Job Description

• Ipswich Borough Council
• Address: Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 2DE – Hybrid working
• Salary: £33,143 - £35,412 per annum
• Hours: 37 hours per week, Monday – Friday
• Contract: Permanent, required as soon as possible
• Reference: 0776

Ipswich Borough Council are looking for a highly organised and proactive HR Administration Officer to play a key role in ensuring our day‑to‑day HR Administrative operations run effectively, accurately and in line with relevant legislation, policies and procedures. This is a central role within the HR team, supporting colleagues across the organisation and helping to deliver a high‑quality HR service.

Key Responsibilities:

• Co-ordinate and manage the HR Administration team to deliver a customer focused and high-quality HR service
• Act as the main point of contact for HR administrative queries, providing clear and confident advice and guidance and manage the HR Helpdesk.
• Maintain and update HR systems and employee records, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Support the administrative elements of the wider HR function including identifying and implementing process improvements.
• Use initiative to manage workload, make informed decisions and escalate issues when appropriate.

About You

You should have a proactive and professional approach to your work and be confident taking ownership of tasks. You will be comfortable working independently, while also knowing when to seek advice and collaborate with others.

We are looking for someone who has:

• NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration (or above) and/or equivalent experience working in a busy administrative environment.
• Excellent organisational skills and exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to manage and motivate team members
• Strong communication abilities, both written and verbal.
• The capacity to problem‑solve, prioritise and multi‑task effectively.
• A proactive mindset and a commitment to delivering high‑quality work.
• Proficiency in IT skills using Microsoft Office applications including Teams and Excel.

The HR Administration team provides administrative support to all areas of the Council, including Recruitment, onboarding, preparing contracts of employment, changes to contracts, administering leavers, maintaining relevant parts of the HR information system, contributing to project work. There is a requirement for regular communication with employees at all levels across the various service areas, either in person, via Teams, phone calls or through email.

As well as a good salary, we offer:

• a career grade average pension scheme
• generous holiday and sick pay entitlements
• subsidised parking for work and leisure
• public transport discounts
• free swimming and gym membership
• cycle purchase scheme
• plenty of personal and professional development opportunities
• flexible working
• hybrid working opportunities
• Employee Assistance Programme
• the opportunity to work with great colleagues.

For more information

Please read the and Person Specification (pdf)

To find out more about the role, please contact the following people:

• Emma Johnson (she/her) by either calling 01473 433417 or emailing emma.johnson@ipwich.gov.uk (until 5 June 26)
• Kirsty Thorndyke Jones (she/her) by either calling 01473 433413 or emailing kirsty.thorndyke@ipswich.gov.uk (until 12 June 26)
• Christine Spittlehouse (she/her) by either calling 01473 433051 or emailing christine.spittlehouse@ipswich.gov.uk (from 13 – 21 June 26 only)

If you require any assistance or reasonable adjustments during the application or recruitment process, please let us know so that the appropriate arrangements can be put in place.

The interview process will comprise of psychometric testing, assessment activity and a competency-based interview and will take place week commencing 29 June 2026.

Early applications are encouraged as we reserve the right to interview candidates who meet the essential criteria prior to the closing date and / or to close the opportunity to applicants once we receive sufficient applications

How to apply

Please complete your application by visiting our vacancies website

Please note that CV's will not be accepted.

Closing date: 1pm, 21 June 2026