HR Coordinator

4,000+ employees. Lending a helping hand. Core of company support. 

HR Coordinator

*Internally, this role is known as a People Services Coordinator

£27,000 - £32,000 (+ Benefits)

Reports to: People Services Manager

Grade: P1

Contract:12 month fixed-term contract

Hours: Full time 35 hours per week

Location: Stratford, London. Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office)

Visa sponsorship: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship. 

Closing date: 17 October :55

This vacancy may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received or once a suitable candidate is found, therefore we strongly recommend that you apply early to avoid disappointment. If you require more time to apply as part of a reasonable adjustment, please contact  as soon as possible.

Recruitment process: One competency-based interview with a scenario-based exercise

Interview date: Week commencing 27 October 2025

How do I apply? We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won't be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly, and objectively.

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

We are professionals with purpose, beating cancer every day. But we need to go much further and much faster. That's why we're looking for someone talented, someone who wants to develop their skills, someone like you.

This is an opportunity to join Cancer Research UK's HR department, which is essential to our Sustain Strategy and HR Operations Plan. HR's purpose is to ensure and create an employee experience that enables us to be an inclusive, sustainable, and agile organisation across our diverse workforce of over 600+ shops and 2,500+ office staff. This involves delivering process improvements and providing care and guidance for our people, who the charity's strongest asset in beating cancer. However, the HR department could not achieve this without the People Services team, who drive all employee lifecycle activities such as query resolution, advising on HR policies and procedures, employee administration, and many more processes that are essential to the smooth operation of HR.

As a People Services Coordinator, you will play an impactful role in resolving manager and employee queries regarding all aspects of HR policies, processes, and procedures throughout the employee lifecycle.  This will involve delivering efficient employee lifecycle administration, processing data for the payroll team, and supporting junior members of the team with more complex queries. Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to support the delivery of a range of projects and improve HR processes.

If you're an experienced HR Administrator or HR Coordinator with a strong track record of managing the end-to-end employee lifecycle in a high-volume, fast-paced HR Shared Service Centre, and you're ready to take the next step in your career, we'd love for you to join our mission.

What will I be doing?

Query Management:

• Providing a proactive, high-quality query resolution service to managers and employees throughout the employee lifecycle, ensuring timely, consistent, and accessible guidance. This includes:

  • Taking ownership of the end-to-end employee lifecycle process, working autonomously with minimal supervision.

  • Addressing employee lifecycle processing requests efficiently and accurately.

  • Responding to general inquiries on HR policies and procedures with clear, user-friendly advice that supports colleagues and enhances their experience.

• Offering support, training, and guidance to the People Services Administrators, while helping them to resolve complex queries effectively.

Administration:

• Supporting in ensuring all Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are met within the HR helpdesk team.

• Managing HR processes efficiently through our HR system (Workday), ensuring accurate administration of contract variations, leavers, and family-friendly leave arrangements within agreed SLAs.

• Monitoring employee contract end dates and right-to-work eligibility review dates, notifying managers in advance, and providing guidance on the required processes.

• Dealing with right-to-work eligibility enquiries and assisting with visa applications and criminal record checks.

• Delivering training on HR systems and processes to the team, employees, and managers as needed, ensuring effective understanding and application.

• Contributing to the review and continuous improvement of the People Services team's practices and processes.

• Contributing to a range of projects or initiatives outlined in the HR operational plan.

What skills will I need?

• Experienced HR Administrator or Coordinator with a background operating in a high-volume, fast-paced HR Shared Service Centre within a large, complex organisation (c. 4,000 employees).

• Has overseen the end-to-end employee lifecycle process with an in-depth knowledge of HR processes, policies, and legislation. 

• Passionate about delivering exceptional customer service, with a collaborative and solutions-driven mindset in supporting employees and managers.

• Strong administrative skills with meticulous attention to detail and robust record-keeping abilities.

• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills with a track record of effectively managing multiple tasks, while adhering to deadlines and working autonomously with minimal supervision.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with a proven ability to advise on HR processes and policies with diverse audiences both in-person and virtually.

• Strong problem-solving skills with a continuous improvement mindset for driving process improvements, promoting best practices, and resolving complex challenges.

Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.

Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination  

Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism   

Human: Act to have a positive impact on people  

Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively

We're looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.

If you're interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and experience we'd still love to hear from you.

What will I gain?

We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.

You can explore our benefits by visiting our careers web page.

Additional Information

For more information about working with us please visit our website or contact us at   

For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented.

We want to see every candidate performing at their best throughout the job application process, interview process and whilst at work. We therefore ask you to inform us of any concerns you have or any adjustments you might need to enable this to happen. Please contact or 0 as soon as possible. 

Unfortunately, we are unable to recruit anyone below the age of 18, so that we can protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks.