Recruitment and Onboarding Assistant

Job Introduction

We are looking for a Recruitment & Onboarding Assistant on a permanent basis to provide support to the busy People department, focusing primarily on recruitment and onboarding, during a period of expansion and change across Westminster School, but to also provide some HR Administration support.

The post offers a unique opportunity to play a central role in supporting the Recruitment function at Westminster School and its linked Prep School, Westminster Under School. Recruitment across both schools primarily focuses on teaching staff, but also includes any and all staff required to support the school as a whole. There is breadth to gain experience recruiting in a number of sectors.

Working as an integral member of a small, busy People team, the Recruitment and Onboarding Assistant will provide comprehensive and confidential administrative support on a range of Recruitment and other HR matters.

Excellent organisational skills, good communication skills and the ability to work within a team are essential. The successful candidate will also have the confidence to communicate with staff, job applicants and new starters effectively. This role may suit those looking to gain experience in Recruitment/HR. Previous experience of working in administration is essential.

The goal is to provide excellent administrative assistance and support to employees and managers in both the Under School and the Great School, and also providing a smooth and welcoming experience to all candidates who apply and are appointed.

Main Responsibilities

Recruitment

Line managed by the Recruitment and Onboarding Officer to support the recruitment, selection and offer of all new staff, including:

• Being the first point of contact for candidate queries about the recruitment process, both via email and on the telephone
• Maintaining accurate electronic and paper records of the recruitment and selection process, ensuring completion of each individual's file
• Assisting with arranging and supervising interviews, including closing adverts, collating candidates' applications, sharing with hiring managers along with supporting recruitment documentation
• Greeting and escorting candidates when attending an interview making sure all candidates feel welcome and ensuring accurate documentation is scanned
• Assisting with administering assessment tasks relating to recruitment
• Building effective working relationships with hiring managers
• Maintaining the Candidate Management System to ensure accurate records of the full recruitment campaign, communicating outcomes accordingly
• Assisting with onboarding of new starters and pre-employment checks as directed, escalating any concerns to the Recruitment and Onboarding Officer and HR Administrator – training will be provided for this

HR

Provide an efficient administrative service to support the HR team and contribute to the maintenance of accurate records, including:

• Assisting the HR Administrator with accurate administration of iTrent and the Single Central Record
• Deal with external and internal telephone enquiries and visitors, referring to other members of the People team where necessary
• Assisting with management information reporting in areas such as new hires, job changes, leavers, sickness absence, annual leave, etc.
• Support the development and implementation of People initiatives and systems
• Assist with accurate administration of the Learning Management System and supporting L&D initiatives

Our ideal candidate will need to have:

• Excellent administrative and organisation skills
• Previous HR or recruitment experience or be interested in taking a first step into HR as a career
• Excellent people skills and the confidence to communicate with staff, job applicants and new starters
• Full commitment to the safeguarding of our pupils.

This Job Description is not exhaustive and the post holder may, from time to time, be asked to take on additional tasks that are suitable to the role.

The Recruitment and HR Administrative Assistant reports to the Recruitment and Onboarding Officer.

The Ideal Candidate

Please refer to the below (attached) person specification.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Westminster School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

About The School

Working at Westminster

Westminster School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of around 750 pupils, 120 teaching staff and 108 support staff.

Our staff are friendly and welcoming, and all newcomers quickly become part of the rhythm of life here.

There is a real sense of community here as, being a boarding school many members of staff and pupils live on site and the School's premises are very much treated as a home away from home. School life starts before breakfast and continues way beyond the working day; as a result, there is always a lively atmosphere in and around School and always someone to share a tea and biscuit with in the Common Room. Support staff as much as teaching staff are encouraged to embrace the School's day-to-day activities, whether that be attending an evening concert or a morning service in the Abbey.

At Westminster we will always select the best candidate for every position. We do know, however, that we can only truly choose the best person on every occasion if a broad and diverse pool of candidates see the job advertised and are encouraged to apply.

As such, we continue to work on how our job roles are encountered, and particularly welcome applications from groups who have traditionally been underrepresented here.

Westminster School is for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We hope you are encouraged to apply.

The School

Westminster School is an independent day and boarding school for boys aged 13-18 and girls aged 16-18, with a long history, a distinctive ethos, and a unique sense of place in the very heart of London. Pupils achieve exceptional examination results and entrance to some of the top universities in the world. It is a busy, passionate and purposeful place where independent and deep thinking is enjoyed, encouraged and respected by all, and where holistic excellence is nurtured and valued.

While the School is one of the foremost centres of academic excellence in the country, its commitment to academic life does not make it a hothouse for passing examinations. Pupils' success at examinations and entry to leading universities is instead a result of their enjoyment of academic enquiry, debate and search for explanation, well beyond published syllabuses. Pupils are intellectually, socially, ethically and politically engaged and our aim is to ensure that their enthusiasm for learning is developed further, allowing them to take full advantage of the opportunities presented to them in the future. At Westminster, pupils have the freedom to lead on projects outside of the classroom and embrace a whole range of extra-curricular activities and interests. A host of pupil-led societies take place every week at the School, often with expert guest speakers, and pupils can choose to study an additional language, play an instrument or two, volunteer in local primary schools, row along the Thames, take part in plays and musicals, and much more.

The School's ethos resides in the enduring values of the liberal tradition reflected in the 1560 Charter of Westminster's Elizabethan foundation, where it is stated that: 'the youth which is growing to manhood, as tender shoots in the wood of our state, shall be liberally instructed in good books to the greater honour of the state'. Whilst academic and cultural attainments are highly prized at Westminster, the School is fully committed also to each pupil's spiritual, moral, emotional and physical development and wellbeing – with a particular emphasis on drawing out individual talent wherever it lies – and to prepare young people for fulfilled private and public lives.

From September 2028, the School will welcome both girls and boys at 13+ entry, offering a Westminster education to all. By 2026, Westminster Under School will have opened its brand new pre-prep for girls and boys at 4+ and girls will have joined boys in Years 3 and 7, at the 7+ and 11+ entry points. By 2030, all year groups at Westminster School and Westminster Under School, from ages four to 18, will be fully co-educational, reflecting the School's dedication to inclusivity and excellence.

Package Description

Required for: ASAP

Location: Dean's Yard, Westminster School

Contract: full-time , permanent

Salary: £30,000 - £35,000 per annum, dependent on experience

Additional benefits:

• Free school meals when on-site
• 25 days paid holiday, as well as a discretionary Christmas shutdown period
• Generous School pension scheme
• Free access to the School's leisure facilities, including a fitness gym (restricted hours).
• Cycle to Work Scheme and season ticket loans following completion of our standard probation period
• Private medical insurance (opt in).

The deadline for applications is midday on Monday 5th January 2026. Interviews will take place in-person shortly after the closing date.