View Vacancy -- People and Culture Advisor LMS - 2691
Open Date 12/08/2025, 14:15 /*generated inline style */ Close Date /*generated inline style */ 14/09/2025, 23:55 /*generated inline style */ Research Institute MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences /*generated inline style */ As this job does not fulfil the UK Government minimum salary criterion for obtaining sponsored migrant worker status we will be unable to apply for sponsorship for anyone not eligible to work in the UK. At interview, all shortlisted candidates are required to bring with them identification documents and original documents that prove they hold or can obtain the right to work in the UK. You can check your eligibility here: /*generated inline style */ Research Institute / Unit Information
The MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) is a biomedical research institute where scientists and clinicians collaborate to advance the understanding of biology and its application to medicine. LMS is one of three directly funded MRC research institutes and enjoys close links with our partners at Imperial College London and at the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
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/*generated inline style */ Band MRC - 5 /*generated inline style */ Location London /*generated inline style */ Salary £34,937 - £40,731 per annum, inclusive of London allowance /*generated inline style */ Contract Type Permanent /*generated inline style */ Job Type Administration & Management /*generated inline style */ Full Time / Part Time Full Time /*generated inline style */ Job Description
Overall Purpose:
The LMS People and Culture team supports the LMS Director, LMS and Imperial College Group Heads in all aspects of staff management, including recruitment and retention, performance management and motivation, reward, restructuring and change management.
The People and Culture Advisor is responsible for:
1. Providing an efficient and professional people administration support service to meet the requirements of the MRC and Imperial College
2. Act as a point of contact for all LMS / ICS staff and will build strong relationships with UKSBS and Imperial College London teams
3. Act as a local specialist for all aspects of recruitment and immigration
4. Support the Head and Deputy Head of People and Culture in the application of People related policies and procedures to Group Heads, Managers and employees
Working Relationships
5. Reports to the Deputy Head of People and Culture
6. Daily interaction with LMS People and Culture team as well as LMS and ICS managers, employees, PhD students and Visiting Workers
7. Support the Head and Deputy Head of People and Culture in communicating policies and procedures to all MRC / Imperial staff
8. Point of contact for UKSBS
9. Liaises with LMS Administration colleagues, UKSBS, UKRI HR, Imperial College Teams and Imperial College NHS Trust, and other outside bodies as appropriate
Main Duties:
10. Act as point of contact for email or in-person queries entering the People and Culture department, resolving where possible and escalating when needed
11. Liaise with Group Heads for LMS / Imperial College to manage the recruitment of staff by co-ordinating the end-to-end recruitment process and ensuring the relevant people (Imperial / UKRI Recruitment teams) are informed at every step. This includes having input to the development and finalisation of job descriptions and job advertisements, shortlisting, arranging interviews, salary setting, and ensuring immigration & visa requirements are met in accordance with current legislation and MRC / Imperial policy and procedures
12. Organise and review contracts of employment produced by the People and Culture Administrator ensuring they are sent to successful candidates in a timely manner and ensure records of all new starters are maintained
13. Organise and run the LMS Induction programme for all new starters within LMS. Coordinate the ‘New Starters Lunch’ and follow up on any queries raised or support required
14. Provide advice to managers for general People and Recruitment issues, ensuring adherence to UKRI and MRC policies and UK employment legislation
15. Support SAS Awards panels and assist with SAS Recognition Awards
16. Liaise with staff on maternity and paternity policy queries and provide information and assistance on the application of the policy. Have 1:1 meetings with employees as required and ensure the Maternity Leave Tracker is up to date and any actions for payroll are appropriately actioned
17. Ensure an effective leaver process is adhered to, ensuring the return of all MRC / Imperial College equipment
18. Ensure accurate records are kept for all starters and leavers for the MRC / Imperial College on a monthly basis and any changes are notified to payroll in a timely manner
19. Monitor sickness absence levels, highlighting to managers when employees exceed the MRC sickness absence monitoring point. In conjunction with the Deputy Head, provide assistance, advice and support to managers in managing sickness absence supporting meetings and discussions
20. Provide on-the-job training and day to day supervision / support to the People and Culture Administrator
