HR Assistant (Fixed Term Contract) in London

This role is a 16 month fixed term contract - Full Time. We’re Pentland Brands: a global family business behind some of the world’s most iconic active and lifestyle brands. We bring integrity, energy and ambition to our work, setting high standards and striving to deliver great outcomes without ego.

The HR Assistant plays a key role in delivering a smooth, accurate and people-centred employee experience across the full employee lifecycle. Working closely with the wider HR team, this role provides high-quality administrative and operational support, ensures HR data integrity and helps bring our people processes to life in a fast-paced, multi-brand environment.

What you’ll be doing:

• Policy & Procedure Advice
  • Provide guidance to managers and employees on HR policies and procedures.
  • Support the HR Advisor in reviewing and updating policy documents.
  • Ensure consistent application of policies and escalate complex queries appropriately.
• Employee Relations & Administration
  • Maintain accurate and up-to-date employee records in line with GDPR and internal policies, including contracts, onboarding and absence tracking.
  • Respond to employee queries regarding HR policies, procedures and benefits.
  • Provide administrative support for employee relations cases and HR projects.
  • Attend meetings as an HR representative and take accurate, confidential notes.
  • Prepare agendas, circulate minutes and follow up on action points.
• Absence & Training
  • Monitor and record employee absence, supporting return-to-work processes and reporting.
  • Coordinate training sessions and maintain accurate training records.
• Payroll Support
  • Collate and verify timesheets, absence data and other payroll inputs.
  • Prepare and input monthly payroll data, including starters, leavers, absences and overtime.
  • Liaise with our payroll provider to ensure accurate and timely processing.
  • Assist with resolving payroll queries from employees.
  • Maintain accurate records of pay changes, deductions and other payroll-related updates.
  • Support monthly payroll audits and reporting.
• Wellbeing Initiatives
  • Support the delivery of wellbeing activities and campaigns across the business.
  • Help coordinate wellbeing events, communications and feedback.
  • Maintain wellbeing resources and signpost employees to relevant support.

What you’ll bring:

• Strong organisational skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• A high level of discretion and ability to handle confidential information sensitively.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, Word, Lists, and Outlook.
• A proactive, collaborative mindset with a willingness to learn and develop.
• Previous experience in an HR Assistant, HR Administrator or similar role (desirable).
• Experience working in a fast‑paced, multi‑brand or retail environment (desirable).
• Familiarity with HR systems such as Teamtailor, SAP SuccessFactors or similar (desirable).

Why Pentland Brands?

Pentland Brands is the name behind some of the world’s best-known sport, outdoor and lifestyle brands, including Speedo, Berghaus, Canterbury, Endura, Ellesse, Kickers and Mitre. We are a global family business with a clear purpose: pioneering brands that make life better.

Perks & Benefits

We offer a competitive salary, discretionary bonus, hybrid working, flexible start and finish times, generous holiday allowance, product discounts, sample sales, enhanced family-friendly policies, healthcare support, gym and fitness discounts, cycle to work scheme and electric car scheme.

The Interview Process

We want our interview process to feel clear, straightforward, and supportive. If your experience and expectations look like a strong match for the role, here’s what you can expect next:

• Talent Team Intro Call - A 30-minute video call with our Talent Team to get to know each other, talk through the role and your experience, and answer any questions you have.
• Experience Interview - A more in-depth interview (usually online) with the hiring manager to explore your skills, experience and approach, and how these align with the role, our principles, and our ways of working.
• Final Interview - A final in-person interview at our office, focused on deeper discussion and practical application, giving you the chance to meet more of the team and see Pentland Brands in action.