HR Officer (Maternity Cover)

Loughton, Essex | Up to £40,000 FTE | 9-12 Month Fixed-Term Contract | Full-Time or Part-Time

Your new companyAn excellent opportunity has arisen to join a highly respected and long-established professional services firm based in Loughton. With approximately 90 employees and a strong people-focused culture, the business is seeking an HR Officer to join its People & Talent team on a maternity cover contract. This is a varied and rewarding opportunity for an HR professional looking to broaden their experience within a supportive and collaborative environment.

Your new roleReporting to the People & Talent Manager, you will provide comprehensive HR support across the full employee life cycle and act as a key point of contact for managers and employees on a wide variety of people-related matters.

This is a broad generalist HR position, with responsibilities including:

• Managing probation review and appraisal processes
• Providing guidance on day-to-day HR and employee relations queries
• Supporting managers and employees with HR policies and procedures
• Administering recruitment activities, including arranging interviews, candidate communication and offer documentation
• Leading onboarding and induction activities for new starters
• Supporting employee offboarding processes
• Assisting with monthly payroll checks and administration
• Drafting HR correspondence and employee documentation
• Supporting training and development activities
• Playing a key role in the implementation of a new HR system
• Providing advice in line with employment legislation and HR best practice
• Supporting wider People & Talent projects as required

This role offers the opportunity to become involved in an exciting HR systems implementation project, making it particularly suited to candidates who have previously supported the introduction, migration or rollout of HR technology systems. While this experience is not essential, it would be highly advantageous.

What you'll need to succeedTo be successful in this role, you will have:

• Previous experience working within an HR role
• Good working knowledge of UK employment legislation
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
• Excellent organisational and administrative abilities
• High levels of professionalism and confidentiality
• Strong attention to detail
• A proactive and solutions-focused approach
• The ability to manage multiple priorities effectively

You do not need to be CIPD qualified for this position. The organisation is open to applications from candidates who can demonstrate broad, hands-on HR experience and a solid understanding of HR processes and employment law.
Experience within professional services would be beneficial but is by no means essential. Candidates from a wide range of sectors are encouraged to apply.

What you'll get in return

• Salary up to £40,000 FTE
• 9-12 month fixed-term maternity cover contract
• Opportunity to start ASAP to allow a thorough handover with the current post holder before Christmas
• Full-time or part-time hours considered
• Part-time applicants must be available for a minimum of 3 days per week
• Full-time hours are 9:00am-5:30pm Monday to Friday
• 36-hour working week with flexibility around core hours of 10:00am-4:00pm
• Office-based during the 4-month probation period, with the opportunity to work from home one day per week thereafter
• Free on-site parking
• Excellent public transport links
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata)
• £400 annual wellbeing allowance (pro rata)
• Paid birthday leave
• Paid volunteering day
• Life assurance scheme
• Enhanced pension contributions linked to service
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Supportive and collaborative team culture

What you need to do nowIf you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or contact us for a confidential discussion about your career.

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