Hr manager jobs in Islington, greater london

Salary                  £30,875 - £31,688 per annum
Location              United Kingdom with hybrid working options 
Team                    People & Culture
Line Manager      HR Advisor
Line Reports      None
Hours                  35 hours per week
Contract              12 months FTC
Grade                   4B

Closing date: 3 July, 2026 at 23:59 BST.

ABOUT THE ROLE 

We are looking for a proactive and organised HR Administrator to join our People & Culture team at Start Network. This is a great opportunity to play a hands-on role in supporting the employee lifecycle in a purpose-driven, global organisation. Working closely with the HR Advisor and wider People & Culture team, you will coordinate recruitment and onboarding, maintain accurate HR records and systems, support payroll administration, and act as a first point of contact for everyday HR queries. 

You’ll thrive in this role if you enjoy juggling priorities, working with detail and data, and collaborating with colleagues to deliver a positive and well-run people experience. In return, you’ll gain exposure to a broad range of HR processes, contribute to meaningful work in the humanitarian sector, and be supported to develop your HR skills in a growing and evolving organisation. 

WHAT IS START NETWORK? 

Our purpose is to be a catalyst for system-level change that improves the efficiency, effectiveness and ethics of humanitarian action. We do this by working as a network to develop, test & spread new ways of collaborating and resourcing locally-led crisis response and anticipation. 

Our current membership is made up of nearly 100 local, national and international NGOs based all around the world. We also support 10 national and regional hubs made up of civil society organisations and NGOs as our vehicle for devolving power, resources and accountability. 

OUR VALUES 

WE PUT PEOPLE FIRST: Communities come first in our decision-making and programming. 

WE ARE BRAVE: We have great ambition and are willing to explore new things and take risks to achieve it 

WE OPERATE COLLECTIVELY: We leverage the value of working as a network, sharing risk and resources, and learning together. 

WE ARE INCLUSIVE: We see the value in diverse perspectives and work to remove the barriers that prevent voices from being heard. 

WE ARE OPEN: We work transparently and with integrity, building mutual trust in all levels of our work, from governance to programming. 

WE ARE ETHICAL: We behave and operate based on key principles of anti-racism, non-discrimination, and anti-colonialism. This is a work in progress. 

OUR OFFER TO YOU 

• Being a part of a network involved in bringing change to the humanitarian sector. 
• Hybrid working with options to work from home and remotely to support your work/life balance 
• Employee Assistance Programme through Smart Health (depends on the country based) 
• Family friendly policies, e.g., flexible working, maternity policy, parental leave and more! 
• 25 days’ holiday (if UK based) plus 2 company days over the End of Year period for all staff (depends on the country based) 

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES 

Our roles are open to discussion about flexible working. For part-time working and job-shares, please get in touch with us before putting in an application. 

Start Network is committed to protecting people, particularly children, at-risk adults and affected populations from any harm. We are also committed to safeguarding staff from any forms of bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and abuse of power as outlined in the Dignity at Work policy. Start Network embraces diversity, promotes equality of opportunity and eliminates unlawful discrimination. We are an equal opportunities employer and treat every application on merit alone. We particularly encourage applications from disabled, BAME, LGBTQ+ and non-binary candidates. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet our essential selection criteria set out in the Person Profile.

APPLICATION

Please contact the People and Culture Team if you have any questions or need support with your application.

We use Be Applied, our online recruitment platform which uses anonymised applications and predictive, skill-based assessments which are blind- reviewed to reduce bias. 

Closing date: 3 July 2026

Date for 1st Interview: 8th of July, 2026 (Subject to change)

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications and we may review candidates on an ongoing basis, so please apply early where possible to avoid disappointment. 

Any offer of employment will be conditional subject to relevant checks. Please refer to our privacy candidate privacy notice regarding treatment of your data. Start Network also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. The core of the scheme is that participating organisations share information about safeguarding-related misconduct (i.e., sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment) that a candidate has been found to have committed during employment, or incidents under investigation when the candidate left employment. For more information regarding this scheme, please visit their website.

Job Purpose: 

The International HR Operations Administrator provides pro-active, generalist HR operations support to all staff. This role involves supporting all aspects of the employee lifecycle, including recruitment, on-boarding and orientation, performance management, learning and development, monthly payroll, benefits administration, as well as assisting with HR administration and the HR system. 

