HR Administrator (6-month FTC)

About Methods

Methods is a £100M+ IT Services Consultancy who has partnered with a range of central government departments and agencies to transform the way the public sector operates in the UK. Established over 30 years ago and UK-based, we apply our skills in transformation, delivery, and collaboration from across the Methods Group, to create end-to-end business and technical solutions that are people‑centred, safe, and designed for the future. Our human touch sets us apart from other consultancies, system integrators and software houses - with people, technology and data at the heart of who we are, we believe in creating value and sustainability through everything we do for our clients, staff, communities and the planet. We support our clients in the success of their projects while working collaboratively to share skill sets and solve problems. At Methods we have fun while working hard; we are not afraid of making mistakes and learning from them. Predominantly focused on the public‑sector, Methods is now building a significant private sector client portfolio. Methods was acquired by the Alten Group in early 2022.

Purpose of the Role

The Human Resources department combines care and compassion with the corporate and business know‑how needed to empower colleagues and facilitate forward thinking in the workplace. Put simply, it involves all actions that support our people to be the best and most honest versions of themselves, from the moment they start their life with us until the moment at which they leave. We are responsible for and manage the entire employee life cycle with empathy and business know‑how. The role of HR Administrator is seen as a key element in the team. The role’s primary focuses will be to offer an exceptional service to all colleagues – current, prospective and former; to efficiently carry out the administration tasks of the HR department. The HR Administrator will provide exceptional HR support, and in doing so will be exposed to all areas of HR, including employee relations, organisational change, HR policy and process.

Key Tasks

• Responding to queries that arrive in the HR Inbox.
• Support the business with creating offer letters and contracts of employment for candidates.
• In a timely manner, draft letters regarding end of employment and variation of contract.
• Ensuring letters have been issued to colleagues, signed and saved to all colleague files.
• Draft letters covering numerous matters inclusive of Bonus payments, salary, leave entitlements, change of Line Manager, change of location and other employment related changes.
• Request probation completion paperwork from line managers and draft probation completion letters to colleagues.
• Manage documentation through Docusign and HCM.
• Ensure that all procedures are adhered to when colleagues are onboarded and offboarded.
• Support the HR Team by taking part in the company Induction preparation, facilitating and ensuring the 2 days run smoothly raising any issues to Team colleagues.
• Save documents and relevant correspondence to colleague files, ensuring pre‑checks are completed prior to audit and actioning any outstanding requirements prior to audit commencement.
• Share Benefit Information with colleagues at the end of probation and upon request.
• Save Pension Opt‑In and Opt‑Out forms to employee files.
• Set up new colleagues on HCM and complete related tasks.
• Ensure that colleague records are correctly maintained and authorised within HCM and the benefits portal.
• Process invoices on behalf of the HR team.
• Ensure leave balances are correctly maintained and adjust leave balances when entitlement changes.
• Enter sickness absence onto HCM and save fit notes to employee files.
• Guide colleagues on how to use Employee Self‑Service to update personal information.
• Update and monitor the company’s benefits platform to ensure benefit changes are captured.
• Assist colleagues with general HR and payroll queries, escalating issues to the HRBP or Payroll.
• Assist the HR Department with various projects on an ad‑hoc basis.
• Minute take in Performance and Employee Relations or other meetings.
• Build an up‑to‑date understanding of legislation relating to Employment Law through workshops, newsletters and articles, with the Company’s support.
• Take on more responsibility as knowledge grows and develop.
• Prepare monthly reporting data, reports for senior leadership, audit purpose and custom reporting as required.
• Carry out general administration tasks in the HR team.
• Research law and legislation when required.

Person Profile/Educational Level/Qualifications Required

CIPD qualified level 3 (Not mandatory)

Experience/Knowledge

• Experience working in organisations with well‑defined HR practices, ideally in fast‑moving arenas.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• A keen eye for detail and an organised, process‑orientated outlook.
• Integrity and confidentiality, leading by example to set the standard for personal integrity.
• Generalist experience in assisting and supporting a team or individuals.
• A good base understanding of HR practices and an interest in pursuing a career in HR.
• An enthusiastic approach to learning.
• A good practical understanding of MS Office.
• Ability to build relationships and earn trust.
• Good problem‑solving skills.
• Able to prioritise workloads and stakeholders in a fast‑paced and demanding environment.

Methods is passionate about its people; we want our colleagues to develop the things they are good at and enjoy. By joining us you can expect:

• Autonomy to develop and grow your skills and experience.
• Be part of exciting project work that is making a difference in society.
• Strong, inspiring and thought‑provoking leadership.
• A supportive and collaborative environment.
• Wellness 24/7 Confidential employee assistance programme.
• Social – Breakfast Tuesdays, Thirsty Thursdays and Pizza on the last Thursday of each month and commitment to charitable causes.
• Time off 25 days a year.
• Pension Salary Exchange Scheme with 4% employer contribution and 5% employee contribution.
• Life Assurance of 4 times base salary.
• Private Medical Insurance which is non‑contributory (spouse and dependants included).
• Worldwide Travel Insurance which is non‑contributory (spouse and dependants included).