People Operations Assistant
Permanent | Edinburgh | Hybrid Working
Syme Drummond is delighted to be exclusively partnering with Sight Scotland to appoint a full time permanent People Operations Assistant into their Edinburgh-based People & Culture team.
This is a fantastic opportunity for somebody who has already built a strong grounding within HR or People Operations and is now looking for a role with broader exposure, greater variety and the opportunity to operate as a genuinely embedded part of a busy People function.
The environment is fast-paced, collaborative and continually evolving. There is a huge amount happening across the organisation, including ongoing change activity, colleague experience initiatives, recruitment and attraction projects, learning activity and wider improvements across People Operations.
As a result, this role requires somebody who is comfortable working with pace, ambiguity and shifting priorities, while still delivering a high-quality and people-focused service.
This is not a purely administrative People Assistant role.
The successful person will be involved in a broad range of operational People activity, including supporting with lower-level ER matters, handling day-to-day People queries, coordinating employee lifecycle activity and helping the wider team drive improvements across processes, communication and ways of working.
The role
This position offers broad exposure across the full employee lifecycle and would suit somebody who enjoys variety and likes understanding how all the moving parts of a People function fit together.
Responsibilities will include:
- Acting as a first point of contact for operational HR and People queries
- Supporting managers and colleagues with day-to-day People matters and knowing when escalation is required
- Supporting lower-level ER activity, including note taking, policy guidance and operational case support
- Coordinating recruitment, onboarding and employee lifecycle activity
- Drafting contracts, letters and colleague communications
- Maintaining accurate People records and supporting HR systems activity
- Supporting payroll-related coordination and reporting processes
- Working across shared inbox and ticketing activity within a busy operational environment
- Contributing to ongoing process improvement and wider People projects
- Supporting work linked to colleague experience, organisational change and service development initiatives
The person
We’re keen to speak with people who already have solid HR or People Operations experience and are looking for a role where they can continue building their exposure and responsibility.
The team is looking for someone who can confidently navigate a busy environment, think practically, build relationships quickly and contribute positively within a collaborative team.
You’ll likely bring:
- Broad exposure across the employee lifecycle
- Experience handling first-line HR or People queries from managers and employees
- Exposure to lower-level ER support, policy guidance, operational casework or note taking
- Confidence working in fast-moving environments where priorities can shift
- Good judgement and the ability to work independently while recognising when support or escalation is needed
- Experience supporting projects, process improvements or operational change activity
- Strong communication skills and a naturally approachable style
- A proactive and solutions-focused mindset
- Resilience, professionalism and the ability to stay calm under pressure
This role would suit somebody who enjoys being part of a team that is continuing to evolve and improve, and who wants the opportunity to contribute beyond pure administration.
If you’re looking for a role where you can gain meaningful exposure, build on your operational HR experience and make a visible impact within a supportive People team, we’d love to hear from you.
For a confidential chat, please contact - lynne.friel@symedrummond.co.uk