Key to this role is the ability to be efficient and well-organised, as well as to build strong working relationships, and manage HR-related issues in a professional and timely manner. 

Scope and Limits of Authority: 

The post holder is expected to organise their own day-to-day activities according to the overall priorities and timescales set. 

● This role does not have line management responsibility 

● Assisting with contracting and managing consultants and interpreters 

● Processing personal and confidential staff data 

Key Responsibilities: 

HR Strategy, Planning & Budgets 

● Processing HR activity invoices, ensuring accurate reporting in line with agreed budget criteria 

HR Policies & Processes 

● Supporting staff to understand and comply with HR policies and procedures as needed and raising any concerns to line managers. 

Global Resourcing & Payroll 

● Assisting with all recruitment activity, including finalising job descriptions, planning recruitment activity, placing adverts, support with selection and appointment processes, and scheduling interviews 

● Assisting with the monthly payroll for all staff globally, including providing relevant information to outsourced employment (EOR) and payroll only providers, processing invoices and maintaining relevant records; tracking payroll changes for all staff 

● Assisting with administration related to cost of living reviews (e.g. writing letters, updating the HR system) 

● Assisting with the management of all benefit administration including pension, Employee Assistance Programme, Life Assurance etc. 

● Assisting with the effective on-boarding of new starters and managing the orientation process 

● Assisting with termination / end of employment processes 

● Assisting with consultant due diligence processes as needed 

Staff Engagement & Employee Relations 

● Assisting with employee engagement activities such as staff surveys and employee wellbeing activities. 

● Assisting with staff communication activities as needed andensuring the HR section of the Secretariat Space is accurate 

Talent Management 

● Assisting with the performance management process to ensure reviews are completed on time and documented effectively 

● Assisting with L&D activities by identifying and monitoring training opportunities for staff 

HR Administration & Reporting 

● Draft offer letters, contracts, employee correspondence and paperwork covering the whole employee life cycle e.g: Maternity / new starts / Leavers etc 

● Provide administrative support in various tasks including meeting notes, booking meetings 

● Effectively monitoring the HR team’s shared email accounts 

● Keeping the HR system up to date, supporting staff to use it effectively 

● Maintaining HR records, in line with data protection regulations 

● Contribute to the life and work of the wider Resources team, helping out administratively where necessary 

Cross Team & Cross Secretariat Responsibilities 

● Building, maintaining and developing relationships with colleagues across all teams in the Secretariat, contributing to the delivery of the Alliance mission and Family for Every Child’s strategy 

● Contributing to cross-team work as needed and cross Secretariat project teams 

● Establishing and maintaining efficient administration systems, including digital filing 

● Undertaking any other reasonable duties or projects as required to support the work of the Secretariat 

Self-Management 

● Working in a results focused, open and collaborative way with agility, flexibility and a ‘can do’ mentality, enabling colleagues to thrive in a remote working environment 

● Keep up to date professionally and take responsibility for own professional development 

Person Specification: 

Education, qualifications, knowledge and experience 

Essential: 

● Educated to UK A Level (International level 3) or equivalent qualification or experience 

● Relevant and recent experience working in generalist/operational HR at a similar level 

● Knowledge of HR best practices (UK & International) 

● Experience of working in a fast paced environment 

● Experience of supporting multi-disciplinary teams 

● Experience of remote working 

● Experience of working in a multicultural environment 

● Experience of effective communication at all levels across an organisation 

Desirable: 

● Degree in a relevant discipline 

● Professional qualification in HR

● CIPD membership 

● Experience of embedding HR policy and process 

● Experience of working within a network organisation 

● Experience of working with Google suite 

● Good understanding of charity sector/international development and/or international membership organisations 

● Experience of working with an HR management system 

Skills, personal attributes and behaviours 

Role specific skills 

● Ability to maintain a high degree of confidentiality in relation to a range of information 

● Ability to be responsive to multiple requests 

● Ability to establish rapport with a variety of stakeholders 

● Strong interpersonal skills 

● High level of accuracy and attention to detail 

● Proactive approach to problem solving 

● Ability to prioritise work and work to deadlines within a changing environment. 

