Payroll and hr officer jobs in Newcastle

Permanent, full-time (37.5 hours per week)

Remote working with some UK and international travel

We are looking for an ambitious, experienced and passionate Chief Financial & Operations Officer (CFOO) to join The Lifescape Project, leading the evolution, management and delivery of our financial and operational capacities as the organisation grows.

Our impact as a charity depends on excellent financial management and the efficient provision of supporting operational structures, policies and ways of working. As the organisation grows and diversifies, we need a dedicated Chief Financial and Operations Officer to lead the management and development of these critical functions in close liaison with the CEO. The CFOO will be second in command to the CEO and a key member of the Management Team.

About us and the role

We are a small and quickly growing UK-registered charity whose mission is to protect and restore wild, natural landscapes. We use the skills and expertise of our multi-disciplinary team (spanning science, law, economics, technology and culture) to develop projects that pursue this mission.

We use the approach of combining disciplines to design and deliver our work because the biodiversity crisis is driven and impacted by social, economic, legal and other complex factors. It is increasingly recognised that the urgent transformative change needed for a sustainable future on our planet is most effectively achieved through this approach. The Lifescape Project has a unique ability to apply these diverse areas of expertise to our mission whilst maintaining the agility of a smaller organisation in delivering our work.

Working in pursuit of our 2020-2026 strategy, the Lifescape Project has seen rapid growth in its impact, team and revenue since commencing work in 2020. Our annual revenue has increased from £265,000 in FY 2020/2021 to £1.2m in FY 2024/2025, with further growth expected in the current FY. Our team has grown from just one to a team which will number 20 at the time of the successful CFOO candidate joining. This growth to date and planned future growth requires constant evolution of our financial and operational infrastructure and an experienced hand to guide this process, which is the core purpose of the CFOO role we are seeking to appoint.

We are excited to be hiring for this role, which will be transformational for the organisation, allowing us to develop our approach to financial and operational matters and support the continued growth of our team and impact. The role will act as second in command and will deputise for the CEO when absent. We are therefore looking for a highly capable and experienced finance and operations leader with the vision to ensure that we continue to grow in a sustainable, effective and efficient way.

We currently have a full-time manager and officer in our Finance and Operations team (F&O Team), which the CFOO will be joining to oversee, develop and guide all relevant functions. With the small size of the team at this time, the CFOO will be expected to jump into the detail in some areas. In the short term this will include delivering some of the more complex areas of the F&O team’s work, such as the audit process, multi-year financial planning and legal compliance, with support from other team members and external advisers as appropriate. If we continue to succeed in delivering our growth strategy, the role will progress over the medium term with increasing team size/supervisory duties and reducing involvement in immediate implementation. Remuneration would also increase in line with growth and assuming strong performance in the role.

For further information, please download the job pack below. Candidates must review the entire job pack before applying.

To apply, please email a cover letter and CV (each a maximum of 2 pages).

Closing date: 9.00pm on 29th January 2026, however we will be reviewing applications as they come in and reserve our discretion to extend the deadline if necessary.

First interview: First round interviews are expected to take place virtually on Microsoft Teams between 3rd-6th February.

Second interview: Second round interviews are expected to take place between 23rd-27th February.

Assessed task: There will be an assessed task which candidates will be asked to complete, either before the first round or second round interview.

Start date: The role will commence as soon as possible from 1st April 2026, subject to the successful candidate’s availability.

Purpose of the Role 

The HR Officer provides comprehensive HR support across the organisation, ensuring best practice and compliance with employment legislation. This role covers the full employee lifecycle, HR administration & HR system admin, policy implementation, and coordinating employee engagement initiatives, while contributing to long-term HR projects and organisational change. 

Key Responsibilities 

Employee Lifecycle Management 

• Act as the first point of contact for employee queries and concerns. 

• Coordinate recruitment processes, including building job packs, setting up roles on BrightHR, advertising vacancies, and supporting shortlisting. 

• Schedule and coordinate interviews. 

• Prepare employment contracts and issue HR letters (e.g., annual pay reviews, leave requests). 

• Manage pre-employment checks and ensure new employees receive starter information. 

• Plan and oversee induction for all new staff. 

• Support probation reviews and oversee the bi-annual appraisal processes. 

HR Administration 

• Maintain accurate employee records in BrightHR and BrightSafe. 

• Complete regular HR admin activities and manage queries from staff and managers. 

• Track and report monthly staff absence data. 

• Inform the payroll bureau of monthly changes affecting pay (salary/hour changes, joiner/leaver, bank account changes, maternity, sickness, etc.) and liaise with Finance to verify payroll. 

• Ensure Data Protection procedures are followed for all HR records. 

