Human Resources Assistant (Apprenticeship)

Details

Reference number

487477

Salary

£27,000 - £27,000

The Civil Service pay remit and Acas Pay Policy will apply.

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

Job grade

Executive Officer

Grade 10 Apprentice

Contract type

Temporary

Length of employment

18 months fixed term. This position is not available on loan.

Business area

ACAS – People

Type of role

Human Resources

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Compressed hours

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Location

Birmingham, Bristol, Fleet, Leeds, Manchester, Mildenhall, Newcastle, or Nottingham with an element of working from home. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in Great Britain and not overseas. You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process. Informal hybrid arrangements are available and the balance between home and workplace working is to be agreed with the line manager to achieve the right balance between collaboration, in-person engagement and flexibility.

About the job

Job summary

The role is responsible for supporting people-related activities which underpin our work within the Acas People Strategy. This is a key customer service role for the People Directorate, with exposure to a wide range of Human Resources (HR) activities, for example, Capability, Learning and Development (L and D), Mental Health and Wellbeing (MH and WB), and Employee Relations (ER).

The role would suit someone who is highly organised with good communication skills and enjoys working with a wide range of different types of stakeholders. The successful candidate will develop their skills in delivering a quality service, managing projects and problem-solving. Working collaboratively, the individual will need to be able to manage multiple priorities and deliver timely and well-judged advice and support to colleagues and managers both in the People function and across Acas.

This is an exciting 18-month apprenticeship programme where the successful candidate will work towards completing a Level 3 CIPD Apprenticeship qualification, which is assessed in the workplace and weekly online sessions. This position will give the successful candidate the opportunity to work across varied roles within the People directorate in Acas. The successful candidate will be supported by a manager, a mentor and will also be part of Acas apprentice network.

Job description

The postholder's main accountabilities are as follows:

• Support the Capability, MH and WB, Resourcing, L and D and Employee Relations teams
• Maintain various HR systems and databases with accurate and up to date information to enable effective audit, collation of management information and reporting.
• Work with managers to support the forecast of future requirements and provide effective planning to manage those requirements
• Advise managers to help them follow appropriate Acas policies as part of the Employee Relations team
• Support Acas managers with a variety of administrative activities, ranging from advertising, selection processes and hiring new staff to support with the acquisition and designing Capability, MH and WB and Land D interventions
• Engage with managers and payroll colleagues with on-boarding activities
• Work on HR and people projects across the people team and Acas
• Work with the people team to upload, edit and maintain the site, to ensure we have up-to-date information on our people information
• Manage and support capability and learning programmes using the training cycle; including needs analysis, design, delivery and evaluation
• Provide support to Acas colleagues to ensure activities are undertaken within the Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy
• Working collaboratively with Health and Wellbeing Champions, Mental Health Senior Advisers, Mental Health First Aiders
• Co-ordinate Data Subject Access requests (SARs) and FOI responses for the People Directorate
• Undertake regular horizon scanning for external Diversity and Inclusion, and Mental Health and Wellbeing news items and generating conversations in Yammer.

Who we are

Acas exists to make working life better for everyone in Britain. We are the experts in workplace matters, we’re impartial, so we’re not on anyone’s side. That means we’re working for everyone to help prevent, manage and resolve workplace issues.

Acas helps employers and employees by providing information, advice, training, conciliation and other services that prevent, manage or resolve workplace problems.

Acas: Britain’s Workplace Experts

Acas has been recognised for its Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace from the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion awards; it is a Disability Confident Leader, a Pay Gap award winner, and an Overall winner for public sector organisations. Acas is committed to providing services and developing policies which embrace diversity, promote equality of opportunity and eliminate unlawful discrimination.

Eligibility Criteria:

This is a development role, so to be eligible to apply, the training and development you receive during this apprenticeship must provide you with significant new skills and learning. This is an essential requirement for apprenticeship funding and means you must not already be over-qualified or over-experienced in this type of work.

In addition, you must:

• Not hold or be working towards a similar level or higher-level qualification to the apprenticeship UNLESS this is in a significantly different subject/business area
• Be aged 16 or over (there is no upper age limit)
• Have the permanent right to work in the UK and have been ordinarily resident in the UK/EU/EA for 3 consecutive years before starting the apprenticeship
• Have left full-time education by the time the apprenticeship starts and not be in receipt of funding for other learning programmes (including another apprenticeship)
• have 2 GCSEs at grade C or the new grade level 4 in English and Maths
• You also must not have had a formal CIPD Apprenticeship qualification

Apprentices aged 19 and over at the start of their apprenticeship training, will no longer be required to hold or achieve English and maths qualifications to pass their apprenticeship. Apprentices who are aged 16 to 18 at the start of their training, will still be required to achieve English and maths qualifications to support their career progression.

