HR Officer - CSC - 383

The Clinical Sciences Centre is an Institute of the Medical Research Council based at the Hammersmith Campus with close links to Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust and Imperial College London; we employ 300 scientists and other professionals who are researching key questions underpinning human health and disease. Working closely with scientific colleagues, the HR Group aims to recruit and retain the best staff in support of their work.

Overall Purpose

The CSC Human Resources team supports the CSC Director, CSC and Imperial College Group Heads in all aspects of staff management, including recruitment and retention, performance management and motivation, reward, restructuring and change management. 

The HR Officer is responsible for: 

• Providing an efficient and professional HR administration support service to meet the requirements of the MRC, and Imperial College. 
• Act as a point of contact for all CSC / ICS staff and will build strong relationships with the RCUK Shared Service Centre and      Imperial College Human Resources.
• Act as a local specialist for all aspects of recruitment and immigration. 
• Support the HR Manager and the Head of HR in the application of HR policies and procedures to Group Heads, Managers and employees.

Working Relationships

• Reports to the HR Manager
• Daily interaction with CSC HR team as well as CSC and ICS managers, employees, PhD students and Visiting Workers.
• Support the HR Manager and the Head of HR in communicating policies and procedures to all MRC / Imperial staff
• First point of contact for the RCUK Shared Business Services (SBS)
• Liaises with CSC Administration colleagues, RCUK Shared Business Services, staff at MRC Head Office especially MRC Corporate HR, Imperial College HR Team and Imperial College NHS Trust, and other outside bodies as appropriate

Main Duties

• Act as 1st point of contact for email or in-person queries entering the HR department (MRC and Imperial employees), resolving where possible and escalating when needed
• Liaise with Group Heads for MRC / Imperial to manage the recruitment of staff by co-ordinating the end to end recruitment process and ensuring the relevant people (Imperial HR / RCUK Shared Business Services (SBS)) are informed at every step. This includes having input to the development and finalisation of job descriptions and job advertisements, shortlisting, arranging interviews, salary setting, and ensuring immigration & visa requirements are met in accordance with current legislation and MRC / Imperial policy and procedures.
• Organise and arrange for contracts of employment to be produced and sent to successful candidates in a timely manner and ensure records of all new starters are maintained
• Organise and run CSC Induction programme for all new starters within CSC, either as a presentation to a small group or as 1:1 meetings. Coordinate the ‘New Starters Lunch’ and follow up on any queries raised or support required.
• Provide HR advice to managers for general HR and Recruitment issues, ensuring adherence to MRC policies and legislation.
• Liaise with staff on maternity and paternity policy queries and provide information and assistance on the application of the policy. Have 1:1 meetings with employees as required and ensure the Maternity Leave Tracker is up to date and any actions for payroll are appropriately actioned.
• In conjunction with the HR Manager plan, organise, advertise and coordinate training days and training workshops and Wellbeing events within CSC for all staff ensuring that a high level of delegate bookings is achieved, catering is ordered, that the trainers / facilitators have what they need and that the events go smoothly. Coordinate the collection of delegate feedback from events, sharing it with the appropriate stakeholders.
• Ensure effective leaver process is adhered to, ensuring the return of all MRC / Imperial College equipment.
• In conjunction with the HR Manager analyse monthly reports to ensure all fixed term contracts, leavers are dealt with according to MRC / Imperial policy and current legislation and the appropriate process is followed.
• Ensure accurate records are kept for all starters and leavers for the MRC / Imperial College on a monthly basis and any changes notified to payroll in a timely manner.
• Provide on-the-job training and day to day supervision / support to the HR Assistant.
• Support the Head of HR and HR Manager in the implementation of all HR policies.
• Support the Head of HR and HR Manager with arrangements for restructuring and proactively ensure that any related payroll enquiries & actions are delivered on time.
• Monitor sickness absence levels, highlighting to managers when employees exceed the MRC sickness absence monitoring point. In conjunction with the HR manager, provide assistance, advice and support to managers in managing sickness absence supporting meetings and discussions.
• Organise OH referrals in conjunction with the HR Manager and manage return to work process.
• Act as HR representative or as note-taker for recruitment interview panels, exit interviews, promotion panels, award panels and formal hearing meetings for MRC / Imperial when nominated by manager.
• Build good relationships with all stakeholders, ensuring you can provide accurate status updates for any work in progress.
• Work closely with the SSC and Imperial College to ensure that SLA’s are met and service delivery is exemplary.
• Assist the HR Manager/HRBP in the preparation of returns for the MRC / Imperial as well as government agencies as required.
• Undertake project work and case work as required e.g. improvement projects, writing protocols, developing posters, writing information booklets and staff communications, note taking and report writing for ER cases.
• Any other duties as deemed job related by the Head of HR and the HR Manager

Education, qualifications and training 

Essential

• Diploma / Degree educated
• or
• Studying towards a CIPD qualification or part-Qualified CIPD
• or
• Equivalent experience 

Desirable

• Relevant Business Studies or Human Resources degree or qualification
• Strong numerical skills 

Knowledge and Experience 

Essential

• Proven Administrative experience
• Experience of providing on-the-job training
• Practical experience of interpreting HR policy and practices and applying to different scenarios
• Knowledge of current legislation and HR practices
• Providing advice and guidance on the application of policies and practices in a busy and complex environment 

Desirable

• Proven experience at HR Officer Level
• Previous experience of working in science / academia / healthcare / NHS
• Experience of working with a Shared Services Centre 

Administration and Communications Skills 

Essential

• Proactive approach, capable of identifying and implementing improvements to admin processes and services.
• Excellent communication skills both oral and written
• Experience of taking notes at meetings
• Numeracy skills
• Strong attention to detail and focus on high quality work
• Ability to apply diplomacy and patience in difficult situations or where there are competing needs 

Desirable

• Experience of taking formal minutes
• Experience of writing short reports 

Organisational Skills 

Essential

• Ability to manage a high volume of work in order to meet deadlines, both prescribed and self-imposed
• Ability to organise time effectively, prioritise and work to deadlines
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team
• Ability to use own initiative and work with minimal supervision
• Experience of building and maintaining strong relationships 

Desirable

• Supervisory experience

 IT Skills

 Essential

• Intermediate level skills in the use of Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) and the internet
• Proven experience of working with HR systems. 

Desirable

• Familiar with Oracle 

Personal skills / behaviours / qualities

 Essential

• Strong customer service focus.
• Reliable and responsible attitude.
• A committed individual with proactive and flexible attitude to work and keen to learn.
• A professional manner capable of working in a confidential manner and dealing with sensitive information.

Equality & Diversity

The MRC values the diverse skills and experience of its employees and is committed to achieving equality of treatment for all.  Its objective is that all individuals shall have equal opportunities for employment and advancement on the basis of their skills, aptitudes and abilities. The MRC is committed to the engagement and retention of the best possible talent and to creating an environment that encourages excellence in scientific research through good equalities and diversity leadership and management.

Corporate/Local responsibilities & requirements

The job holder must at all times carry out their responsibilities with due regard to the MRC’s:

• Code of conduct
• Equality & Diversity Policy
• Health & Safety Policy
• Information technology policy and Data protection Act  

Job descriptions should be reviewed on a regular basis and at the annual appraisal. Any changes should be made and agreed between postholder and line manager  

The above lists are not exhaustive and the job holder is required to undertake such duties as may reasonably be requested within the scope of the post. All staff are required to act professionally, co-operatively and flexibly in line with the requirements of the post and the MRC.