HR Services Assistant

Are you ready to embark on a rewarding career with East Midlands Railway (EMR) and be part of a team that values diversity and inclusivity? We are proud to be One Team at East Midlands Railway (EMR). We are passionate about keeping people safe, delighting our customers, doing the right thing and putting customers at the heart of our sustainable railway for the East Midlands. 

With over 2,600 employees, our people are the reason we are so successful and our HR team make a crucial contribution to this. Nine times accredited as a Top Employer and Gold accredited for Inclusive Employers Standards, we value our people and are dedicated to making sure that everybody feels empowered to bring their authentic self to work.

At EMR we want to proactively embrace diversity across our workforce and recognise that we are under-represented in terms of ethnic minority groups. We’re therefore taking positive steps to promote a positive and inclusive culture; we welcome applications from those that identify with these groups to better represent our communities.

We have an exciting opportunity to join our award-winning HR team as a HR Services Assistant. 

Reporting to the HR Manager, this role is responsible for the end-to-end delivery of HR transactional services for our management teams and colleagues, adopting a continuous improvement philosophy to drive quality and efficiency. The role will provide a professional service focusing on HR processes in accordance with statutory requirements and Company policies and procedures while being the main interface between Payroll and East Midlands Railway. 

Responsibilities include:

Become the go-to expert on our terms and conditions of employment, providing first-line advice to colleagues.Act as the first point of contact for HR system data, supporting subject access requests and ensuring GDPR compliance.Work closely with the Transport UK payroll team to ensure accurate, timely pay, manage exceptions, resolve queries, and support pay awards.Identify and drive process improvements across HR Services, sharing best practice with the wider team.Liaise with third-party providers to administer employee benefits.

We are looking for:

Demonstrable experience in a HR Services Setting · Educated to A level or equivalent standardGCSE Maths and English level 4/C and aboveCIPD level 3 or equivalent experienceAn individual with a ‘can do’ attitude and willingness to be flexibleStrong organisational skills and attention to detailStrong written and verbal communication skillsAn analytical and logical thinker who enjoys process, detail, and continuous improvementConfident manipulating data in excelWell developed use of IT systems including email, Word, Excel and ideally Microsoft forms

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a first round of video interviews, with further shortlisted candidates progressing to face-to-face interviews, likely to be held on 6th and 7th November.

As well as a competitive salary, we’ll also offer you:Defined benefit pension schemeHybrid working, we have a fantastic Head office in Derby where you would work from 2-3 days per week, or more should you wish.Free leisure travel on East Midlands Railway and Train Operating Companies under Transport UKFirst Class Duty Travel on the EMR networkFriends and Family discounted tickets on the EMR network75% discount on national travel (inc partner and dependants)Flexible working hours32 days holiday per year rising to 34 after 2 years serviceHoliday purchase scheme

.... and many more!

We are open minded to applications from people who wish to have flexible working. Many of our staff work flexibly in many different ways. Please talk to us at interview about the flexibility you need. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise not to judge you for asking.

To apply please complete the online application form and upload your CV, as we operate blind screening please remove personal details from your CV.

Closing Date: 20 Jan 2026

Department: Managerial/Administration

Salary: Circa £30,795 dependent on experience