HR Assistant
| Posting date: | 19 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £28,000 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 04 March 2026 |
| Location: | SW1Y 5AH |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 3 days per week |
| Company: | The British Academy |
| Job type: | Temporary |
| Job reference: |
Summary
The British Academy – the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences - is seeking an HR Assistant to join our HR team, providing key administrative and project support across the whole employee lifecycle.
The role
The HR Assistant works closely with the other five members of the HR Team to provide a range of HR services across the British Academy (180 staff). The HR Team is a friendly team, part of the Academy’s Resources Directorate comprising HR, Finance, IT, Facilities and Venue Sales & Marketing services. We take great pride in supporting our colleagues in the Academy, as HR generalists and through our overarching People Strategy, which has been successful in recognising and reinforcing the structures, policies and procedures we have in place. Key to this success has been our engagement with staff.
A core duty of the HR Assistant role is supporting the onboarding process, through the preparation of offer documentation, references, and contracts, to administering Cezanne, our HR Management System. You will have a keen attention to detail and be an effective communicator to allow you to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring new starters are set up for success.
This role often works to competing deadlines and so a proactive approach to time management, in terms of planning, prioritisation and demonstrating resilience when faced with adversity is essential.
You will also be supporting day-to-day operational recruitment, including helping line managers with scheduling interviews, booking rooms for in-person interviews and organising calls for remote interviews, and providing excellent support on interview days, ensuring a high standard of stakeholder engagement. This is a key opportunity to establish relationships and make an early positive impact.
You will also contribute to performance, learning and development activities by supporting the Employee Relations and Development workstream, such as booking rooms and emailing participants enrolled in training.
About the Academy
The British Academy is the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences, established by Royal Charter in 1902. We mobilise these disciplines to understand the world and shape a brighter future. Today’s complex challenges can only be resolved by deepening our insight into people, culture, and societies. With a Fellowship of around 1,700 leading national and international academics, the Academy invests in researchers and projects across the UK and overseas; engages the public with fresh thinking and debates; and brings together scholars, government, business, and civil society to influence policy.
The Academy currently has five directorates: Communications & Marketing; Development; Policy; Research; and Resources, plus a small Governance & Fellowship Team.
Working at the Academy
Our senior management team have worked with staff to foster a culture of collaboration, respect, and empathy, in which all contributions are recognised as we work towards our common goals. Our people strategy and working practices focus on building strengths and sharing insights, with learning & development, wellbeing, and equality, diversity & inclusion at the centre of how we operate as an organisation. Investing in our staff and encouraging a healthy work/life balance is central to our success, as we move forward and continue to grow. You can find out more about the British Academy here, including our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Statement.
Terms and conditions
The British Academy is based at 10-11, Carlton House Terrace, London SW1, a Grade 1 listed building. We offer a competitive benefits package including a 35-hour working week, with hours and location worked flexibly under our hybrid-working policy; 34 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays; and a defined benefit occupational pension.
How to apply
We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, in line with our commitment to create a diverse and inclusive working environment, promote equal opportunity, and address under-representation. We will make reasonable adjustments to support disabled job applicants and offer an interview to those meeting the minimum selection criteria.
To apply, and to see the full job description and our workplace values, please follow the link to access the Applied recruitment platform.
Applications must be received no later than 1200 noon on 4 March 2026.
Please contact the HR team at hrteam@thebritishacademy.ac.uk if you have any questions.
The role
The HR Assistant works closely with the other five members of the HR Team to provide a range of HR services across the British Academy (180 staff). The HR Team is a friendly team, part of the Academy’s Resources Directorate comprising HR, Finance, IT, Facilities and Venue Sales & Marketing services. We take great pride in supporting our colleagues in the Academy, as HR generalists and through our overarching People Strategy, which has been successful in recognising and reinforcing the structures, policies and procedures we have in place. Key to this success has been our engagement with staff.
A core duty of the HR Assistant role is supporting the onboarding process, through the preparation of offer documentation, references, and contracts, to administering Cezanne, our HR Management System. You will have a keen attention to detail and be an effective communicator to allow you to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring new starters are set up for success.
This role often works to competing deadlines and so a proactive approach to time management, in terms of planning, prioritisation and demonstrating resilience when faced with adversity is essential.
You will also be supporting day-to-day operational recruitment, including helping line managers with scheduling interviews, booking rooms for in-person interviews and organising calls for remote interviews, and providing excellent support on interview days, ensuring a high standard of stakeholder engagement. This is a key opportunity to establish relationships and make an early positive impact.
You will also contribute to performance, learning and development activities by supporting the Employee Relations and Development workstream, such as booking rooms and emailing participants enrolled in training.
About the Academy
The British Academy is the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences, established by Royal Charter in 1902. We mobilise these disciplines to understand the world and shape a brighter future. Today’s complex challenges can only be resolved by deepening our insight into people, culture, and societies. With a Fellowship of around 1,700 leading national and international academics, the Academy invests in researchers and projects across the UK and overseas; engages the public with fresh thinking and debates; and brings together scholars, government, business, and civil society to influence policy.
The Academy currently has five directorates: Communications & Marketing; Development; Policy; Research; and Resources, plus a small Governance & Fellowship Team.
Working at the Academy
Our senior management team have worked with staff to foster a culture of collaboration, respect, and empathy, in which all contributions are recognised as we work towards our common goals. Our people strategy and working practices focus on building strengths and sharing insights, with learning & development, wellbeing, and equality, diversity & inclusion at the centre of how we operate as an organisation. Investing in our staff and encouraging a healthy work/life balance is central to our success, as we move forward and continue to grow. You can find out more about the British Academy here, including our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Statement.
Terms and conditions
The British Academy is based at 10-11, Carlton House Terrace, London SW1, a Grade 1 listed building. We offer a competitive benefits package including a 35-hour working week, with hours and location worked flexibly under our hybrid-working policy; 34 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays; and a defined benefit occupational pension.
How to apply
We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, in line with our commitment to create a diverse and inclusive working environment, promote equal opportunity, and address under-representation. We will make reasonable adjustments to support disabled job applicants and offer an interview to those meeting the minimum selection criteria.
To apply, and to see the full job description and our workplace values, please follow the link to access the Applied recruitment platform.
Applications must be received no later than 1200 noon on 4 March 2026.
Please contact the HR team at hrteam@thebritishacademy.ac.uk if you have any questions.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.