HR Assistant

The job holder will support the Human Resources team in the daily administration of its activities. They will assist with employee recruitment, onboarding, maintenance of staff records and staff relations and assist in implementing HR processes and policies. The HR Assistant will also liaise with employees in assisting with HR related queries for effective communication and conflict resolution.

Key Responsibilities

• Assisting Senior HR Advisors with recruitment processes, including obtaining employment references, carrying out background checks for relevant new starters, and preparing job offers and employment contracts.
• Responding to internal and external HR enquiries and requests in a professional and timely manner.
• Maintaining accurate electronic employee records and updating HR systems.
• Supporting payroll administration and preparing documentation for new and existing employees.
• Assisting with the administration of employee compensation and benefits.
• Supporting L&D inductions and training workshops.
• Coordinating onboarding process.
• Assisting with the organisation of HR events, meetings, and employee communications.
• Keeping up to date with HR best practice and contributing to improvements in workplace efficiency.

Skills and Experience

Essential Criteria

• Demonstrable experience in an HR Assistant, HR Coordinator, or similar HR support role.
• Experience providing administrative and operational support within an HR function, preferably in a fast‑paced organisational environment.
• Working knowledge of UK employment legislation and HR policies, procedures, and best practices.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Strong organisational and planning skills, with the ability to prioritise workloads and manage multiple tasks effectively.
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a professional HR team and build positive working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong attention to detail.

Desirable Criteria

• Knowledge of payroll processes and associated HR administration.
• Experience using HR information systems (HRIS) and other HR‑related software applications.
• A qualification in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related discipline, or evidence of working towards such a qualification.

Core Competencies

• A good understanding of HR best practice and activities and their link to business requirements and needs.
• Achieves and exceeds targets and consistently delivers exceptional results.
• Works collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders.

Personal attributes

• Good planning, time management and organisational skills.
• Effectively communicates and builds positive relationships at all levels, both internally and externally.
• Demonstrates a daily focus and has an enthusiasm for HR work.
• Has the ability to work well under pressure and to deadlines.

What we offer

Learning & Development

At emap, we believe that employee learning and development are the key drivers of our success. To ensure continuous growth and meet the ever‑changing demands of the workplace, we provide an environment that fosters continuous development for our employees. Our employees are encouraged to identify their areas of personal and professional development aligned with our strategic areas, including management development, health, safety & wellbeing, sales, events management, marketing strategy, editorial, and information technology. We have a structured framework designed to help equip our employees with the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviours to excel in their job roles, contributing to achieving our organisational objectives. To support our employees’ career development, we have designed specialised programs, as well as other stand‑alone role‑specific and generic courses, under the emap academy.

Benefits

emap is part of Metropolis Group. Together we are committed to providing a happy and healthy place to work, so we offer fantastic benefits and perks to our employees:

• 25 days of annual leave, with the option to buy or sell additional days. Pro‑rata for part‑time employees.
• One additional day of leave per year – Celebration Day.
• Health plan.
• Life assurance.
• Private virtual GP access.
• Seasonal flu jabs available at the office.
• Continuous learning & development opportunities.
• In‑house Excellence Awards and other innovation projects.
• Cycle‑to‑work scheme.
• Discounted gym memberships.
• Retail discount vouchers.
• Rail season ticket loans.
• Pension scheme.
• One paid volunteer day per year.
• Annual Summer & Winter Celebrations.
• Work from home during August.
• Income protection and more.

Privacy

Metropolis Group respects the privacy of every person for whom we have personal data. We comply with data protection legislation such as the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation which regulates the processing of data and ensures that your data is processed fairly and lawfully, is kept secure and only that data necessary for any processing is kept. You can see our privacy policy at www.metropolis.co.uk/privacy.

Diversity and Inclusion

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity and inclusion. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, age, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability status.

How to apply

Please submit your CV and covering letter. Due to the volume of applications, we receive, we are unable to give individual feedback at the application stage, however if you are successfully shortlisted you will be contacted within 10 working days of your application.