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Job summary
The HR Assistant supports the delivery of a modern HR service, helping the HR Delivery team meet the needs of UKHO in a responsive and efficient way, enabling the organisation to operate in a customer‑centric way.
Working as part of a collaborative HR team made up of both specialist and generalist roles, the HR Assistant plays an important role in ensuring everything runs smoothly behind the scenes - supporting our digital improvements while also contributing to a positive employee experience.
This role will provide support and guidance across the business, from signposting policies and responding to queries in our central inbox, through to providing administrative support, facilitation and guidance as part of the recruitment process.
As a team, we are currently undergoing changes to the way we work, including enhancing our digital capability and automating processes to improve efficiency. As a result, its important that potential applicants know that the role is presently focused largely on recruitment activity, although in future it is expected to broaden across the full employee lifecycle in time.
Hybrid working
This job role can be worked on a hybrid basis, which is an informal, non-contractual and voluntary arrangement, working between the office in Taunton and remotely within the UK. Office attendance is expected 60% of the time although the successful candidate will need to attend the office for a minimum of 2 days a week – one of these days must be a Tuesday to collaborate as a team in person.
Job description
- Work with other team members, including HR Officers, HR Assistants, HR Advisors, Systems and ER roles to provide a HR Delivery (HR Operations) service that enables UKHO to meet the needs of its customers.
- Monitor, provide acknowledgement and responses to our central HR inboxes in line with Service Level Agreements (SLAs), signposting information to managers and employees, escalating queries and activity where appropriate.
- Provide administrative support across the HR Delivery function including but not limited to note taking, letter generation, employee lifecycle updates, data entry and system maintenance.
- Working with other team members, manage requests across the full employee lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, contract changes and policy queries.
- Provide a campaign management service for recruitment activity, scheduling recruitment activity and supporting the onboarding process using our HR systems in line with functionalities (Note this is where a majority of the workload currently sits with plans in place to take a more generalist approach in time).
- Contribute towards HR related projects and activity
- Take responsibility for own personal development in line with personal development needs and that of the business.
Person specification
- Experience of working in either a HR Assistant or Recruitment Assistant role
- Experience of onboarding and carrying out pre- employment checks to ensure compliance with right to work requirements or regulations.
- Experience of ensuring operational activity is in alignment with governance and regulatory requirements (such as industry standards, regulations or legislation).
- Experience of monitoring and maintaining HR inboxes and HR Systems
- Proficient in Microsoft technologies – including but not limited to excel, sharepoint, word, outlook and Copilot.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Changing and Improving
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £28,109, UK Hydrographic Office contributes £8,143 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).At the UK Hydrographic Office, it's very important to us that our people feel valued.
We offer a huge range of benefits such as training and development, well-being support, flexible/ homeworking, a fantastic state of the art building, high spec equipment, and so much more.
See our attached Candidate Information Pack for more details.
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.How to Apply:
When you click "Apply Now" at the bottom of this page, you will be required to attach your anonymised CV and give a supporting statement of 500 words on the Person Specification/Experience criteria below.
Timeline:
- Advert Closes for applications: 15/07/2026
- Shortlisting: Week commencing: 20/07/2026
- Interviews: Week commencing: 10/08/2026
We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.
Sift/Shortlist Criteria:
All applications are processed anonymously. You will be short-listed against the following criteria - assessed from both your anonymised CV and personal statement.
Experience:
- Experience of working in either a HR Assistant or Recruitment Assistant role
- Experience of onboarding and carrying out pre- employment checks to ensure compliance with right to work requirements or regulations.
- Experience of ensuring operational activity is in alignment with governance and regulatory requirements (such as industry standards, regulations or legislation). This is the lead criteria which will be used if there is a high volume of applications.
- Experience of monitoring and maintaining HR inboxes and HR Systems
- Proficient in Microsoft technologies – including but not limited to excel, sharepoint, word, outlook and Copilot.
Interview Criteria:
You will be interviewed against the following criteria:
Civil Service Strengths
- Resilient
- Organiser
Civil Service Behaviours (AO Level)
- Managing a Quality Service
- Changing and Improving
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
See here for further information: Success Profiles: Civil Service Behaviours
Process:
- Single Stage Interview via MS Teams. You will be contacted to book a suitable slot if you are shortlisted (see our Candidate Pack for further information)
- Interview will be with a panel of no more than 2 people and will last approximately 45 minutes.
Onboarding Checks:
In the event you are offered a role with us, you will be required to go through Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks which will include Employment and Right to Work Checks. Please see our attached Candidate Pack for further details and Terms.
Residency Requirements:
BPSS – non reserved
This is a Ministry of Defence non-reserved post and is open to UK, British Commonwealth, and European Economic Area nationals. Successful applicants will be required to pass the Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) and will therefore need to provide evidence if they have resided outside of the UK for a period of 6 months or longer within the last 3 years. This is not a bar to employment, but a successful applicant will be required to provide sufficient evidence to allow the UKHO to conduct meaningful background checks. Please contact the recruitment team on the email address below if you have any concerns regarding this.
Please note, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship.
Due to the secure nature of our work, there may be eligibility restrictions if you hold dual nationality or are not a British Citizen. We will consider each application on a case-by-case basis. We will ask you in our application form to confirm your place of birth and details of any dual or previous nationalities.
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
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.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 :
Recruitment team
- Email : recruitment.queries@ukho.gov.uk
Further information
The Department’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment based on merit, open and fair competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, details of which can be found at http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact recruitment.queries@ukho.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can further contact the Civil Service Commission at: civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk or view more details at http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.ukAttachments
UKHO Candidate Information Pack (3) Opens in new window (pdf, 5685kB)Additional Pay Information Opens in new window (pdf, 331kB)Salary range
- £28,109 per year