HR & Payroll Assistant

Job Title: HR & Payroll Assistant
Salary: Up to £28,000 per annum, dependent on experience and qualifications
Hours: 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 09:00–17:30
Contract: Full-Time, Permanent
Reporting to: HR Manager
Direct Reports: None

The Role

The HR & Payroll Assistant will provide comprehensive administrative and operational support to the HR Manager, ensuring that HR and payroll activities are completed accurately, confidentially and within required deadlines.

This is a varied, hands-on role suited to someone who enjoys working in a fast-paced operational environment and is looking to develop their HR and payroll career.

The role will provide support across the employee lifecycle, including recruitment and onboarding, weekly payroll, employee records, time and attendance, absence management, training administration and employee relations processes.

The HR & Payroll Assistant will also act as a key point of contact for employees and managers regarding routine HR and payroll queries, providing guidance on established procedures and escalating more complex matters to the HR Manager where appropriate.

Key Responsibilities

HR Administration & Employee Lifecycle

Provide day-to-day administrative support to the HR Manager.
Maintain accurate and confidential electronic and manual employee records.
Prepare new-starter, leaver and contractual documentation.
Complete and maintain Right to Work and other required pre-employment documentation.
Process employee changes and ensure HR systems are kept accurate and up to date.
Maintain organisation charts and other HR records.
Prepare regular and ad-hoc HR reports and management information.
Respond to routine employee and manager HR queries, escalating where appropriate.

Payroll & Time and Attendance

Support the accurate and timely preparation and processing of weekly payroll using Sage 50 Payroll.
Review employee clocking and time-and-attendance records.
Identify and investigate discrepancies before payroll processing.
Process and check overtime, annual leave, sickness, statutory payments, authorised deductions and other payroll adjustments.
Respond to routine payroll queries from employees.
Liaise with the Finance Department regarding payroll information and payments.
Maintain accurate and confidential payroll records.

Recruitment & Onboarding

Support recruitment campaigns from vacancy approval through to appointment.
Advertise vacancies and coordinate candidate applications.
Arrange interviews and work trials.
Communicate professionally with candidates throughout the recruitment process.
Request employment references and complete relevant pre-employment checks.
Prepare offer letters, contracts and onboarding documentation.
Coordinate and support new-starter inductions.

Employee Relations & Attendance

Provide administrative support for investigations, disciplinary, grievance, capability and absence-management processes.
Arrange meetings and prepare relevant HR documentation.
Take accurate and confidential meeting notes and minutes.
Maintain organised and confidential employee-relations case files.
Support sickness absence administration and maintain accurate attendance records.
Support completion and recording of Return-to-Work documentation.
Provide managers with guidance on established HR procedures, referring complex matters to the HR Manager.

Learning & Development

Coordinate employee training and development activities.
Liaise with managers and external training providers.
Maintain the training matrix and individual training records.
Monitor training requirements and expiry dates.
Assist with organising internal HR activities, meetings and employee engagement initiatives.

Person Specification

Essential

Previous experience in an HR Administration, HR Assistant or HR/Payroll Support role.
Experience supporting payroll administration.
Experience using Sage 50 Payroll or strong experience with a comparable payroll system.
CIPD Level 3 qualification or above, or currently working towards a recognised HR qualification.
Good understanding of fundamental UK employment law and HR procedures.
Strong administrative and organisational skills.
Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, Word and Outlook.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to prioritise competing workloads and meet deadlines.
Professional and approachable manner.
Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and handle sensitive employee information appropriately.
Ability to build effective working relationships with employees, Team Leaders and Managers.

Desirable

Previous experience within food manufacturing, FMCG or another fast-paced operational environment.
Experience supporting weekly payroll.
Experience using HR information and time-and-attendance systems.
Experience providing administrative support for disciplinary, grievance and absence-management cases.
Knowledge of workplace health and safety requirements.

Personal Attributes

The successful candidate will be:

Proactive, organised and dependable.
Comfortable working in a busy and changing environment.
Confident communicating with employees and managers at all levels.
Able to work independently while knowing when to escalate matters.
Discreet and professional when handling confidential information.
Committed to delivering a high standard of HR support.
Keen to learn, develop and progress within HR.

Values & Standards

The successful candidate will be expected to:

Support equality, diversity and inclusion within the workplace.
Contribute positively to a respectful and inclusive working environment.
Maintain professional standards of conduct at all times.
Handle confidential employee and business information appropriately.
Support responsible working practices and organisational objectives.
Work collaboratively with employees, managers and other departments.

What We Offer

Salary of up to £28,000 per annum, dependent on qualifications and experience.
24 days' annual leave plus 8 bank holidays.
Workplace Pension Scheme.
Life Insurance.
Employee Reward Benefits.
Training and development opportunities.
Opportunity to develop HR and payroll experience within a growing operational business