We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Senior Payroll & HR Admin Partner to join our Human Resources team at our Head Office in Islington.
£33,000.00 per annum, working 35 hours per week.
(£33,000.00 per annum on starting increasing to £34,085.79 once successfully passed probation)
Want to feel like you're making a difference? You'll feel at home here.
Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That's why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren't token gestures - we've thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.
Our benefits include:
- Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
- A generous pension - we will contribute up to 8% and life assurance cover up to 3x pensionable salary (T&Cs apply)
- Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
- Free DBS
All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.
The Payroll HR Admin Partner is a hands-on role responsible for:
- Ensuring both the effective administration and checking of the monthly payroll tasks and effectively managing payroll queries and the outsourcing of payroll tasks to MHR. Ensuring the integrity of Look Ahead's payroll system at all times and ensure accurate, prompt payment to all employees, workers and Board Members (it is envisaged this will take approximately 50% of time)
What you'll do:
Payroll
- Be responsible for the day to day delivery and coordination of the administration of the Payroll function, ensuring a timely and accurate payroll service is delivered to Look Ahead's employees, workers and Board members, to agreed deadlines
- Produce and review any monthly exception reports to identify and rectify any payroll errors arising
HR Admin
- Acting as the first point of contact for all HR Admin related queries, via phone and email; responding promptly, whilst managing expectations effectively
- Ensure letters for contractual changes for staff are sent out in a timely and accurate way and all relevant systems updated
General:
- Ensure that all diversity and inclusion implications are considered in all work, and in personal conduct across Look Ahead
This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead
About you:
- Can work to tight deadlines and deliver accurate work on time
- Strong customer service approach - wants to get things right first time and ensures timely and effective communication with customers
- Good attention to detail with minimal errors
- Ability to prioritise and manage multiple tasks
- Proactive and enthusiastic in approach to work and improving processes
What you'll bring:
Essential:
- Excellent attention to detail and high levels of accuracy
- Previous payroll experience
Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.
If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.
We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.
Thank you!
About Adolescent Health Study
The Adolescent Health Study (AHS) is an ambitious new UKRI-funded initiative to establish a prospective, longitudinal population study that will generate a globally leading open science data platform and research resource. AHS aims to recruit at least 100,000 young people aged eight to 18 years from across the UK and to follow their mental and physical health and wellbeing over at least 10 years. It plans to collect data through questions and measures; to obtain bio-samples for a wide range of genomic and other high-throughput assays; and to capture linked data relevant to health and wellbeing from participants’ health, education and other administrative records. Recruitment will take place mainly through schools. There will be a strong emphasis on engaging with and involving young people, schools, parents and other relevant stakeholders in the design and delivery of the study, as well as on including young people that represent as wide as possible a range of backgrounds, experiences and characteristics. AHS will focus on enabling a wide range of research, including studies of the critical biological and social developments that occur during the transition from childhood to adulthood and the determinants of both mental and physical health and wellbeing in adolescents and young adults.
Purpose of the post
The HR Officer plays a key role in delivering an effective, professional, and compliant HR service across the organisation. Supporting both operational HR processes and employee experience, the post holder will contribute to attracting, developing, and retaining talent in a collaborative and values-driven research environment.
Main responsibilities
HR Operations & Administration Support
- Lead recruitment campaigns in consultation with hiring managers, including drafting job adverts, short-listing and coordinating interviews.
- Manage employee life cycle process, including background checks, onboarding and offboarding.
- Maintain accurate and confidential employee records in compliance with GDPR and organisational policies.
- Administer HR systems, contracts, and employment documentation.
- Manage relationship with 3rd party suppliers including HR consultancy and DBS check providers.
- Support payroll preparation including monthly absence reporting and ensuring accurate data submission and coordination with Finance/Payroll.
- Support the wider central administrative team as required.
Employee Relations
- Provide first-line HR advice to managers and staff on policies, procedures, and employment matters.
- Support casework relating to absence, performance, disciplinary, and grievance processes.
- Support managers and the COO with complex people cases, working with the external HR partner as required.
- Promote a positive and inclusive working culture aligned with the organisation’s values.
Learning & Development
- Coordinate training activities and support professional development initiatives for research and support staff.
- Some delivery of internal people-related training
- Assist in identifying skills gaps and contributing to workforce development plans.
Policy & Compliance
- Ensure HR practices comply with employment legislation, charity sector regulations, and best practice.
- Monitor and assist with the development, review, and implementation of HR policies and procedures, including handbook updates.
- Support equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives across the organisation.
HR Projects & Continuous Improvement
- Contribute to HR projects such as staff engagement, wellbeing initiatives, and organisational development.
- Support the implementation of HR systems improvements and process efficiencies.
- Collect and analyse HR data to inform decision-making and reporting.
Knowledge, skills and experience
Essential
- Experience in an HR administrative or officer-level role.
- Sound knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
- CIPD Level 3 or equivalent.
- Experience of supporting payroll and finance processes.
- Proven ability to establish and evolve people processes in a growing organisation.
- Proficiency in HR systems, such as BreatheHR or equivalent, and Microsoft Office applications.
- Experience of working in organisations with multiple staffing arrangements i.e. direct employees, secondees, contractors etc.
- Strong organisational and administrative skills with excellent attention to detail.
- Ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality and professionalism.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
Desirable
- CIPD Level 5 qualification (or working towards).
- Experience working in the charity, academic, or research sector.
- Experience supporting EDI and wellbeing initiatives.
- Familiarity with public funded and/or project-based staffing environments.
- Experience supporting or negotiating secondment arrangements, particularly within academic, charity or research environments.
Dimensions
- This is a full-time role, 37.5 hours per week, offered initially as an 18-month fixed-term contract with potential route to permanency.
- Flexible working across several geographical locations in the UK. Travel may be required to AHS locations and partner organisations.
- AHS is a national organisation, and our activities take place across the UK.
Application Process
All candidates are required to complete the application form which can be found when clicking 'Apply Now' via Charity Job.
Please refer to the ‘How to Apply’ section of the downloadable application form.
Please note that only applications submitted directly to Gravitate HR will be accepted for this position.
The closing date for applications is 11:00pm on Sunday 5 July 2026.
Interviews are currently expected to take place on Wednesday 5 and Thursday 6 August 2026.
Equal Opportunities Policy Statement
AHS is an equal opportunities employer, and as such aims to treat all employees, consultants and applicants fairly. It is our policy to provide employment equality to all, irrespective of:
- Gender, including gender reassignment
- Marital or civil partnership status
- Having or not having dependants
- Religion or belief
- Race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins)
- Disability
- Sexual orientation
- Age
We are opposed to all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination. All job applicants and employees who work for us will be treated fairly and will not be unfairly discriminated against on any of the above grounds. Decisions about recruitment and selection, promotion, training or any other benefit will be made objectively and without unlawful discrimination.
Values
It is an exciting time for the Adolescent Health Study (AHS) as we establish our senior leadership team and begin to plan the pilot studies. As the senior executive team evolves, the AHS values will be grounded in inclusivity, integrity, accountability, and collaboration.
All candidates are required to complete the application form which can be found when clicking 'Apply Now' via Charity Job, within Supporting Documents.
Please refer to the ‘How to Apply’ section of the downloadable application form.
Please note that only applications submitted directly to Gravitate HR will be accepted for this position.
The closing date for applications is 11:00pm on Sunday 5 July 2026.
Interviews are currently expected to take place on Wednesday 5 and Thursday 6 August 2026.
Registered Charity