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We’re proud to offer you a career with possibilities. Where you’ll be supported to work hard, aim high and bring your best to work, every day. As a valued HR Assistant, we’ll support your ambition, reward your resilience, and encourage you to rise to challenges and create a career you can be proud of too.
What we do
We’re the market leader in the UK fresh prepared food industry - supplying meals, salads, desserts, pizza and bread to leading grocery retailers including Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.
About this role
We’re seeking a dynamic and proactive HR Assistant to join our HR team at Bakkavor. In this role, you’ll be integral to ensuring the smooth operation of various HR functions within our business units. Your responsibilities will range from administrative tasks and data management to supporting employee engagement initiatives and compliance processes. You will work closely with different teams, including Talent Acquisition and Payroll, to support our workforce and drive HR excellence. This position is perfect for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is eager to develop their HR skills in a supportive and inclusive setting.
Key role responsibilities
- Provide general administrative support to the HR Team, including preparation for audits (customer, agency, SMETA, BRC) and organisational design projects.
- Raise purchase orders, arrange invoice payments, and conduct frequent low-level audits of MyHR data for integrity and accuracy.
- Administer the Time & Attendance process weekly, supporting payroll and handling exceptions, reports, and covering for absences.
- Support Business Unit engagement by coordinating the annual people survey, administering engagement initiatives, and supporting the Site Employee Forum.
- Collaborate with the Talent Acquisition Team to manage Business Unit resourcing, ensuring accurate vacancy updates, interview coordination, and support for temp-to-perm processes.
- Represent HR at Welcome Workshops, assisting with the onboarding of new starters.
- Manage the Right to Work process, ensuring compliance and escalating risks.
- Provide admin support for formal employee relations meetings, including notetaking.
- Update People KPIs, using data to support managers in driving improvements.
- Coordinate Occupational Health referrals and track restricted duties, ensuring compliance with health and safety standards.
- Liaise with shared service functions to resolve issues and escalate when necessary.
- Coordinate all Business Unit people communications in various formats.
About you
You’re a detail-oriented and proactive professional with a passion for Human Resources. You thrive in fast-paced environments and are adept at managing multiple tasks while maintaining high standards of accuracy and confidentiality. Your strong systems skills, particularly in Excel, Word, PowerPoint enable you to efficiently support HR functions and contribute to process improvements. Skills in Success Factors (SAP) and ATOS are a bonus.
You possess excellent communication skills, allowing you to convey information clearly and effectively to various audiences. Your strong numerical skills and analytical abilities help you manage data and support decision-making processes. You’re results-driven, with exceptional time management and prioritisation skills, ensuring tasks are completed accurately and on time.
As a team player who can also work independently, you bring a proactive and pragmatic approach to your work. You have a passion for learning and developing within the HR field, and you demonstrate a commitment to embodying Bakkavor values and promoting an inclusive culture. Your ability to handle confidential information with discretion and professionalism sets you apart, and you’re not afraid to ask questions, introduce new ideas, and challenge existing practices to drive continuous improvement.
We’d like to see
- Ability to work to strict timescales in a busy environment with resilience.
- Strong systems skills, particularly in Excel (intermediate or higher), Word and PowerPoint.
- Results-driven with excellent time management, prioritisation, and completion skills.
- Excellent attention to detail and data analysis capabilities.
- Clear communication skills in various formats, tailored to the audience.
- Strong numerical skills.
- Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
- Proactive, pragmatic, and eager to develop within HR.
- Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and professionalism.
- Courage to ask questions, introduce new ideas, and challenge current practices.
- Commitment to act with integrity, embody Bakkavor values, and champion an inclusive culture.
What you’ll receive
As an equal opportunity employer, we’re committed to providing a safe and rewarding environment for you to thrive in. This is why we work hard to deliver benefits, rewards and wellbeing offerings that are important to you.
You’ll enjoy
- Life Assurance (2.5 x salary)
- Short Term Bonus Scheme
- 25 days holiday
- Staff Shop
- Stakeholder Pension Scheme
- MyBargains Discount Platform
- Personal Accident Insurance
- Free Independent Mortgage Advice
- Employee Assistance Programme
- A Range of voluntary benefits (holiday purchase scheme, additional life assurance, dental & hospital cash plans)
- Discounted tutoring for children
- Access to financial learning tools and affordable loans via your salary
- Private Medical Insurance
- Free Carparking
Plus, a commitment to your wellbeing that includes emotional, physical and financial support services delivered by our fantastic team of wellbeing champions.
