Human Resources Officer in Winchester

Join Wonderseekers at a pivotal moment in our journey and play a defining role in shaping how we support, engage and empower our people. This is a rare opportunity to step into a brand-new role where you’ll have the scope to make a real and lasting impact - helping to build a high-quality, inclusive and forward-thinking People & Culture function.

Working as part of a small, collaborative team, you’ll play a key role in building strong, trusted relationships across the organisation, ensuring a connected and responsive people-focused approach. As a values-led charity, we believe that compassionate, inclusive and supportive people practices are critical to achieving our mission. In this role, you’ll play a central role in shaping HR processes, embedding approaches that reflect our ambition, our culture and our commitment to making a difference.

If you’re motivated by purpose, enjoy working closely with others, and are excited by the chance to influence how a growing organisation supports its people, we’d love to hear from you and explore how your skills and experience could make a difference in this role.

We are committed to making our recruitment process as accessible and supportive as possible. If you need this application pack in an alternative format, or would prefer to apply in a different way, we’re here to help.

• Working Hours: Up to 30 hours per week (4 full days, or 5 shorter days)
• Work Pattern: Flexible, with hours to be worked across either 4 or 5 days per week (weekdays, office hours). Work pattern to be discussed at interview.
• Location: Working between both sites – Winchester Science Centre and The Point, Eastleigh, working 1 day from home per week.
• Salary: £32,000 per annum (pro-rata). Actual salary based on 0.8 FTE: £25,600 per annum.
• Contract: Permanent
• Start date: ASAP
• Line Manager: Director of People and Culture
• Holiday: 25 days per annum plus bank holidays (full time, pro-rata for part-time hours). Option to buy/sell some leave and gain additional days for continuous service after four years.
• Benefits: Cash health scheme, life assurance, buy/sell annual leave, long service holiday bonus, café and shop discount, electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme, free tickets to WSC and partner attractions, family friendly leave, wellbeing policy, mental health first aiders, cycle to work scheme, financial loans, flexible IT, casual dress, staff events, enhanced pension contribution, inflationary pay rise subject to charity performance and more.

Closing Date: 22nd June 9am. Please note, we’ll accept applications until the closing date, but we may start interviewing earlier - so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Wonderseekers (the Charity behind Winchester Science Centre) strives to engage all children with science so they can live happier, healthier and more sustainable lives and contribute to improving life on Earth. The Charity runs Winchester Science Centre - a vibrant, hands-on experience for young children. Promising an exciting day out for families, with curriculum-linked trips for schools and an evening events programme, the Science Centre welcomes over 170,000 visitors every year. The Charity also delivers a free and impactful community programme for our priority audiences who may not have the opportunity to come to the Science Centre reaching over 10,000 people every year.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing charity in a newly created role, supporting the Director of People and Culture at a pivotal point in Wonderseekers’ development. The HR Officer will play a central role in shaping and embedding a people‑focused function that reflects and strengthens our mission, culture, and values. You will be responsible for delivering a comprehensive, high‑quality HR service across the organisation, ensuring our people practices are inclusive, accessible, and aligned with our charitable purpose values.

Acting as a trusted advisor, you will support managers and colleagues across the full employee lifecycle, providing pragmatic, thoughtful advice and guidance while ensuring alignment with our values. Championing wellbeing, engagement, and collaboration will be core to this role. As a proudly family‑friendly and flexible employer, Wonderseekers is committed to supporting wellbeing, work–life balance, and a culture where people can thrive.

The HR Officer will help embed this approach in everything we do - from policy and practice to everyday behaviours - ensuring our people feel supported, valued, and empowered to do their best work. This role requires a practical, hands‑on HR professional who understands the realities of working within a mission‑driven, resource‑conscious organisation. You will help us balance robust people practices with compassion, flexibility and proportionality, ensuring our approach always reflects our charitable values.

The People & Culture function at Wonderseekers is made up of the Director of People & Culture and this newly created HR Officer role, with some additional administrative support. As such, excellent communication, collaboration, and relationship‑building skills are essential. The post holder will work closely with the Director on a daily basis, sharing information, priorities, and insights to ensure a seamless, effective, and responsive People & Culture service for the organisation.

We’re always happy to chat about the role before you apply - just reach out using the details below. Please contact us if you’d like to arrange an informal chat, have any questions about the role before applying or would like to discuss support during the application process.

Contact us: Laura Ollis, Director of People and Culture