The following skills and personal attributes are expected of all staff 

● Flexible and adaptable; willing to contribute to other streams of work and across teams 

● Highly skilled communicator, in different formats, and capable of working across languages and cultures (using translation and interpretation support as relevant) ● Flexibility to work outside typical working hours and across time zones, especially in relation to line management responsibilities and to support cross team working ● Highly organised and self-motivated, able to manage and deliver on multiple concurrent tasks 

● Competent IT proficiency across a range of packages, able to learn quickly and troubleshoot problems independently 

● Ability to use initiative and work without close supervision, working both as part of a team and as an individual 

● Excellent command of English (oral and written) is a must, but working knowledge of Spanish, Portuguese, or French is appreciated to broaden the range of language skills within the Secretariat 

Due to the urgency of this role, we’ll be reviewing applications and holding interviews as soon as strong CVs are received. We’re ideally looking for someone who can start immediately, as our superstar currently in the role will be heading off to new adventures on 15 July. Candidates who are available to begin straight away will be prioritised.

As we anticipate a high level of interest, we will only be contacting shortlisted candidates. If you haven’t heard from us by 10 July, please consider your application unsuccessful. We truly appreciate your interest in joining Family for Every Child and thank you warmly in advance for taking the time to apply.

Please note that only candidates with the Right to Work in the UK should apply. We carry out full RTW checks and are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

Location: Hybrid working. Our flexible working policy requires everyone to be in our east London office for 25% of the time as a minimum because building in-person relationships is important to us (for this role we ask that you come to the office every week for the minimum of one day), but you’re welcome to be there more as many staff are.

Salary: £48,524 p.a.

Hours: Permanent, full-time, contract. At NEON, we work a 28 hour week - the equivalent of a 4 day standard work week. This can be done over 4 or 5 days.
Benefits:  a 28-hour week, 7.5% employer matched pension, genuinely flexible working, 20 days holiday per year (25 days pro rated for a 4 day week), plus bank holidays and Christmas break, a progressive Parenting Policy, Sabbatical Policy, and a generous staff development budget

Reporting to: Director of Operations

Application deadline: Sunday 19th July, 11.59pm

Interview dates: First round of interviews (online): Mon 3rd - Weds 5th August 2026, second round of interviews (in person): Thursday 13th August 2026

This role requires that you are resident and have the right to work in the UK

About NEON  

NEON is a capacity and infrastructure building organisation that seeks to accelerate the transition to a new economy by building the power of social movements - because without strong social movements we lack the power we need to win. We deliver trainings, develop resources, facilitate collaboration and work in partnership with key movement allies, especially in the climate, housing and migration movements. Our focus is on strengthening the organising, communications and strategy skills of social movement organisations, as well as deepening movement alignment, as we believe these are key to building collective power. As part of our work, we are looking to change the starting point in social movements from “what do we agree on” to “what can we win together?” 
 

Purpose of this role

This role is the main point of contact for staff for all people & operations support. It is crucial in providing the systems and support that NEON staff rely on to do their best work by:

• owning NEON people and operations  policies and ensuring they are understood and applied consistently and equitably across the organisation;

• guiding staff through people processes;

• overseeing the smooth running of operations  systems across the organisation.

What you’ll be doing: 

1. Lead the full lifecycle of NEON staff, including recruitment, contracts, onboarding, ongoing management, and offboarding, while overseeing and supporting the Ops Assistant to run these processes. Lead on reviewing and improving people processes and ensure anti-oppression is embedded within them.

2. Manage HR systems and records, including contracts, payroll inputs, leave, training, appraisals, probations and policy implementation, ensuring processes are accurate, well maintained and completed on time by line managers.

3. Act as first point of contact for HR queries, taking ownership of NEON’s policies, processes, culture and employee relations. Advise staff and line managers on policies, accommodations, and support needs, conduct relevant HR meetings and escalate to the Director of Ops and People when appropriate.

4. Manage monthly payroll, submitting updates to the outsourced provider, checking accuracy of pension and other deductions, implementing pay increases and paperwork, and addressing staff payroll queries or signposting them to financial guidance.

5. Line manage the Operations Assistant to a high standard using the full spectrum of management tools and approaches e.g. mentoring, coaching, challenge and feedback using the feedback guidelines, more formal performance processes. Empowering them to thrive at NEON and perform their role excellently.