Failure to meet any of the eligibility criteria or not listing your qualifications in the CV/Qualification section may result in you being withdrawn and you will not be sifted through to the next stage of recruitment.

Please note: You will be asked to provide evidence of GCSEs and additional certifications during onboarding if you have successfully secured a role.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Must not hold any HR degree or CIPD qualification
• Able to produce high-quality work with attention to detail
• Highly organised, motivated, with the ability to meet deadlines and cope well with a complex range of competing priorities
• Proficient at using IT systems, with a good working knowledge of Microsoft Windows and Office packages
• Experience of working with customers

Desirable Criteria (the following will only be assessed in the event of tie-breaker scenarios):

• Knowledge of Microsoft SharePoint
• Ability to work on own initiative with minimal supervision and be proactive
• Interest in HR and ability to write to a professional standard

Qualifications

Applicants must already have 5 GCSEs (or equivalent) at grade C or the new grade level 4 in English Language and Maths at the time of application.

If equivalent is held, please provide additional details.

As above, apprentices aged 19 and over at the start of their apprenticeship training, will no longer be required to hold or achieve English and maths qualifications to pass their apprenticeship. Apprentices who are aged 16 to 18 at the start of their training, will still be required to achieve English and maths qualifications to support their career progression.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £27,000, Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service contributes £7,821 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides .

We’re big believers in rewarding people for the amazing work they do. Take a look at some of the fantastic benefits we offer:

• Learning and Development
• Health and wellbeing
• Pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Volunteering opportunities

Could you ask for any more?

You’ll have access to a Lifestyle website where you’ll be able to grab savings on a wide range of products, from holidays to your weekly shop.

To find out more, check out: Working for Acas

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Ability and Experience.

How to apply

Please click on the 'Apply now' button.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• a Situational Judgement Test as part of the online application, this will follow immediately after the initial short application form is submitted. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the full application. Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended) to give yourself enough time to complete your full application.

  If you fail to complete the online test and submit your full application before the application deadline, your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website. You can find further information in the reasonable adjustment guide for online tests and practise tests are also available here

• a CV - this will be for information purposes only and will not be scored.

• an evidence-based Personal Statement reflecting the Essential criteria requirements as listed in the Person Specification section of this advert. Your Personal Statement should be no longer than 750 It should avoid generalised assertions, instead including specific examples of achievements, explaining the degree of challenge, what you did, how you did it and the outcomes.

• a 250-word statement on the following Behaviour: Managing a Quality Service

• a separate 250-word Statement reflecting the Desirable criteria. [Note: the Desirable criteria will only be assessed in the event of a tie-breaker scenarios at sift or interview].

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the:

• Lead Behaviour: Managing a Quality Service

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift of all the above requirements or progressed straight to interview.

If a large number of applications meet the minimum standard an interview wait list may be created for this position. This means that if you have met the minimum requirements at sift you may be placed at a ‘Hold’ status for up to 12 months and if we are able to invite you to an interview we will be in touch.

Interview Details

If you have successfully passed sift at the application stage, you will be invited to an interview which will take place via Microsoft Teams and which is likely to take place from the week commencing 16 November 2026.

It will be a Behaviour and Strengths based interview.

The following Behaviours will be assessed at Interview:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

A reserve list will be created for this position; this means that if you have passed the interview, but we cannot immediately offer you this position, you will be placed on a reserve list for 12 months and may be considered for similar positions during that time.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader, Acas is committed to creating an inclusive recruitment process. If you have a disability and feel that any part of the recruitment process puts you at a disadvantage, we will work with you to make Reasonable Adjustments that support your needs. If you require any changes to help you apply:

• Please contact the Acas Recruitment Team via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the “Assistance Required” section on the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to let us know about any adjustments or support you may need during the recruitment process. For example, this might include accessibility arrangements for entering a building or interview room, communication support, modifications to assessment methods, etc.
• You can find out more about the Disability Confident Scheme and Reasonable Adjustments.

Want to learn more about Civil Service recruitment? You can find out more on Civil Service Careers, including information on Success Profiles, writing a Personal Statement, acceptable use of Artificial Intelligence, and what to expect at Interview.

For applicants requiring a visa to work in the UK

Please be advised that Acas does not hold a UKVI Sponsorship Licence, so we cannot consider sponsoring a visa applicant or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Garry Besford
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Code and wish to make a complaint, you should contact us on via [email protected] in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from us, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.