People Operations Advisor in Edinburgh

Salary - £38,939 - £41,321 Depending on experience

Hybrid working (50/50)

Location: Wallingford, Lancaster, Bangor or Edinburgh

Closing date: Monday 18th May 2026

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we find the right candidate, so we encourage you to apply early.

Are you proactive, people‑focused, and passionate about driving positive change? Do you enjoy working independently, building strong relationships, and supporting colleagues and senior leaders? If so, we’d love to hear from you.

We’re looking for an enthusiastic People Operations Advisor to support managers and employees across the organisation and help deliver a high‑quality, people‑centred HR service. You’ll play a key role in ensuring people processes run smoothly and consistently, while contributing to initiatives that enhance the employee experience.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Be the custodian of People data, ensuring its quality and accuracy to enable timely reports to support the decision-making process within the business organisation.
• HR system support - Workday: Work with the People Team to continue the development of the new business system to deliver our People & payroll services.
• Complete Workday audits including reviews and improvement of business processes.
• Assist with the payroll service provided by an outsourced payroll provider.
• Identifying and project managing continuous improvements for HR People and payroll processes.
• Manage full employee lifecycle administration, to include, completing all pre-employment compliance and reference checks, confirming start date and arranging corporate induction.
• Manage our internal People Operations online information network.
• Supporting international employee immigration queries including RTW and Visa Applications.
• Provide first-line Employee Relations support, confidently handling queries, delivering clear guidance in line with our People policies, and effectively managing or escalating more complex cases as appropriate.

For the role of People Operations Advisor, we’re looking for somebody who:

• Has established experience working within an HR/People Operations team and demonstrates a solid understanding of HR policy.
• Has proven skills in developing People business systems and reports for managing HR services and delivering payroll.
• Has a good understanding of people data analysis and synthesis, to inform process improvement and management decision making.
• Has operational payroll experience.
• Can use their skills to identify and implement ideas to support Employee Engagement.
• Has confidence in providing first-line Employee Relations support, effectively handling queries, offering clear guidance in line with HR policy, and appropriately managing or escalating more complex cases.
• Is confident in communicating and presenting ideas to the broader People Team and Senior Leaders.
• Can demonstrate confidence in leading within the People Operations Team, taking ownership of first line support and managing escalations.

Working for UKCEH is rewarding. We appreciate the continuous dedication and contributions of our staff, which is why we provide a comprehensive benefits package that includes financial incentives and wellbeing-oriented perks, such as:

• 27 days annual leave (rising to 29 days after 5 years’ service) plus 3 days for Christmas closure.
• 10% employer pension contribution.
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements (role dependant).
• Peer reward and recognition scheme.
• Dental insurance, gym/fitness discounts, retail discount portal.
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave.
• 24-hour, 365-day support with physical, mental, social, health or financial issues and much more.

If this opportunity resonates with you and aligns with your personal career goals, the team would love to receive your application.

To do: Please apply by submitting your CV along with a response to the question below. Your answers should highlight the qualifications, skills, and experience most relevant to this role.

Provide up to 150 words, using specific examples to demonstrate your personal contribution and impact. Please do not submit a separate cover letter.

Key initiatives and improvements implemented in your current role?

At UKCEH, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone—regardless of background, identity, ability, or circumstance—has the opportunity to thrive. As a Disability Confident employer, we actively encourage applications from neurodivergent candidates and those with disabilities. We are happy to provide any adjustments or support you may need throughout the application process—please don’t hesitate to reach out. So, if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every requirement, we’d love to hear from you anyway. You may be just the right fit for this role or another within our wider team.

Please note: Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role, and this does not qualify for endorsement to support a Global Talent Visa application. If you are considering pursuing self-sponsorship, please indicate this in your application so we can take it into account during the recruitment process.