People Specialist - 6 months FTC

Fusion, the process that powers the sun and stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs. UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research organisations to achieve ground breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid by developing the power stations of tomorrow and the skilled workforce to deliver them.

The People Specialist partners with the Strategic People Business Partner to develop and deliver the Directorate’s People Plan and support divisional growth. It leads people projects aligned to business priorities, including change management, organisational design, EDI initiatives, talent management, early careers, and leadership development.

The role supports managers to apply people policies and performance management processes consistently, while working with People & Culture specialists to deliver talent, succession, and recruitment initiatives. It also manages day-to-day people activities within the Directorate, including employee relations support, onboarding, performance management, exit processes, and handling people-related queries.

Your core responsibilities include:

• Support the design, implementation, and delivery of the Division’s annual People Plan aligned to business priorities.
• Research external benchmarks and best practice to enhance people processes (e.g. performance, attendance, reward, talent acquisition, onboarding, succession, and career development), sharing insights across the People & Culture community.
• Build and deliver people-related projects that support divisional business plans, collaborating closely with the wider People Department and People Strategy team.
• Provide high-quality people analytics and management information, including data collation, analysis, interpretation, and reporting to support projects, operations, ER activity, and initiatives.
• Support organisational development by embedding culture and behaviours, contributing to change management plans, and engaging stakeholders through effective communication.
• Lead continuous improvement of people processes, policies, onboarding programmes, and employee engagement and wellbeing surveys, including action planning and facilitation of focus groups.
• Partner with leaders and managers to support performance management, talent development, coaching, feedback, and the effective handling of employee relations matters.

• Degree in HRM or equivalent desirable, with a minimum of CIPD Level 5 qualification.
• Proven experience as an HR Advisor, Junior HRBP, or HRBP within a fast-paced, commercial environment.
• Experience delivering project-based work, with working knowledge of project management tools and approaches.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement HR policies and procedures aligned with best practice and legal requirements.
• Strong employee relations and employment law knowledge, with the ability to translate policy and legislation into practical, business-focused advice.

A full list of our benefits can be found here https://careers.ukaea.uk/life-at-ukaea/employee-benefits/ but highlights include:

• £50,311 base salary
• Final salary defined benefit scheme with an equivalent of 21.5% employer pension contribution
• 25 days annual leave, plus 3 days Christmas closure and 2.5 privilege days, in addition to UK bank holidays
• Flexible and hybrid working options

UKAEA’s mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds to help us achieve this goal. We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce. We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, while ensuring all appointments are made on merit. Further information can be found here. UKAEA is committed to being accessible. Please email talent@ukaea.uk if you require help or adjustments to compete on a fair basis.