Job Description

Join us as a HR Officer and make an invaluable contribution to our Food Safety & Biosecurity!
As a HR Officer at Fera you'll provide comprehensive administrative support across all HR functions, ensuring seamless coordination of occupational health requirements, payroll processing, onboarding and offboarding activities, and pension administration. This role underpins an efficient HR operation and contributes to a positive employee experience.
What you'll be doing:

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date HR records and systems.
• Coordinate occupational health referrals and manage fitness-for-work processes.
• Support timely and accurate payroll inputs and liaise with payroll providers- collecting and verifying payroll data (absences, starters, leavers, salary changes).
• Deliver efficient onboarding and offboarding experiences for all employees.
• Administer pension scheme enrolments, contributions, and data changes.
• Ensure compliance with employment legislation, data protection (GDPR), and internal policies.
• Provide first-line support for HR queries and escalate complex issues appropriately.
• HR Administration including but not limited to; updating and maintaining the HR information systems and personnel files, producing HR reports and assist with audits and compliance checks.
• Arrange pre-employment and periodic health assessments.
• Assist with HR projects, training coordination, and employee communications.

What we're looking for:

• Solid understanding of UK employment law, GDPR, and HR best practices.
• Working knowledge of payroll processes, pension legislation, and occupational health requirements.
• Proficiency with HR information systems (HRIS) and Microsoft Office suite.
• Exceptional organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong verbal and written communication, with the ability to build rapport across all levels.
• Discretion and confidentiality when handling sensitive information.
• Ability to prioritise competing deadlines and work under pressure.
• Collaborative mindset and willingness to support continuous improvement initiatives.
• H&S experience/qualifications is highly desirable.

What's in it for you?

• ?25 days' holiday (rising to 29) with the opportunity to buy & sell extra leave.
• Flexible working hours, on-site gym, restaurant, and free parking
• The opportunity to take a paid day out of the office, volunteering for our charity partners or a cause of your choice
• Company matched pension, life assurance, a cycle2work scheme, 15 weeks' fully paid maternity, adoption and shared parental leave, paternity pay of two weeks...and plenty more.
• Voluntary benefits designed to suit your lifestyle - from discounts on retail and socialising, to health & wellbeing, travel and technology
• Fera operates a LTIP ( Long Term Incentive Plan) under which all employees are awarded points towards shares in the Employee Benefits Trust on an annual basis. The Employee Benefits Trust holds shares on behalf of our employee, at the point of an equity event the shares will realise a cash value.

What we hope you'll do next:
Choose 'Apply now' to fill out our short application, so that we can find out more about you. If you have any questions you'd like to ask before applying, you can contact
We're an equal opportunity employer, which means we recruit and develop people based on their merit and passion. We're committed to providing an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment process and working environment for everyone. If you need the job description or application form in an alternative format or if you'd like to discuss other changes or support you might need going forward, please email at and we'll get back to you.
At Fera, we're making the world a better, healthier and safer place. We're a joint venture partnership between Bridgepoint and Defra and we're working proactively to protect the world we live in and the food we eat. Our teams are investigating plant and bee health, crop protection and sustainable agriculture. Join us and discover better as you deliver world-class science for the future.

Skills Required