HR Assistant (HR Operations)

Job summary

The Government Commercial Organisation (GCO) was established in 2016 to be the employer of senior commercial professionals (Grade 7 and above) and support departments in improving their commercial capability. The GCO recruits, develops and retains senior commercial talent, helping to drive commercial best practice and improve commercial capability across Government.

Working in to the Government’s Chief Commercial Officer, the award-winning Commercial Capability Team, was set up within the Cabinet Office to support those in the GCO and the wider Government Commercial Function (GCF). Over the past few years, the size of the GCO has increased (now over 1600 employees), requiring a team of HR professionals to support this population.

We are looking for a highly organised and hard-working individual to join the GCO HR Operations team as a HR Assistant. As an integral part of our HR community, this role offers a fantastic challenge for an individual who has worked in a fast-paced operational environment and aspires to deliver excellent customer service. We also offer a friendly and supportive working environment, flexible working and ongoing development.

Job description

This is a fantastic opportunity to join an evolving and fast-paced HR Services team. This role would ideally suit a well-established administrator looking to build on their HR career within central government. As an HR Assistant, you will manage HR queries across the entire employee lifecycle—from onboarding new starters to managing annual leave and retirement processes.

Your work will directly support the wider HR team in delivering a successful, high-quality, and compliant HR service for senior commercial roles across central government. You will need to be conscientious, highly focused on delivering an excellent standard of customer service to senior stakeholders, and possess strong IT skills. To support your continuous development, lead areas of work will be shaped collaboratively with you and the team, dependent on the needs of the organisation.

Main Responsibilities

• Lead the onboarding of new recruits into the organisation. This includes issuing contracts, answering queries regarding terms and conditions and carrying out
  introduction calls.
• Work collaboratively with the HR Operations team to effectively manage the central HR inbox, ensuring all queries are resolved in a professional, timely manner and in line with expected Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
• Develop strong, seamless working relationships with internal teams, such as Workforce Planning and Recruitment, to ensure a cohesive customer experience for
  all GCO employees.
• Make accurate, timely changes to employee records on our HR system. Ensure all relevant processes are strictly followed and employee files are maintained to a high standard of accuracy.
• Provide proactive support to other HR leads (e.g., Performance, Talent, or Reporting) by running accurate reports, updating team communications, and guiding employees through required actions on the HR system.
• Support the overall running and effectiveness of the HR Service by undertaking ad-hoc duties, such as occasional note-taking and chairing the HR Operations team meeting on a rotational basis.

Person specification

Essential criteria

To be successful in this role, you will need to demonstrate the following essential skills and experience:

• HR Experience: Demonstrable previous experience working within a Human Resources environment is essential.
• A high level of meticulousness with a strict focus on accuracy and quality control.
• Proven experience working in a fast-paced, high-volume administrative role.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a particular ability to respond to senior customers and stakeholders professionally, clearly, and concisely.
• Excellent IT skills, including confidence in using Microsoft products (Word, Excel, Outlook) or their Google Workspace equivalents. Experience with HR systems such as Workday and Freshdesk / Freshworks.
• The ability to work calmly under pressure, adapt to changing priorities, and consistently meet strict deadlines.
• Comfortable working with data and possessing the basic numeracy skills required to accurately calculate things like salary changes (e.g., pro-rata adjustments) and annual leave entitlements.

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £29,727, Cabinet Office contributes £8,611 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Application process

After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Judgement Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application. Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23:55 on 16th March 2026. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

Our online test supplier will be performing scheduled maintenance between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on 8th March 2026. You will be unable to access tests during this period.

If you are in the middle of a test when the maintenance begins, your progress will be paused. You will be able to resume your test from where you left off via your application centre once the downtime has ended. Please note that you will not be able to launch any new tests while the system is offline.

As part of the application process, you will be assessed on your experience and will be asked to complete:

• A CV outlining your career history.
• A 750 words max statement of suitability. Please use your statement of suitability to explain how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria in the person specification section of the job advert.
• 250 word max response to the lead behaviour - Managing a Quality Service.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, Managing a Quality Service. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Selection process

Should you be successful at sift, you will be invited to attend an interview via Google meets where you will be assessed on experience, behaviours and strengths.

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – week commencing 16th March 2026

Expected interview date/s – week commencing 30th March 2026

Interview location - Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Further Information

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Cabinet Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/ Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Christine Burns
• Email : christine.burns@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service by email at : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk. For further information on the Recruitment Principles and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk.

Attachments

Cabinet Office Employee Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 302kB)Cabinet Office Terms and Conditions - External 2025-02-20 Opens in new window (docx, 83kB)