Job Description

Human Resources Administrator - 12 month FTC

Application Deadline: 25 October 2026

Department: HR

Employment Type: Fixed Term Contract

Location: Balerno, Edinburgh

Reporting To: HR Advisor

Compensation: £30,332 / year

Description

Harmeny Education Trust is a charitable organisation providing therapeutic care and education to children who have experienced early years trauma through abuse, neglect and family disruption, referred from all over Scotland. We currently work with children and young people aged 5-18, both on a day and all-year-round residential basis.

We are currently undergoing an exciting period of change, particularly in relation to our systems, with new recruitment and people management tools about to be introduced. This work is part of a larger IT project, which has seen us develop a new intranet and a transition to cloud-based data storage.

These transformational projects have created a need for additional administrative support within our HR team. The successful candidate will support the HR Adviser in implementing our new systems, take a lead role in data cleansing in line with our data retention schedule, and undertake a range of HR administrative tasks, enabling the team to continue providing a high-quality service.

This is a fantastic opportunity for candidates with a background in HR administration to join a friendly team making a difference to the lives of our remarkable children. We are highly committed to the professional development of all our employees, and as well as a comprehensive induction the successful candidate will have access to learning and development opportunities.

Applicants are expected to have experience in an HR context, with excellent attention to detail and the ability to manage a busy workload with a flexible and solutions-oriented approach.

The successful candidate will work between 28 and 35 hours per week. Please state in your application how many hours per week you wish to work

We offer:

• A competitive salary of £24,266 to £30,332, depending on hours worked.
• Pension scheme.
• Policies and practices that promote health and wellbeing, including massage therapy, flexitime, and access to a gym membership.
• 35 days' holiday per year.
• Life assurance of 3x salary.

Harmeny is a values-led organisation and a good fit with our ethos is as important to us as having relevant experience.

Harmeny is situated in a beautiful 35-acre woodland estate, which includes residential and education accommodation, community garden, orchard, wildlife habitats and children’s play areas. Harmeny is in Balerno on the outskirts of Edinburgh, at the foot of the Pentland Hills; we are easily accessible by bus and there is on-site parking available.

A complete job description and person specification can be found at www.harmeny.org.uk/jobs.

If you would like to find out more about this opportunity, please contact Sean McCahill, Head of HR, on 0131 449 3938.

To apply, please complete the application form via our recruitment section at www.harmeny.org.uk/jobs.

Closing date: 25 October 2026.

Interview date: 26 October and 2 November 2026

Please note that we may close this advert early if we receive a sufficient number of high-quality applications. Candidates are therefore encouraged to apply early.

Key Responsibilities

Overall purpose of the job:

To provide administrative support to the HR team during a period of organisational transformation, assisting with the implementation of new HR and recruitment systems, data cleansing activities, and the efficient delivery of HR services.

Key areas of the job

1. Promote a positive ethos in Harmeny consistent with Harmeny’s vision, purpose and core values.
2. Provide support to the HR Adviser in the implementation of new HR systems.
3. Review HR data held across various systems and make changes in line with our data retention guidance, including updating, moving, archiving, and deleting data as appropriate.
4. Support the HR team with a range of administrative tasks, contributing to the smooth and effective operation of the department and ensuring a consistently high-quality service. This will include, but is not limited to:

• Managing the HR inbox and ensuring queries are responded to in a timely manner.
• Maintaining a variety of HR trackers and records.
• Liaising with colleagues to progress actions and ensure deadlines are met.
• Providing administrative support to staff and managers on a range of HR-related matters.

1. Communicate effectively with the HR Adviser to plan and prioritise workloads to ensure that deadlines are met.
2. Support the organisation’s recruitment process, including pre-employment checks, as directed by the HR Adviser and HR Administrator.
3. Work in accordance with all Harmeny policies and procedures.
4. Attend supervision, training, and other meetings, as required.
5. Undertake any other reasonable duties in line with skill level and experience, as may be requested by the HR Adviser or the Head of HR.

Qualifications, Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Essential:

1. CIPD level 3 qualification or equivalent professional experience in an HR context.
2. Administrative experience in an HR context.
3. Experience of maintaining and updating people-related data.
4. Excellent attention to detail.
5. Experience of using and maintaining people-related IT systems.
6. Experience in providing advice and a high-quality service to internal and external stakeholders.
7. A track record of managing competing priorities and a challenging workload within a busy working environment.
8. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, both written and oral.
9. Good organisational, time management, administrative, and Microsoft Office skills.

Desirable:

1. Knowledge of data protection legislation and guidance.
2. Project management experience.
3. Experience of implementing people-related systems, data migration, or project work.

Personal Characteristics / Competencies - Essential:

1. A strong customer focus and proven ability to build productive relationships with people at all levels.
2. Demonstrates emotional intelligence and understands the needs of others.
3. Displays initiative and ability to work autonomously, with a flexible and solutions-focused mindset.
4. Commitment to equality of opportunity.
5. Commitment to continuing professional development.
6. The ability to maintain confidentiality

Benefits

• A competitive salary of £24,266 to £30,332 per annum.
• Pension scheme.
• Policies and practices that promote health and wellbeing, including massage therapy, access to fitness equipment and a wellbeing space.
• We are highly committed to the professional development of all our staff and the post-holder will have access to comprehensive training and development.