Human Resources Officer in Oxford

About Lady Margaret Hall

Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, set in peaceful, spacious gardens beside the University Parks. Founded in 1878 as Oxford’s first women’s college, LMH opened the door to higher education for women at the University, driven by a deep commitment to learning and equality. Today, the College continues to draw inspiration from this pioneering vision, with a strong focus on widening access and supporting academic excellence. Since 1979 LMH has been a co-educational community. We now have around 400 undergraduate and 300 postgraduate students, along with approximately 80 academic staff and 145 support staff. LMH is the only Oxbridge college to hold a Gold-level Investors in People accreditation, reflecting our commitment to developing and supporting our staff. We live by our values of Excellence, Knowledge and Understanding, Community, and Fairness. The College is known for its welcoming atmosphere, its strong sense of community, and its ongoing work to broaden participation in higher education.

The Human Resources Officer Role

We are seeking an experienced and proactive HR Officer to join our small, collaborative and supportive HR team working 37.5 hours per week. This is a newly-created role that reflects the College’s growing investment in our people and HR capability. We are proud to have been awarded Investors in People at Platinum level, the only Oxbridge to have achieved this. Working closely with the Head of HR, HR Manager and HR Officer, the post-holder will provide comprehensive end to end HR support covering the whole employee life-cycle. While there is a particular focus on academic HR and HR support for the North Oxford Shared College Service (NOSCS), the successful candidate will also be required to assist with recruitment, workplace investigations and ad hoc projects covering all staff. We are a friendly and adaptable team that welcomes new ideas, responds quickly to changing priorities, and continually looks for ways to improve impact and effectiveness. This is a varied, hands-on role offering an excellent opportunity for an individual looking to continue to develop their HR career in a values-driven environment.

Relationships

• Responsible to: Head of HR
• Liaison with: HR Manager, HR Officer, Senior Tutor, Academic Registrar, Academic staff, all People Managers and all College staff.

Key Responsibilities

• Recruitment & Selection
  • Take ownership of end-to-end recruitment processes across academic, non-academic, NOSCSs and casual staff.
  • Work with hiring managers to design job descriptions and adverts.
  • Manage advertising and candidate attraction and shortlisting processes.
  • Screen applications and support hiring managers in candidate selection.
  • Coordinate and participate in interviews where appropriate.
  • Manage the offer process and pre-employment checks (including right to work and references).
• Onboarding, Contract Changes & Offboarding
  • Produce academic and NOSCSs staff contracts and variations.
  • Prepare correspondence relating to staff changes.
  • Provide support for the annual pay review process and produce letters as required.
  • Work closely with payroll to ensure that new starters, leavers and payroll changes are implemented timely and accurately.
  • Monitor key dates and ensure relevant action is taken i.e. DBS renewals, training renewals, visa end dates, fixed term contract end dates etc.
  • Maintain accurate employee lifecycle records, disposing of HR documents in line with statutory retention dates.
  • Administer leaver processes including exit documentation.
• Employee Relations (First-Line)
  • Act as a first point of contact for HR queries from managers and staff.
  • Support manager with low-level employee relations matters, including sickness absence monitoring and trigger points, return to work meetings (basic level) and informal capability and conduct issues.
  • Escalate more complex cases appropriately and support formal processes where required.
  • Assist with workplace investigations as required.
  • Providing staff and managers with details and interpretation of HR policies.
• Training & Development administration
  • Invite staff to complete mandatory training.
  • Maintain records of training completion.
  • Respond to requests for training.
• HR Systems & Administration
  • Maintain and optimise HR systems and records, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality.
  • Monitor key dates (e.g probation, fixed-term contracts, visas, DBS renewals).
  • Identify opportunities to improve HR processes and system efficiency.
• Additional responsibilities
  • Provide administrative support for employee benefits including health care schemes, cycle scheme, flu clinic etc.
  • Provide cover for the HR Officer and HR Manager as required.
  • Provide ad hoc support for support staff recruitment.
  • Undertake ad hoc HR projects and continuous improvement initiatives from time to time.
  • As the College’s priorities develop, the post-holder may be asked to take on new areas of responsibility, with training and support provided as appropriate.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Essential

• Good general education (A level or equivalent).
• A minimum two years’ experience in an HR role, with exposure to the full employee lifecycle.
• Minimum of CIPD level 3 or working towards and commitment to further professional development.
• Sound and up-to-date knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, with a high level of attention to detail and accuracy.
• Experience of HR systems, data management and reporting.
• Experience of handling first-line employee relations matters (e.g absence, informal performance issues).
• Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to prioritise and keep track of multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to manage confidential information.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of people.
• Proficient IT Skills, including HR systems and Microsoft Office.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a higher-education or charity environment.
• Experience of the recruitment process and conducting interviews.
• Experience of conducting workplace investigations.
• CIPD level 5.

Terms, Conditions and Benefits

The salary will be c.£32-35k per annum, depending upon experience. Benefits of working for the College include 37 days holiday (including bank holidays), the option to join a University pension scheme and one free meal whilst on duty and the kitchens are open (when the kitchens are closed a meal allowance will be paid). Additional benefits include discounted bus/train travel to commute to work or salary sacrifice bicycle scheme, employee assistance programme, annual flu jab and eye examination, regular staff social events and wellbeing activities. Working hours – 37.5 hours per week, with exact working pattern to be agreed upon appointment. There will be an initial probationary period of four months. Applicants must be eligible to work in the UK.

How to Apply

Applications can be submitted via the ‘Apply Now’ button. Applicants are asked to upload: A covering letter indicating why you are applying for the role and how you fit the selection criteria, Your CV. The closing date for applications is midday on Monday 18th May 2026. First interviews will take place week commencing 1st June 2026 with second interviews anticipated for the following week.

A principal aim of this College’s Equal Opportunities Policy is to ensure that in the recruitment, selection, training, appraisal, development and promotion of employees, the only consideration must be that the individual best meets, or is likely to meet, the requirements of the programme or course or post. Lady Margaret Hall is committed to providing a learning, working and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all its members are respected, and which is free from prejudice, intimidation and all forms of harassment, including bullying. We seek to ensure that no-one suffers, either directly or indirectly, as a result of discrimination. Lady Margaret Hall has a range of family friendly policies.