee relations cases, from performance and sickness absence to flexible working, reasonable adjustments, Occupational Health referrals, and disciplinary and grievance processes




• Prepare and check monthly payroll, and support salary benchmarking, salary reviews and bonus/OKR information




• Keep HR administration accurate and compliant, including contracts, employee records, right-to-work and visa documentation, and family-related leave




• Support hiring managers with job descriptions, requisitions, offers and contracts




• Lead the local HR team: manage the HR Assistant, coordinate the HR Project Coordinator, set priorities, give regular feedback and hold one-to-ones




• Contribute to regional and global HR projects, bringing the UK perspective and supporting local rollout

Additional Responsibilities

• Spot ways to improve HR processes, tools and templates, with an eye on efficiency and employee experience




• Contribute to HR reporting, audits, compliance reviews and data-quality checks




• Cover for HR colleagues across Europe & North America when needed




• Handle all HR matters with confidentiality and care for data protection

What We’re Looking For

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or a related field




• A recognised HR qualification, such as CIPD Level 5 or equivalent




• A solid track record in progressive HR roles, with strong practical knowledge of UK employment law and employee relations




• Hands-on payroll processing and HR administration experience




• Experience leading a team or directly managing others, including giving feedback and handling difficult conversations (early-career managers are welcome)




• Comfort with HR systems and employee data, and advanced Microsoft 365 skills




• Fluent English with excellent written and verbal communication skills




• A proactive, ownership-driven approach, sound judgement, and strong communication skills

Desirable Experience

• Experience with HR projects or process improvement across several locations

About MDPI

A pioneer in scholarly, open access publishing, MDPI has supported academic communities since 1996. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, MDPI has the mission to foster open scientific exchange in all forms, across all disciplines.

We operate currently over 400 diverse, peer-reviewed, open-access journals supported by over 66,000 academic editors. We serve scholars from around the world to ensure the latest research is openly and broadly available.

Besides our main publishing business, we develop and maintain digital platforms and software ranging from scientific exchange platforms to article databases and search engines, all focused on empowering scholars and giving them the best possible product and service. As of the end of 2022, we count more than 6700 colleagues in 17 offices across 11 countries.

Benefits

• Flexible Working Times You are able to start work anytime between 7-9am, and finish between 3pm-6pm.




• Special Days Off Getting married or moving house? No need to use up your holidays, MDPI offer paid time off for such occasions.




• Our Culture A friendly working environment with monthly lunch parties, office snacks and seasonal events.




• Bonus Incentives Depending on your role, you may be eligible for one of our bonus schemes which rewards high-performing employees.




• Perkbox You will have access to our benefit platform called “Perkbox.” This will provide you with a range of discounts and benefits across various retailers, including savings on food, drinks, tech, travel, and more.




• Health Cash Plan After passing probation, employees are enrolled into our private health membership with Bupa. You can claim money back on dental, doctors, and prescriptions amongst many other health services




• Modern City Centre Office Located next to Piccadilly Gardens, our office is a 10 minute walk from both Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road train stations. There are also tram stops outside of the building.




• Cyclescheme Save between 25-39% on a bike and accessories.




• Techscheme Save up to 10% on tax when purchasing tech equipment from places such as Ikea and Currys.

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion

At MDPI, we believe in fostering an inclusive work environment that respects and values individual differences and prioritises growth through continued learning, support, and feedback. We are always seeking new initiatives to advance diversity and inclusion across all our offices to create a more equal workforce.

Initiatives

At MDPI, wedevelop and maintain various platforms in order to better serve the scientific community, which you can find below:

MDPI homepage: https://www.mdpi.com/

Sciprofiles: https://sciprofiles.com/

Sciforum: https://sciforum.net/

Scilit: https://www.scilit.net/

Preprints: https://www.preprints.org/

Encyclopedia: https://encyclopedia.pub/

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