HR Advisor: Payroll, Data & People Ops

Here at NCC, we are looking for a proactive HR Advisor to join us for a 12-month fixed term contract. You will join a small, friendly HR team who are responsible for delivering the people strategy of the NCC and ensuring that our staff get the very best from their HR service. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone looking to build on their HR advisory experience, gain ownership of key HR activities, and play a meaningful role in shaping and improving HR processes and practice.

You will provide high-quality, pragmatic HR advice to managers and employees across the business, supporting them through the full employee lifecycle. Alongside this, you will lead our monthly payroll process, contribute to HR projects, people data reporting, and continuous improvement initiatives.

What you will be doing

• HR advice & employee relations
  • Provide timely and practical HR advice to managers and employees on a wide range of people matters.
  • Support and, where appropriate, lead on employee relations cases such as disciplinary, grievance, performance management, flexible working and absence management.
  • Partner with the HR Business Partner on more complex or high-risk cases, escalating where required.
  • Manage sickness absence processes, including return-to-work meetings, monitoring trends, and recommending improvement actions.
  • Coordinate leaver processes, conduct exit interviews, and analyse themes to support retention initiatives.
• Data, payroll & reward
  • Lead the monthly payroll process and act as the main point of contact for payroll queries.
  • Collate, analyse and report on people data including absence, attrition, recruitment and employee relations.
  • Produce management information to support operational decision-making and quarterly people reviews.
  • Coordinate annual pay and performance review processes and grading panels.
  • Support legislative reporting such as gender and equal pay reporting.
  • Ensure HR systems and records are accurate, up to date and GDPR compliant.
  • Support and maintain HR policies, procedures, guidance documents and the HR SharePoint page.
  • Support HR administration activity including contracts, offer letters, onboarding and pre-employment checks.
  • Act as HR lead for internal and external audits and conduct quarterly HR record audits.
  • Act as ‘Super User’ for the HR module of the unified business system.
  • Support or lead HR projects aligned to the HR strategy.
  • Develop and deliver training on objective setting, performance reviews and development planning.
  • Promote and administer the employee benefits package.

So, what are we looking for?

You will be an experienced HR professional who enjoys working closely with managers, providing practical advice and building strong working relationships. You will ideally have:

• Previous experience in an HR Advisor or similar HR generalist role.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Experience handling employee relations cases and absence management.
• Confidence using HR systems and working with people data and reporting.
• Excellent communication, organisation and stakeholder management skills.
• A proactive mindset with a passion for continuous improvement.
• CIPD qualification (or working towards) would be desirable but not essential.

What do we offer in return?

Hybrid and flexible working patterns as standard, annual salary reviews, company paid private medical insurance, up to 12.5% employer pension contribution, great people, honorary staff status at the University of Bristol. With a genuine focus on wellbeing, EDI and learning and development this is a chance to build your career in a thriving R&D facility with a bright future.

Who are NCC?

NCC is a world-leading innovation organisation that turns cutting-edge research and technology into industrial impact.

What we do

We help manufacturers take on bigger challenges - whether that’s building cleaner aircraft, scaling up offshore wind, or strengthening the UK’s supply chains. We’re here to deliver practical outcomes, not prototypes that sit on shelves.

Who we work with

We work across 16 sectors, from defence and energy to infrastructure and space. Some projects are with global tier 1s, others with small UK firms solving one specific problem - the works always varied, and always real.

What it’s like here

We’re not a startup. We’re not a corporate. We’re a national centre with the kit, time and people to do the job properly. The teams are focused, the thinking is sharp, and you’ll be trusted to get on with it.

Why this job matters

This role isn’t just internal support - it’s part of how we deliver nationally important work. If we do our job right, the UK’s manufacturers can do theirs better.

Not sure you meet all the requirements? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other underrepresented groups tend not to apply for jobs if they think they may not meet every qualification, when in fact they often do. At the NCC we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

We ensure that all hiring decisions are made without regard to age, race, national origin, sex, disability, gender, gender identity, religion, or any other protected characteristics, and will treat all applications with the strictest confidence. We’re always open to hearing how we can support flexible working in different ways, including part-time work. Please don’t be afraid to ask about what we can do to support your needs including alternative ways to apply. Please contact recruitment@nccuk.com. All requests will be carefully and fairly considered. We wish you every success in your job search.