HR Operations Coordinator (maternity cover)

Job Title: HR Operations Coordinator (maternity cover)
Salary: £14,131 per year (This is £28,262 pro-rated, 0.5 FTE, 18.75 hours a week. If living home-based in London, salary is £15,631.)
Closing Date: 9am Monday 2nd November 2026
Reporting to: Head of People
Contract: Part time, Fixed Term Contract until October 2027.
Job Location: Based in England, working from home with occasional travel to Birmingham or London
Interview date: To be confirmed
Start date: December or January
About the organisation
Our mission is to support students from under-resourced backgrounds to access top universities through a unique programme of mentoring, skills coaching, and tuition. Students enrolled on our programme receive expert support from our University Access Officers, mentors embedded in schools to guide pupils through their education options, university applications and student life topics such as navigating student finance.
Safeguarding Statement
The Access Project is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Our safeguarding system is underpinned by a range of policies and procedures which encourage and promote safe working practice across the organisation.
Why work at The Access Project
People who work at The Access Project are motivated by the desire to create a fairer society. We all play an active part in achieving the mission to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds access top universities. At The Access Project, we’re a friendly, collaborative, supportive and inclusive team, with passionate people working together in Delivery, Sales and Partnerships, Strategy, Finance and Operations to achieve our mission.
Our values
Empowerment
We support students and our people to develop the skills and knowledge to accomplish their goals.
Courage
We encourage our students and our people to be authentic, innovative and ambitious in order to reach their full potential and deliver our mission.
Impact
We evolve our programmes through an evidence-led approach, supporting our students to achieve their best outcomes.
Inclusion
We respect and value individuality and engage diverse voices to achieve our mission.
Ownership
We hold ourselves accountable in all our actions and efforts. We ask “What can I do to improve my results?”
About the role
We have a vacancy for an HR Operations Coordinator in the Strategy, Finance and Operations team to provide Maternity Leave cover. The person will be supporting HR and People operational activities by delivering excellent support through strong relationships across the organisation. This is an exciting role for a motivated self-starter, who is keen to make a key contribution to our values-driven organisation and support with staff engagement.
Role responsibilities
Promptly responding and resolving colleague queries from across the organisation
Maintaining the BambooHR system to ensure People records are accurate and secure. Training will be provided.
Arranging bookings for Town Halls and Engagement events, organising the meeting agendas and catering bookings where relevant.
Updating HR information system guidance documents, delivering training to managers to ensure managers are fully trained on people management responsibilities.
Update employment policies with guidance from the Head of People, manage the administration of benefits and recognition awards
Manage the recruitment administration using the Bamboo software and providing proactive updates to hiring managers.
Managing the Onboarding and Offboarding processes using the BambooHR system, including obtaining the Employment references, conducting Right to Work, DBS checks and IT access.
Preparing and issuing employment contracts, ensuring compliance with employment legislation
Manage the induction process and arranging induction meetings for new joiners, communicating proactively with hiring managers.
Coordinate and participate in the virtual phone rota and handle correspondence in a a professional manner. This includes overseeing successful handover between rota team members.
Supporting the Chief Operations Officer in ensuring the charity meets Health and Safety and legal requirements
Support other operational activities as required
Person specification
Essential
Analytical and systematic problem-solving attributes
Passionate about technology and using it to develop efficiencies
Previous HR Administrator experience
Collaborative approach to business partnering and teamwork across Departments
Flexible approach to work and solution oriented
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Strong administrative skills and time management skills
Excellent attention to detail and high levels of accuracy
Able to handle sensitive and private information confidentially and professionally
Proficient in using Microsoft 365 applications effectively, incl. Sharepoint, data analysis, presentations, and numeracy skills
Proactive and supportive team player and willingness to learn
Experience of using BambooHR
A commitment to the mission and values of The Access Project
Desirable
Experience of HR information systems
Project management experience
Benefits
25 days annual leave p.a. (pro rata) plus Bank Holidays and 3-5 Winter closure days.
PerkBox – online shopping discounts, gym memberships, holidays, wellbeing support.
Employee Assistance Programme, a 24-hour helpline for staff
Online Medical assistance – access 24/7 to a qualified GP within minutes, with referrals and prescriptions available same-day.
Interest-free travelcard loans
Cyclescheme loans
2 paid Volunteering Days
1 paid Wellbeing Day
Employer’s pensions contributions (3%)
Learning and Development opportunities
Staff Mentoring scheme
The Access Project welcomes requests for flexible working arrangements
Equal Opportunities Statement
The Access Project aspires to represent the diversity of communities across the UK at all levels of the organisation and proactively takes steps to support this. We are committed to creating a culture where the experiences and voices of people from marginalised backgrounds are listened to and valued; where their skills are appreciated; and where their talents are nurtured and encouraged.
The Access Project is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. If you believe you have most of the skills to fulfil the role we encourage you to apply. Amongst staff at our organization, there is under-representation of people who are Black, Asian or people from ethnic minority backgrounds, disabled, care-experienced, from low socio-economic backgrounds, and who are LGBTQIA+ . We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience in reference to our mission.
We are proud to be a Level 1 Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments please contact us.
Disclosure of a Criminal Record
The Rehabilitation of Offenders 1974 (Exceptions) (Amendment) Order 1986 applies to posts where there is access to children. This means that applicants for employment that involves working with children and young people must disclose anything listed in their criminal record, with the exception of protected cautions and convictions. All Disclosures are carried out in the strictest confidence and are made only in connection with your application for employment and for no other purpose. The application for a DBS check at a level appropriate to the job role will be activated before your first day of work. Members of staff who are not eligible for a standard or enhanced DBS check are required to undertake a basic DBS check only in line with legal requirements. If you are selected for appointment to the role, you will be subject to this procedure.
Present or most recent employment
It is important to give full information, including the organisation you work in, or most recent employment if not currently working, full dates, address and explanation of any gaps in employment.
References
All appointments are subject to verification of employment and suitability of the candidate for the post applied for. We reserve the right to approach any previous employer for a reference and to verify their identity but will request your permission before doing so. If you have experience of working with children, please include this as one of your references.
Education, Qualifications and Training:
Ensure you give all the information requested, including dates, establishment where you studied and make c

Employment type
Fixed Term

Work arrangement
No