Senior HR Assistant

Job summary

Want to work at the cutting edge of environmental science? Passionate about making a difference and playing your part in tackling the climate and nature crisis? Forest Research (FR) is all about giving top quality evidence and advice to policymakers and practitioners to make a positive impact on the ground. Internationally recognised, we need people who have the skills and passion to work on excellent science and provide practical solutions for nature.

We’re small enough that your voice is heard, yet large enough, as part of the Forestry Commission (FC), that we have everything on hand to get the job done, as well as a variety of career pathways. Our staff are dedicated to their work and sharing it with others to bring positive change for our planet. And you will find us a flexible and inclusive employer, so you can have a work life balance that is tailor-made to your circumstances. So, whether it’s climate or carbon, pests or pathogens, behaviour or biodiversity that interests you, you can be assured of a warm welcome to the team. To find out more, visit www.forestresearch.gov.uk

As a member of the HR Services team, you will work alongside other generalist HR Assistants and other colleagues in the Corporate functions. You will predominantly be responsible for providing support and HR transactional services to around 400 colleagues across FR’s business and locations, while also supporting national HR projects and initiatives.

Job description

Senior HR Assistants support the business by providing advice and transactional administration on a wide range of functions including recruitment, contract changes and payroll administration.

To provide HR administrative services as part of a multi-functional support team to managers and staff across FR, predominantly at the main sites of Alice Holt in Surrey and Roslin in Midlothian, responding to initial queries/requests as a first point of contact on HR administration and HR policy matters.

Advice and Guidance
• Respond promptly and professionally to enquiries from managers and colleagues by providing general HR advice utilising relevant policies, procedures or other information
• Work closely with HR Business Partners & colleagues in the HR Services team when the level of advice required is of a more complex nature
• Build a network of key stakeholders, such as Centre administrators and line managers

HR Administration and Transactional Processes

• Working with HR Business Partners and Senior HR Assistants, provide administrative support for defined Employee Life Cycle processes, taking responsibility for all HR administrative processes and actions in that area of work
• Provide support for recruitment processes, including use of the Civil Service Jobs application system and liaison with recruiting managers, undertake Pre-Employment and Right to Work checks,
• Preparation and issuing of employment offer letters and production of contracts of employment
• Administration of staff changes (e.g. promotions, secondments, maternity or parental leave, sickness etc, including the production and issuing of revised contracts and terms and conditions of employment
• Undertake support administration relating to Occupational Health referrals mainly for new starters
• Accurately process payroll changes into the CGI payroll system, and assist with payroll input checking prior to the monthly pay runs
• Respond efficiently to miscellaneous information requests within GDPR guidelines e.g. Employment references, mortgage applications etc

Data Management
• Ensuring all contract changes and starters/leavers etc are processed within the Unit 4/ Business World ERP system with integrity and are easily auditable
• Produce Business World and payroll information/data for reports to support business processes as necessary
• Managing sensitive information securely, such as pay, occupational health and diversity records

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Experience in a customer‑focused HR environment, delivering a range of HR services.
• Experience of interpreting and providing advice to managers on HR policies, terms and conditions and HR operational process.
• Proficiency with HR and payroll systems (e.g., Unit4/Business World, CGI)
• Ability to manage competing priorities with autonomy, maintaining high levels of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build constructive working relationships across multiple business areas.
• Experience supporting continuous improvement activities or implementing changes to HR processes.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of managing HR transactional changes accurately and effectively. This includes calculating statutory maternity leave, sick pay and annual leave, making contractual changes and sending associated letters for all changes
• Experience of using the CGI/Payroll system
• Experience of using the Unit 4/Business World system

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,105, Forestry Commission - Forest Research contributes £8,721 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Your career

• Excellent professional development opportunities which are tailored to your role, with paid professional membership subscriptions, mentoring, and Civil Service Learning available to all
• access to world class laboratory facilities, as well as state of the art buildings within forest or science park settings

Your work/life balance

• flexible working options such as: up to two days flexi leave per month, blended working, part-time working, paid special leave, career breaks, and unpaid leave. Parents and carers will be supported to enable you to manage work and family responsibilities
• A generous annual leave allowance of 25 days on entry increasing by 1 day each year to a maximum of 30 days (pro-rata for part-timers). Plus 2.5 days of additional leave and 8 days’ paid bank/public holidays

Your wellbeing

• A culture which promotes a diverse and inclusive work environment
• A range of wellbeing benefits including Employee Assistance Programme 24/7
• We want you to feel part of something bigger and we encourage a community feel in our workplaces, with everything from cookery competitions to Pilates and fell running, plus topical talks at Wellbeing Wednesdays and Feelgood Fridays
• Paid volunteering leave of 3 days per year so you can give back to your community and charitable causes by sharing your skills and time

Your benefits

• a highly competitive Civil Service Pension of 28.97% your salary
• an employee benefits scheme offering discounts on groceries, gym memberships, holidays, days out, online retailers and high street shops
• Cycle to Work scheme and Interest free loans
• Free parking is offered on-site, alongside electric car charging ports
• With maternity, adoption, and/or shared parental leave there’s the flexibility to have up to 26 weeks full pay, followed by 13 weeks statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid leave. Paternity leave of up to two weeks is available with full pay.

Any move to Forest Research 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. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

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 and Experience.

Please apply at Civil Service Jobs - GOV.UK

After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Numerical and a Civil Service Verbal Test. You will need to successfully pass these to be invited to complete the remainder of the application.

Civil Service online tests - GOV.UK

Please allow yourself sufficient time to complete these. We recommend you do so as soon as possible. You should allow up to an hour for each one, they are not timed and internet access will be required for the duration of the tests.

If you successfully pass both the Verbal and Numerical tests, you will be invited to complete the second part of your application. You will be asked to supply:

• A CV - setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role
• A Personal Statement – (limited to 500 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification.
• Submit a 250 word Statement for each of the 3 Behaviours listed: Communicating & Influencing, Managing a Quality Service & Working Together

We will use this information to assess your application against the essential criteria in the person specification.

Shortlist
The panel will select a shortlist of candidates whose applications best demonstrate suitability for the role, by considering the evidence provided against the Essential Criteria set out in the Person Specification. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.

Sift will take place 10 - 11 March 2026

Interviews are planned to place 16th & 17th March 2026.

Interviews will take place in person at Alice Holt or online.

If we receive a large volume of applications, then we will sift on CV and the Personal Statement. Candidates will be expected to answer questions on all behaviours listed at the interview stage.

Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be considered for other positions in Forest Research which may be at a lower grade but have a potential skills match.

Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role.

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.

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.

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 : hr.services@forestresearch.gov.uk
• Email : hr.services@forestresearch.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : hr.services@forestresearch.gov.uk

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact FR HR Services by email: hr.services@forestresearch.gov.uk you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.

Attachments

Success Profiles_ Civil Service behaviours - GOV.UK Opens in new window (pdf, 502kB)