HR Graduate

Rotates across HR functions including recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, training, payroll support, and HR operations while maintaining employee records and supporting workforce development.

The Vacancy

The HR Graduate will develop broad, practical experience across the employee lifecycle through a structured programme of rotations covering recruitment, HR administration and operations, learning and development, employee relations, reward, payroll support and employee engagement. The role combines hands-on delivery with supervised learning, building the knowledge, judgement and skills needed for a career in HR.

Reporting to the Head of Operational HR, the graduate will work alongside HR specialists and operational teams during placements at office and project locations, including Essex, London and Acton. Each rotation will have agreed learning objectives, practical tasks and regular feedback from the relevant placement supervisor.

Responsibilities will develop progressively in line with competence, with appropriate supervision and escalation of sensitive or complex matters. Rotation timing and locations will be agreed according to development objectives and business requirements.

Requirements: 

• Rotational development: Complete agreed placements across HR functions and office and project locations, maintain a learning log, seek feedback and review progress against development objectives. Prepare clear handovers between placements.

• Recruitment and resourcing: Support vacancy administration, job adverts, applicant tracking system updates, interview scheduling and candidate communications. Assist with shortlisting and assessment activities against agreed criteria under the recruitment team’s guidance.

• Onboarding and induction: Coordinate references, pre-employment documentation and checks in line with company procedures. Track outstanding actions, prepare induction schedules and liaise with managers and IT/ITRM on access and equipment requirements.

• HR administration: Draft contracts, employee letters and changes to terms using approved templates for review. Support probation tracking, employee transfers, leaver administration and arrangements for the return of company equipment.

• HR systems and records: Maintain accurate starter, employment change and leaver information in Cascade and employee files on SharePoint. Check supporting approvals, maintain audit trails and handle personal information securely and confidentially.

• HR helpdesk: Log and triage enquiries, respond to routine queries within agreed guidance, allocate tickets to the appropriate HR colleague and track actions through to closure. Escalate matters outside the graduate’s knowledge or authority.

• Training coordination: Assist with identifying training needs, arranging courses and bookings, issuing joining instructions and monitoring attendance and e-learning completion. Gather feedback and maintain training records in Cascade.

• Competence and development: Support the maintenance of operational competency matrices, qualification records and renewal reminders. Liaise with operational teams to resolve gaps, with competence requirements and sign-off remaining with the responsible managers.

• Early careers and talent: Help coordinate apprentice and graduate recruitment, programme administration, development activities and review meetings. Support appraisal and objective-setting communications and completion tracking.

• Employee relations: Shadow appropriate meetings where authorised, arrange meetings, prepare documentation and take factual notes under supervision. Support case administration and action tracking; do not provide independent advice or make case decisions.

• Office and project placements: Attend allocated locations and build an understanding of different operating environments. Support local inductions and employee queries, complete required site inductions and comply with site safety, access and PPE requirements.

• Reward, benefits and payroll support: Help administer benefits queries and approved pay or employment changes, collate and check payroll inputs and refer discrepancies for review. Learn the links between HR records, reward and payroll without independently approving changes.

• HR reporting and improvement: Prepare routine reports and check data accuracy across recruitment, headcount, absence and training. Contribute to policy reviews, process mapping and small improvement projects, presenting findings and suggestions for review.

Requirements:

• Interest in building a career within HR and delivering a positive employee experience.

• Good written and verbal communication skills.

• Organisation, accuracy and ability to meet agreed deadlines.

• Working knowledge of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, and willingness to learn HR systems.

• Responsible handling of confidential information and awareness of when to seek guidance.

• Willingness and ability to rotate between office and project locations, with reasonable adjustments considered where required.

• Degree-level qualification or equivalent, with a demonstrable interest in developing a career in HR.

Our Vision

Our vision is to deliver sustainable Mechanical, Electrical and Telecommunication engineering solutions for our clients, our people and our environment.

Our ethical approach assures:

• Customer-centric self-delivery, thanks to a unique combination of Tier 1 industry knowledge and Tier 2 agility.

• A values-driven, partnership approach that ensures we make the ethical decision, always.

• True sustainability that’s actively considered and built into the design phase of projects.

Values

At VVB, our CORE values shape our behaviour and are apparent in everything we do. Not only are these values central to the entire VVB ethos, each letter represents a pillar of our company vision.