HR / Payroll and Operations Assistant

HR / Payroll and Operations Assistant
Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, GB
Full-time
Salary: £25,030 + excellent benefits including outstanding pension
Site Location: UKAEA Culham, Oxfordshire
Confirmed Grade: Level 2

Company Description

By 2050, the planet could be using twice as much electricity compared to today. Are you interested in contributing and helping to shape the future of the world’s energy? If so, read on.

Fusion, the process that powers the Sun and Stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs.

UKAEA leads the way in realising fusion energy, partnering with industry and research for groundbreaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid, supported by tomorrow's power stations. In pursuit of our mission, UKAEA embraces core values: Innovative, Committed, Trusted, and Collaborative.

As an employee of UKAEA you will benefit from:

- Outstanding defined benefit pension scheme, details of which can be found at the end of this advert.
- Corporate bonus scheme up to 7% and a Relocation allowance (if eligible).
- Flexible working options including family friendly policies and the right to request flexible working from the start of your employment.
- Employee Assistance Programme and trained Mental Health First Aiders.
- Generous annual leave allowance starting with 25 days, plus 3 days Christmas closure and 2.5 privilege days, in addition to UK bank holidays.
- Wide range of career development opportunities.
- A vibrant culture committed to equality and being fully inclusive.

Job Description

UKAEA’s pay arrangements and grading structure are currently under review as part of a transformation project and proposed multi-year pay deal. UKAEA aims to introduce a new grading structure in 2024. This will enable us to lead the delivery of sustainable fusion energy and maximise the scientific and economic benefit. Now is a great time to join the organisation and be part of the journey.

This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), including The Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions.

The Role

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to make a difference? Join our team and contribute to the future of fusion energy. As HR / Payroll and Operations Assistant, you will play a pivotal role in providing support to the organisation by administering and co-ordinating end-to-end processes, ensuring records are accurately maintained within the ERP system. You will be responsible for collecting, calculating and processing payroll data and resolving potential problems that might arise across the whole admin function, hence a high level of customer service and attention to detail is required, alongside a solid understanding of GDPR. You will be well-suited to the role if you are a quick learner, flexible and able to work collaboratively with Advisors and Business Partners.

As our HR / Payroll and Operations Assistant, you will support the business by utilising the HR service management system, supporting employees with advice on a variety of processes/policies and enquiries, from a mix of generalist HR Administration and Payroll Admin tasks.

Additional Responsibilities:

- Managing the end-to-end payroll system processes for all UKAEA employees within the ERP system. From creating the system records, maintaining the records, advising and improving on the processes to ensuring that outsourced payroll and pension providers have accurate data enabling them to deliver true monthly payments and pension forecasts.
- Co-ordinating a wide variety of payroll actions in line with fixed deadlines and governance requirements.
- Managing the People Department service ticketing system on a rota basis, answering employee requests and issues, distributing restricted queries to other areas of the business.
- Carrying out new starter inductions, providing useful information on a variety of areas relevant to processes, systems, entitlements, benefits and pensions to ensure a smooth and welcoming onboarding process.
- Processing different pension schemes, assisting and guiding employees with pension related queries and calculations.
- Processing family leave requests in line with UKAEA and statutory regulations.
- Helping UKAEA employees with regards to producing reference letters required for Visa applications, mortgage applications and employment references.

Qualifications
Essential Requirements:

- Solid administration experience with HR or Payroll
- Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail, and the ability to work to deadlines
- Proficient in IT and Excel, numeracy skills
- Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills
- Continuous process improvement mindset

Desirable skills:

- Level 3 CIPD

Additional Information

For a full list of benefits and to apply, select the apply button to be taken through to the UKAEA careers pages.

We welcome applications from under-represented groups, particularly individuals from black and other ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and women. Our Executive team, supported by our 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) Partner and Inclusion Ambassadors, actively promotes EDI and takes steps to increase diversity within our organization. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.

Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.