Graduate - HR Specialist - HR Operations

About AWE

We are a team of remarkable people, united by one extraordinary mission: keeping the UK safe and secure. Our work supports the UK's independent nuclear deterrent and wider national-security capabilities through science, engineering, technology and specialist expertise.

Your route

Help us deliver great people services and a positive employee experience. 

On this two-year route, you will gain experience across HR Services, Onboarding, Employee Relations and Reward. You will help deliver and continuously improve the services, processes and support that employees and managers rely on throughout the employee lifecycle. 

What you will do

• Support the delivery of accurate, timely and customer-focused HR services for employees and managers. 
• Help coordinate onboarding activity so that new starters receive clear information, complete required steps and experience a well-organised welcome. 
• Respond to routine HR enquiries, explain policies and processes clearly, and escalate sensitive or complex matters appropriately. 
• Support Employee Relations activity through accurate case records, meeting coordination, document preparation and process tracking. 
• Contribute to reward and benefits activity, including employee communications, data checks and administration. 
• Use service data, employee feedback and process measures to identify recurring issues and improvement opportunities. 
• Help review and document HR processes, guidance and knowledge content so they are clear, consistent and easy to use. 
• Handle personal and sensitive information professionally, applying confidentiality, GDPR, security and records-management requirements. 

What you will learn

• End-to-end employee lifecycle processes and HR service delivery. 
• Onboarding, employee relations and reward fundamentals. 
• HR policy interpretation, case administration and service standards. 
• Process improvement, customer experience and operational controls. 
• HR systems, people data, confidentiality and professional judgement. 

Professional development

Your structured development will include a relevant professional qualification. You will also receive practical experience, support from experienced colleagues and opportunities to build your professional confidence over the two-year programme. 

Behaviours and qualities

• Curious: Asks thoughtful questions, seeks understanding and explores new ideas.
• Collaborative: Builds trusted relationships and works effectively across teams.
• Analytical: Uses evidence and structured thinking to understand issues and develop solutions.
• Adaptable: Responds positively to change, challenge and feedback.
• Professional: Acts with integrity, accountability, discretion and respect.
• Safety and security focused: Understands the importance of following requirements in a classified environment.

Entry requirements

• Minimum 2:2 degree in the following: Human Resource Management, Business, Organisational/Business Psychology or Psychology. 
• You must be able to join AWE in September 2027. 
• You must be a British National and willing and able to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance. 

Salary and benefits

• £31,000 starting salary.
• 270 hours of annual leave, including bank holidays.
• A 9-day working fortnight, giving you every other Friday off.
• A salary-sacrifice benefit scheme and access to employee discounts.
• A welcome payment and the option of an interest-free £1,000 loan.
• Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services.
• Regular Graduate pay reviews and structured career progression.

Support and community

• A dedicated line manager and Evolve pathway lead.
• A buddy, typically from an earlier Graduate cohort.
• A vibrant Early Careers community and opportunities to join employee networks.
• Structured development, mentoring and access to relevant professional learning.

Recruitment process and key dates

• Online assessment: If eligible, complete numerical, verbal, logical and cognitive reasoning assessments. Practice materials will be available.
• Virtual assessment centre: Successful candidates will be invited to a virtual assessment centre, expected to run during December 2026 and January 2027.
• Pre-assessment support: Attend guidance webinars so you know what to expect and can prepare.
• Offer and clearance: Successful candidates will move into the offer and security-clearance stages before joining in September 2027.

Inclusion and reasonable adjustments

AWE aims to create workplaces where differences are recognised and celebrated, diverse contributions are encouraged and employees feel able to be themselves. Reasonable adjustments are available throughout the application process, with inclusion information handled in accordance with GDPR.

Use of external technologies

As part of our recruitment process, AWE may use a trusted third-party AI-enabled technology provider, Spotted Zebra Solutions Ltd, to support the assessment of candidates. These tools ingest categories of personal information including your application data, responses to assessment questions and interview responses, and help us evaluate information relevant to the recruitment process, such as skills, competencies, interview responses, assessment results and role suitability. They may generate recommendations or summaries to support recruiters and hiring managers. In some cases, you may interact directly with an AI-enabled tool during the interview or assessment process.

The purpose of these tools is to improve the consistency, efficiency and quality of our recruitment process. The outputs generated are reviewed by authorised AWE recruiters and hiring managers and are used alongside other relevant information as part of the overall recruitment process. Please note: recruiting decisions will be made by recruiting and hiring teams only.

If you would like to request an additional human review, share your point of view, or contest a decision, you can contact us at earlycareers@awe.co.uk

Next steps:

Everyone who works at AWE brings unique skills and perspectives to the table. We recognise that great people don’t always ‘tick every box’. That’s why we focus on your potential, your fit with our values, your transferable skills as well as your experience. Even if you don’t meet every point above, but you feel that this role and AWE are a great fit for you, please go ahead and apply, we’d love to receive your application.

Important things you need to know:

• We encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment if applications are high and the role therefore closes.
• You will need to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. This will be funded by AWE. The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.
• We want you to feel comfortable and able to shine during our recruitment process. Please let us know on your application form if you need any adjustments/accommodations during the process.
• Our interviews typically take place over Teams and for most roles are a 1 stage process.

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