21. Support the Head and Deputy Head of People and Culture in the implementation of all People related policies
22. You will follow best practice, and keep yourself updated on changes whilst always maintaining our culture
23. Advertise training and development opportunities or information to staff via e-mail, letter, posters, newsletters
24. Conduct/deliver training sessions and workshops
25. Support with the administration of training programmes
26. Support the Head and Deputy Head of People and Culture with arrangements for restructuring and proactively ensure that any related payroll enquiries & actions are delivered on time
27. Organise OH referrals in conjunction with the Deputy Head of People and Culture and manage the return-to-work process
28. Act as People and Culture representative or as note-taker for recruitment interview panels, exit interviews, promotion panels, award panels and formal hearing meetings for LMS / Imperial when nominated by the Deputy Head of People and Culture
29. Manage requests for Studio
30. Build good relationships with all stakeholders, ensuring you can provide accurate status updates for any work in progress
31. Work closely with the UKSBS and Imperial College to ensure that SLAs are met and service delivery is exemplary
32. Assist the Deputy Head of People and Culture in the preparation of returns for the MRC / Imperial as well as government agencies as required
33. Support the with community projects and initiatives such as Athena SWAN
34. Undertake project work and casework as required improvement projects, writing protocols, developing posters, writing information booklets and staff communications, note taking and report writing for ER cases
35. In conjunction with the Deputy Head of People and Culture analyse monthly reports to ensure all fixed-term contracts and leavers are dealt with according to LMS / Imperial policy and current legislation and the appropriate process is followed
36. Support Promotional Panels and In Band promotions
37. In conjunction with the Deputy Head of People and Culture, organise, advertise and coordinate Learning and Development training days and training workshops and Wellbeing events within LMS for all staff ensuring that a high level of delegate bookings is achieved, catering is ordered, that the trainers / facilitators have what they need and that the events go smoothly. Coordinate the collection of delegate feedback from events, sharing it with the appropriate stakeholders
38. Regular updating of LMS Intranet and website
39. Coordinate recruitment of contractors via Public Resourcing Sector, approving timesheets and arranging payments via Fieldglass
40. Any other duties as deemed job related by the Head and Deputy Head of People and Culture
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Education / Qualifications / Training required (will be assessed from the application form):
Essential:
41. HR Diploma / HR Degree educated
or
42. Studying towards a CIPD qualification or part-qualified CIPD
Desirable:
43. Strong numerical skills
Knowledge and experience (will be assessed from the application form and at the interview):
Essential
44. Experience of working in a team at HR Advisor level
45. Experience of providing on-the-job training
46. Providing advice and guidance on the application of policies and practices in a busy and complex environment
47. Knowledge of current UK legislation and HR practices
48. Experience of producing accurate minutes and meeting notes
49. Practical experience of interpreting People-related policies and practices and applying them to different scenarios
50. Ability to produce timely and accurate reports
Desirable:
51. Proven Administrative experience
52. Supervisory experience
53. Previous experience of working in science/academia / healthcare / NHS
54. Experience of working with a Shared Services Centre
55. Experience of ER
Administration & Communication Skills
Essential:
56. Experience in taking formal minutes
57. Proactive approach, capable of identifying and implementing improvements to admin processes and services.
58. Excellent communication skills both oral and written
59. Strong attention to detail and focus on high-quality work
60. Ability to apply diplomacy and patience in difficult situations or where there are competing needs
Desirable:
61. Experience in writing reports
Organisational Skills
Essential:
62. Ability to organise time effectively, prioritise and work to deadlines
63. Ability to work effectively as part of a team
64. Ability to use own initiative and work with minimal supervision
65. Experience in building and maintaining strong relationships
IT Skills
Essential:
66. Intermediate level skills in the use of Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) and the internet
67. Proven experience working with HR systems
Desirable:
68. Confident with updating website and Intranet
69. Working knowledge of Oracle
Personal skills / behaviours / qualities (will be assessed at the interview):
Essential:
70. Strong customer service focus
71. Reliable and responsible attitude
72. A committed individual with proactive and flexible attitude to work and keen to learn
73. A professional manner capable of working confidentially and dealing with sensitive information
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