"HR Officer"

This vacancy is for internal applicants only, secondments considered.

About the Role
This is an excellent opportunity to step into a pivotal Grade 6 HR role within a busy and evolving department. Joining the HR team during a period of service redesign, you will play a central role in delivering and embedding improved ways of working across the full employee lifecycle.

Working closely with the HR Manager, you will act as a trusted adviser to managers and staff, providing confident guidance on HR policy, employment legislation and first-line employee relations matters (including absence, probation, performance and family leave).

A key element of the role is leading on visa and right to work compliance for the department. You will oversee applications and renewals, act as the departmental expert on immigration processes, and support and quality-check colleagues to ensure consistent and compliant practice.

You will also oversee recruitment and onboarding processes, support payroll activity for casual staff, maintain HR systems and data integrity, and contribute to continuous improvement as we streamline workflows and remove bottlenecks.

This fixed-term post (until July 2026) offers valuable breadth and visibility within a high-performing academic department. We welcome applications from internal candidates and are happy to consider secondments.

The role is full-time (37.5 hours per week), with 0.8 FTE considered. Hybrid working applies, with an on-site presence of three days per week.

About You
You will be an experienced HR generalist who is confident advising managers and exercising sound judgement in a fast-paced environment. You will bring:

• Experience providing HR advice on policy and first-line employee relations matters
• Strong practical knowledge of UKVI and right to work processes
• Experience overseeing recruitment and employee lifecycle processes
• The ability to guide and support colleagues and contribute to service resilience
• Good working knowledge of UK employment law
• Experience using HR systems (e.g. PeopleXD/CoreHR)
• CIPD Level 5 qualification (or working towards), or equivalent experience

Recent experience working within the University of Oxford is essential, with a strong understanding of University policies, procedures and systems. Experience within a complex academic environment would be advantageous.

Diversity
Committed to equality and valuing diversity.

Application Process
You will be required to upload a supporting statement and an up-to-date CV as part of your online application.

Your supporting statement must clearly demonstrate how you meet each of the essential selection criteria listed in the job description. Applications that do not include a supporting statement or CV, or fail to address the criteria in sufficient detail, will not be considered.

You must already have the right to work in the UK at the time of application. We are unable to sponsor visas for this post.

While we recognise the value of AI tools in assisting with application preparation, submissions that are clearly AI-generated without personalisation or insight will be rejected. It's crucial that your application reflects your own experiences and understanding of the role.