People Services Administrator in Newcastle upon Tyne

Salary: £29,588.00 - £31,236.00, pro rata, per annum.

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 14 April 2026.

The Role:

As the first point of contact for our colleagues, we are responsible for many aspects of HR, including recruitment and selection, contract renewals, leavers, promotions and probation. You will deliver an efficient administration service and act as first line support in relation to our people policies and procedures.

We are looking for candidates with a strong customer service background who can take ownership of enquiries and be proactive in solving problems. You need to have strong attention to detail, as you will be required to enter information related to colleagues' personal records. Therefore, as part of the selection process, we will be running an online data input accuracy assessment before the interview.

This role is part-time for 18.5 hours per week. We are happy to discuss a working pattern that works for you during the interview. This opportunity is fixed-term to cover maternity leave from 1 August 2026 until 1 April 2027.

If you would like to have a chat about this opportunity, please contact us. To apply, please upload a CV and letter of application of no more than one side of A4 outlining how you meet the essential criteria in the knowledge, skills and experience section below.

Key Accountabilities:

• Act as first point of contact for queries relating to the colleague journey from ‘hire to retire’ with a commitment to first time resolution of queries.
• Ensure information and guidance is in line with existing policy and procedure and liaise with specialists where required.
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the service by working as a team to achieve service levels for all People Services processes, through working in an agile way reacting to changes in demands.
• Generate routine reports from university systems to ensure Managers are provided with good quality and timely data to inform actions.
• Promote inclusive practices in respect of all that we do, ensuring that the service we provide is fair and accessible.
• Support Recruiting Managers throughout the end-to-end recruitment process by providing admin support and guidance around policy.
• Administer the full recruitment process and communicate with colleagues involved in campaigns to ensure the process runs effectively.
• Administer all processes relating to existing colleagues such as contract extension, fixed term colleagues, contract changes in line with policy and process.
• Work collaboratively with other Professional Services colleagues through visible and effective communication and provide administration support where required to other parts of the overall service.
• Ensure information and data input into HR systems is accurate and in line with the Standard Operating Procedure.
• Ensure all actions in relation to recruitment and existing colleagues are compliant with UK Visa and Immigration requirements.
• Oversee other compliance administration processes such as pre-employment checks and referencing.
• Support others in the team by providing training and guidance in own areas of expertise.
• Look for trends in stakeholder feedback to identify inefficient processes and support managers in developing recommendations for process improvements.
• Assist in developing and maintaining accurate and up to date Standard Operating Procedures.
• Support in testing all administration processes for system upgrades and annual testing requirements and update SOPs as required.

The Person (Essential):

• Experience in a customer orientated environment and a commitment to deliver excellent customer service.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with evidence of the ability to handle a variety of complex and/or sensitive queries and issues.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail with a commitment to data accuracy and integrity.
• Ability to work using own initiative and organise workload in response to changing demands and priorities.
• Track record in being able to learn and work to internal policies, procedures, regulations and legislation.
• Excellent IT skills with proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office Suite products and aptitude for learning internal systems.
• Experience of managing confidential and/or sensitive information with tact and discretion and a working knowledge of GDPR legislation.

Attributes and Behaviour:

• Ability to adapt style to consider cultural differences, behaviours and perspectives.
• Has a positive attitude towards continuous process improvement and looks for new ways to drive improvement.
• People orientated, approachable, willing to help others and share workload pressures and demands.
• Treats stakeholders as customers and takes pride in following through on enquiries and requests.
• Keeps an open mind and uses initiative to find alternative ways of doing things.
• Works in partnership with others and has exceptional interpersonal and collaboration skills.
• Demonstrates resilience to the demands of the role and pace of change.
• Promotes a culture of mutual respect.

Qualifications:

• Educated to NVQ Level 3 or GCSE Grades 4-9 in English and Maths.

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams. We believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.