HR Associate

About the organisation

Our client is a mission-driven international nonprofit that runs large events and conferences worldwide. About half its staff are in the UK and half in the US, Canada and others.

The People team is small and collaborative. Its two current members are US-based, so this hire will be the team's UK presence, supporting colleagues during UK hours.

About the role

You will report to the Head of HR. Around 50–60% of your time goes on HR operations: payroll, systems and compliance. The other 40% goes on employee experience: onboarding, engagement surveys and people projects.

What you'll do

• Payroll: prepare monthly payroll inputs for the UK and US, including time off and pension changes, and build the reports our payroll providers need in Excel or Google Sheets. Once you're up to speed, you'll take on more responsibility.

• Onboarding: own onboarding end to end once a candidate accepts. That covers welcome emails, equipment, system access, check-ins in the first weeks and keeping the hiring manager informed. You'll also have the freedom to improve the process overtime.

• HR systems: keep data accurate across our country-specific HR and payroll platforms, and run reports when needed.

• Contractor administration: run the pre-clearance process for contractors, set up contracts, and flag any discrepancies.

• Expenses and finance: manage expense reimbursements and work closely with Finance, sharing data in both directions.

• Compliance: handle routine admin such as US state and city tax registrations, alongside handling UK admin. Our providers make this simple.

• Handbook: keep our Notion handbook up to date by formatting pages, refreshing content and building new pages. Policy content is owned by senior team members.

• Employee experience: help run engagement surveys and retreats, and support wider people projects.

About you

You enjoy the operational side of HR: payroll, compliance, systems and process. You want to build a long-term career in people operations, perhaps working towards an HR Manager or People Partner role in a few years.

Essential

• 2–3 years' work experience, ideally including time in HR, recruitment, payroll or a closely related admin role

• Strong attention to detail and accuracy with data

• Confident in Excel or Google Sheets

• Organised and able to manage several deadlines at once

• Clear, friendly communication with colleagues at every level

• A real interest in HR as a career, not just operations in general

Desirable

• Experience as a recruiting or HR assistant, ideally at a foundation, charity or large nonprofit

• Payroll or accounting experience

• Use of HR or payroll systems such as Deel, Gusto or Paychex

• Experience building tools or automating tasks with AI, especially Claude

• A degree in HR, business administration or a related subject

• Interest in nonprofit work and the causes our client supports (no prior knowledge needed)