Senior HR Assistant - FTC

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Be part of a community working together to make science better. A society publisher with the perfect blend of not‑for‑profit purpose and commercial perspective. Here, we help each other be the best we can be: a team big enough to impact and small enough to care.

We’re looking for a proactive and people‑focused Senior HR Assistant to join our HR team on a 2‑year fixed‑term contract. This is a brilliant opportunity to play a key role in delivering a high‑quality, seamless HR service to colleagues globally.

You’ll be at the heart of the employee experience, involved in everything from onboarding through to off‑boarding, and acting as a trusted point of contact for HR queries from colleagues. Alongside this, you’ll take ownership of our HR processes, leading the delivery, continuous improvement, automation and use of AI within our front‑line HR service, ensuring we’re embracing technology to improve the service delivered to our customers.

You will also play a central role in exciting HR projects, including the design and implementation of a new HR and Payroll system.

If you enjoy variety, thrive in a fast‑paced environment, and are passionate about delivering excellent service, we’d love to hear from you.

• Deliver outstanding HR support

• Provide timely, accurate and empathetic support on HR policies, processes and systems

• Take ownership of complex queries and ensure they’re resolved efficiently

• Support and guide colleagues across onboarding, payroll, and employee lifecycle processes

• Act as a key escalation point and mentor within the team

• Maintain accurate and compliant employee data across HR and payroll systems

• Produce high‑quality employment documentation

• Ensure data integrity and proactively resolve discrepancies

• Support payroll processes and maintain strong collaboration with Payroll colleagues

• Support recruitment administration including offers and onboarding

• Manage right to work and background checks

• Administer employee benefits and contractual changes

• Coordinate processes such as probation, absence tracking, maternity and leavers

• Support learning activities and HR‑related purchase processes

• Embrace opportunities to improve and streamline HR processes

• Support implementation of new systems and tools

• Contribute to HR projects and continuous improvement initiatives

• Help build and maintain knowledge bases, templates and process documentation, for use by the team, our HR Agent and our colleagues

• Share knowledge and best practice across the HR team

• Support and coach colleagues where needed

• Contribute to a positive, inclusive team culture

• Proven experience in an HR administration or operations role in a fast‑paced environment

• Strong understanding of UK employment law (and ideally immigration processes)

• Experience using HR systems (e.g. iTrent, Dayforce, Thrive – desirable)

• Confidence managing multiple priorities and deadlines

• Experience supporting process improvement or projects is a plus

• A genuine passion for delivering excellent customer service

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

• Highly organised with great attention to detail

• Proactive, collaborative and solutions‑focused mindset

• Comfortable handling confidential and sensitive information

• Curious, adaptable and keen to learn

This is a great opportunity to join our team and shape the delivery of our core HR services across the group moving forwards. You’ll work in a diverse, inclusive, global team, passionate about the continuous improvement of both ourselves and our services, and will have the opportunity to explore and embrace the use of AI and technology to drive changes and make a real impact.

IOP Publishing is a society‑owned scientific publisher, providing impact, recognition and value for the scientific community. As the publishing arm of the Institute of Physics, 100% of our profit goes towards public and…