6. Oversee day-to-day operational support functions delivered through the Ops Assistant, including IT and systems, GDPR processes, office and facilities coordination, health and safety, staff event logistics and board logistics, ensuring tasks are completed on time and to a high standard, following NEON’s values.

7. Support the Director of Ops and People in developing and updating people policies, procedures, and practices, staying across emerging trends, and embedding a caring, anti-oppressive culture through organisational development projects such as internal comms, team guides, manuals, and frameworks.

8. Maintain core organisational administration, including Companies House filings, insurance renewals, subscriptions, and shared organisational inboxes.

9. Participate or lead on Operations projects as agreed, (e.g. HR systems, data protection, health and safety), with clear scope and prioritisation.

10.  Actively lead on the enhancement of the Ops Peer Support Network’s community of practice as part of implementing the network strategy.

11. Play an active part in the whole NEON team, contributing to organisation-wide plans

Who you are: 

• HR & people ops experience: You’ve worked in HR or people operations before and are confident managing the full employee lifecycle — recruitment, contracts, onboarding, performance, leave, payroll coordination and offboarding. You can hold these processes end-to-end and keep them accurate, consistent and compliant, whilst ensuring they align with the values and ways of working.

• Operational systems & improvements: You’ve held responsibility for systems like HR platforms, shared drives, IT tools or project management software. You’re confident in improving how things work and embedding changes so they actually stick and work for people.

• Strong organisation & reliability: You’re highly organised, detail-focused and someone who gets things done. You can manage multiple recurring processes (like payroll cycles, HR records and compliance tasks) and keep everything on track without things slipping.

• Line management experience: You’re a skilled and confident line manager, and able to support with feedback, development and performance. You know how to balance care with clarity and accountability.

• First point of contact for HR & ops support: You’re comfortable being a go-to person for staff questions on HR, people and operations. Supporting staff and managers with clear, practical guidance and handling sensitive issues with care, confidence and professionalism.

• Working knowledge of compliance areas: Good understanding of core compliance areas such as UK employment practice, data protection and health and safety. You know how to apply these in a proportionate, practical way that fits a small organisation.

• Self-directed and collaborative: You’re able to manage your own workload and priorities, whilst working naturally across teams, actively building relationships, sharing responsibility, and making sure work is joined up rather than siloed. You’re comfortable holding your own while staying deeply connected to the wider organisation and what others need from you.

• Proven understanding of anti-oppression work and commitment to tackling all institutional forms of oppression, bigotry and exclusion

• An affinity with NEON’s aims, objectives and organisational values of solidarity, generosity and respect.

We know that people from certain backgrounds and identities are often excluded in progressive movements and we’re committed to doing what we can to correct this. 

So:

1. We particularly welcome applications from marginalised groups, especially people of colour and other ethnic minorities, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Disabled people and those who identify as working class or have done so in the past.

2. We know the work goes way beyond "diversity", it's about making the space inclusive too. So we are continuously working on that at NEON. So far this includes tangible things like a flexible work policy so people have genuine flexibility around where and when they work and a 28 hour week as standard; a gender-neutral parenting/leave policy, an anti-oppression strategy which is held at senior level given how important it is to the organisation. It also includes the day-to-day work of creating psychological safety for everyone at NEON and celebrating the wisdom of black, indigenous, queer, Disabled and other cultures in the way we work and behave

There are no formal education requirements for this role. As long as you can show us you have the skills we don’t mind where you got them from! Also important to us is your potential to learn and grow in the role so even if you don’t have 100% of the skills listed we want to hear from you. 

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:

1. 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.

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

1. Experience in an HR administrative or officer-level role.
2. Sound knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
3. CIPD Level 3 or equivalent.
4. Experience of supporting payroll and finance processes.
5. Proven ability to establish and evolve people processes in a growing organisation.
6. Proficiency in HR systems, such as BreatheHR or equivalent, and Microsoft Office applications.
7. Experience of working in organisations with multiple staffing arrangements i.e. direct employees, secondees, contractors etc.
8. Strong organisational and administrative skills with excellent attention to detail.
9. Ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality and professionalism.
10. Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Desirable

1. CIPD Level 5 qualification (or working towards).
2. Experience working in the charity, academic, or research sector.
3. Experience supporting EDI and wellbeing initiatives.
4. Familiarity with public funded and/or project-based staffing environments.
5. 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.