Policy & Compliance 

• Support the implementation and periodic review of HR policies and procedures. 

• Maintaining the policy register. 

• Conduct regular audits to ensure compliance with employment legislation. 

• Provide advice and guidance to managers and staff on HR policies and legal obligations. 

• Ensuring DBS checks are carried out for colleagues having access to children’s data and visiting schools 

Employee Engagement & Wellbeing 

• Help coordinate the wellbeing committee. 

• Promote staff benefits, including eye care vouchers, pension schemes, and electric car salary sacrifice. 

• Manage the staff training programme in BrightHR and BrightSafe, ensuring completion of mandatory training and promoting non-mandatory development opportunities. 

Projects & Organisational Development 

• Lead and support HR projects to improve processes and systems. 

• Assist with organisational change initiatives and contribute to HR strategy development. 

• Support long-term projects such as benefits review and pension provider transition. 

Offboarding 

• Handle the leaver process, ensuring smooth offboarding and accurate record updates. 

• Ensuring the exit interview is carried out, share with the line managers and ELT 

Supporting ELT (approximately 5 hours per week) 

• Coordinating multi-calendar meetings 

• Analysis and research to support initiatives 

• Coordinating projects 

Skills & Experience 

• CIPD Level 5 (preferred) 

• Strong knowledge of HR best practices and employment legislation. 

• Excellent organisational and communication skills. 

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work collaboratively with managers and staff. 

• Knowledge and skills in managing an HR system. 

• Experience in HR administration and employee relations. 

• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion. 

Our client funds pioneering solutions and robust research to inform and improve humanitarian response. We partner with a global community of humanitarian actors, researchers, and innovators to improve the quality of humanitarian action and deliver better outcomes for people affected by crises.

Prospectus are proud to be supporting this charity with their search for an Interim HR Manager at a time of change for the organisation. The HR Manager is responsible for delivering high-quality people management across the organisation in a standalone role. They manage an HR Officer to provide responsive advice, efficient processes and a positive employee experience throughout the lifecycle, from recruitment and onboarding to development, performance and exit. Working closely with the Director of Finance & Operations, the postholder ensures policies, systems and procedures are legally compliant, well-communicated and fit for purpose, and that managers and staff have access to clear guidance and practical support. They ensure HR decisions are informed by accurate data and sector good practice, escalating complex or high-risk matters for senior oversight.

The successful candidate will be CIPD level 7 or equivalent with demonstrable experience of delivering efficient and positive employee lifecycle processes, including recruitment, onboarding and induction, contract changes, performance management, development and exits. You will be able to demonstrate effective change management, and ensuring practical advice and support to staff and managers on HR issues, ensuring fair, consistent application of policies and escalation of sensitive or complex employee relations matters.

Other responsibilities include ensuring that data including payroll-related information is processed accurately and on time, liaising with teams to resolve issues and maintain secure data flow and supporting staff wellbeing, engagement and inclusion by helping managers access relevant guidance, tools and external support where required.

The organisation are a remote first organisation and as such this role can be based from home, anywhere within the UK.  There are also offices available for those who would like to spend time in the office. This role is part time, 0.8 FTE (28 hours per week) and initially on an interim basis, funded until September 2026.

To apply for this role, please submit an up to date CV, along with a cover letter to detail your relevant experience for the role by using the job description. 

At Prospectus, we invest in your journey as a candidate and are committed to supporting you with your application. We welcome all candidates to apply, regardless of age, sex/gender, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, or pregnancy/maternity.

Dancers’ Career Development (DCD), the national charity that enables and empowers dancers to thrive professionally and personally leading up to and beyond their performance careers, seek a General Manager.

We are seeking an exceptional administrator who has experience in, or is interested in further developing, a broad knowledge of company management.

The main purpose of the General Manager role is to support the Executive Director, with the day-to-day operational management and administration of DCD.

The role will ideally suit a personable individual who enjoys varied responsibilities, working collaboratively within a highly productive, agile and supportive team.

If you are excited by this opportunity, resonate with DCD’s values and are passionate about making a positive difference to dancers’ lives, please get in touch; we would love to hear from you.

Contract: Part-time permanent role (24 hours per week)

Salary: £35,000 per annum, pro-rata

Start date: As early as possible

Location: This is a remote working role, with monthly in-person meetings which take place in London or Birmingham, with occasional additional in-person events and meetings as required by the charity. 

Benefits: 23 days holiday pro-rata plus Bank Holidays (increasing to 28 days with length of service), 5% Employers contribution to pension scheme, Health & Wellbeing package, Professional Development opportunities.

Deadline: Applications must be submitted by 9am, Thursday 22 January 2026

Further Info: Please download the Recruitment Pack from our website for full job spec and how to apply.