Job Application Form

Screening criteria

Hard requirements

• UK payroll experience — meets requirement if ONE of:
  • End-to-end UK payroll processing demonstrated on CV (min. 2 years)
  • UK payroll as part of a broad HR role with demonstrable responsibility for payroll processing
  • Payroll experience in another country + demonstrable knowledge of UK payroll legislation (recruiter reviews)
• Employee relations experience — meets requirement if ONE of:
  • ER case management explicitly mentioned (disciplinary, absence, performance)
  • HR generalist role with ER tasks described
  • People advisory or HRBP role with demonstrable casework (recruiter reviews)
• UK employment law knowledge — meets requirement if ONE of:
  • Experience in a UK-based HR role for min. 2 years
  • CIPD qualification (Level 3 or higher)
  • Demonstrable ER casework in a UK context (recruiter reviews)
• English — fluent/native level (no equivalence)

Scoring (100 points + 5 bonus)

• UK Payroll experience — 25 points
  • End-to-end UK payroll, 3+ years, independently: 25
  • UK payroll as part of a broader role, 2+ years: 18
  • UK payroll experience <2 years or in a supporting capacity: 10
  • Payroll experience but not UK-specific: 5
  • Not mentioned: 0
• HR generalist / Employee Relations experience — 25 points
  • Broad HR role with ER casework, 3+ years, independently: 25
  • HR generalist with ER tasks, 2–3 years: 18
  • HR role with limited ER exposure or <2 years: 10
  • Purely administrative HR experience: 5
  • Not mentioned: 0
• Autonomy & ownership — 15 points
  • Standalone HR role or sole HR for a site/entity: 15
  • Broad role with significant autonomy, reporting to management: 10
  • Team member in HR team, autonomous on specific areas: 5
  • Cannot be derived from CV: 3
• UK employment law & compliance — 15 points
  • CIPD Level 5+ and/or demonstrable UK ER casework: 15
  • CIPD Level 3 or 3+ years UK HR experience: 10
  • UK HR experience <3 years, no CIPD: 5
  • No UK experience: 0
• Communication & stakeholder management — 10 points
  • Demonstrable advisory role towards managers/directors: 10
  • Point of contact for employees + collaboration with external parties: 7
  • Basic communication in HR context: 3
  • Cannot be derived: 1
• Work stability — 10 points
  • Average 3+ years per employer: 10
  • Average 2–3 years per employer: 7
  • Average 1–2 years, with logical explanation (contracts, growth): 4
  • <1 year average or many unexplained gaps: 0
• Bonus: sector fit — +5 points
  • Experience in logistics, manufacturing, transport, production or another operational environment: +5

Sanity check: 25 + 25 + 15 + 15 + 10 + 10 = 100 ✓

Context & notes

This is a standalone role — the candidate will be the sole HR person in the UK entity, reporting into group HR. Look for profiles accustomed to making independent decisions and covering the full HR spectrum, not narrow specialists. CIPD is a strong plus but not a requirement; practical experience in UK ER and payroll outweighs qualifications. Red flag: candidates who have only worked in large HR teams without owning casework or payroll responsibility. Note that "payroll" sometimes means only input/preparation — verify it truly covers end-to-end processing.