Workforce Information Assistant

Job overview

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We are looking for a motivated, organised and customer-focused individual who enjoys working in a fast-paced environment and is passionate about delivering high-quality workforce services. If you are a team player who embraces change, enjoys problem-solving, and wants to be part of an ambitious programme of workforce transformation, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

This is an exciting time to join the team. Bedfordshire Hospitals is delivering a significant programme of workforce digitisation and service improvement, with a strong focus on data quality, self-service technologies, automation, artificial intelligence, workforce analytics, and Robotic Process Automation (RPA). As part of this journey, the Workforce Information Team is at the centre of developing innovative solutions that improve efficiency, enhance the staff experience, and support informed decision-making across the Trust.

As a Workforce Information Assistant, you will play a vital role in ensuring the accuracy and integrity of workforce information held within the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) system. You will be responsible for processing a wide range of workforce transactions, supporting managers and employees, maintaining employee records, and helping to ensure workforce changes are processed accurately and within required timescales.

Main duties of the job

The Workforce Information Assistant plays an important role in supporting the Trust's workforce information, payroll administration and Registration Authority (RA) services. Working within the Workforce Information Team, the post holder will be responsible for maintaining accurate employee records within the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) system and processing a range of workforce transactions, including contractual changes, pay-affecting amendments, expenses and leaver administration.

The post holder will work closely with the Workforce Information & Payroll Supervisor and Workforce ESR & Registration Authority Lead to deliver a high-quality administrative service, support NHS Smartcard and system access processes, respond to workforce-related enquiries, and help ensure data quality and compliance standards are maintained.

The role will also contribute to workforce reporting, service improvement initiatives and digital transformation projects, supporting the ongoing development of workforce systems and services across the Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Registration Authority (RA)

Administer the NHS Care Identity Service (CIS) and Registration Authority (RA) service, ensuring compliance with national and local policies and procedures.

Create, amend, maintain and revoke smartcard access for staff, ensuring appropriate system access is granted based on role requirements.

Complete identity verification checks and issue smartcards to new and existing employees.

Diagnose and resolve smartcard and system access issues, including unlocking accounts, resetting profiles and replacing cards where required.

Maintain accurate RA records and databases, ensuring leavers' access is removed promptly and audit requirements are met.

Support internal and external audits relating to Registration Authority activities and information governance compliance.

Provide advice and guidance to staff and managers on smartcard access and national system requirements.

Workforce Information, Data Quality and Reporting

Produce, validate and distribute workforce reports and management information from ESR and other workforce systems for managers, HR, Finance and senior leadership teams.

Analyse workforce data and identify trends, anomalies and data quality issues, escalating concerns where appropriate.

Maintain workforce databases, trackers and reporting tools, ensuring information remains accurate, current and fit for purpose.

Support statutory and internal reporting requirements through the provision of high-quality workforce information.

Assist with data validation exercises, audits and reconciliations to ensure the integrity of workforce records.

Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of workforce reporting processes and data collection methods.

Ensure workforce information is handled in accordance with GDPR, NHS confidentiality requirements and Trust policies.

Reconcile complex workforce data, identifying discrepancies and implementing corrective actions where necessary.

Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and Workforce Administration

Maintain a comprehensive understanding of ESR functionality and workforce administration processes.

Accurately process and maintain employee information within ESR, ensuring data quality and compliance with payroll deadlines.

Process a wide range of workforce transactions, including:

New starters and onboarding activity

Changes to contracted hours

Contractual amendments

Banding and pay changes

Expenses and payroll adjustments

Salary sacrifice schemes

Maternity, paternity and other employee life-cycle changes

Leaver and termination processing

Ensure pay-affecting changes are processed accurately and within required timescales to minimise the risk of payroll errors and delayed payments.

Act as a point of contact for workforce, payroll and pension-related enquiries, liaising with Payroll and other departments to resolve issues.

Produce ESR reports and management information to support operational and strategic workforce requirements.

Support the administration and maintenance of workforce-related interfaces and integrations, including national NHS systems.

Assist with the delivery of training and guidance to managers and staff on ESR functionality and employee self-service processes.

Customer Service, HR Helpdesk and Case Management

Manage and resolve enquiries received through the Trust's HR Helpdesk ticketing system, ensuring cases are triaged, assigned, updated and closed within agreed service standards and response times.

Provide a professional, responsive and customer-focused service to employees, managers and stakeholders, delivering advice and guidance on Workforce Information, ESR, Registration Authority (RA), payroll-related processes and workforce administration procedures.

Investigate, manage and resolve a wide range of workforce-related enquiries, ensuring accurate and timely responses are provided and complex cases are escalated appropriately.

Process and action requests submitted through the HR Helpdesk, including new starter administration, contractual changes, changes to hours, pay-affecting amendments, expenses, salary sacrifice schemes, onboarding activities, system access requests, smartcard queries and leaver administration.

Monitor and manage Helpdesk queues, ensuring priority cases, payroll deadlines, service level agreements (SLAs) and customer expectations are met.

Maintain accurate records of all enquiries, actions taken and outcomes within the HR Helpdesk system, ensuring a robust audit trail is retained.

Work collaboratively with colleagues across Workforce, Payroll, HR, Digital and operational services to ensure cases are resolved efficiently and to a high standard.

Identify recurring themes, trends and opportunities for service improvement through analysis of Helpdesk activity and customer feedback, escalating recommendations where appropriate.

Support the ongoing development of the HR Helpdesk service, including knowledge article creation, testing, user guidance and continuous improvement initiatives.

Contribute to the achievement of team KPIs and performance measures relating to response times, resolution times, customer satisfaction, data quality and service delivery.

Service Improvement and Digital Transformation

Support workforce system developments, service improvement initiatives and digital transformation projects across the Workforce Directorate.

Identify opportunities to improve processes, increase automation and enhance the user experience for managers and employees.

Contribute to testing, implementation and continuous improvement of workforce systems, HR Helpdesk processes and digital solutions.

Assist in the development of guidance materials, standard operating procedures and user documentation.

Support the delivery of innovative technologies, including self-service, workflow automation and workforce analytics initiatives.

General Administration

Provide administrative support to the Workforce Information management team, including project support, meeting administration, action tracking and documentation.

Maintain electronic filing systems, records and documentation in accordance with Trust policies, information governance requirements and retention schedules.

Support the administration of workforce-related systems and processes, ensuring records are maintained accurately and efficiently.

Assist with position management, establishment maintenance and recruitment-related workforce administration activities where required.

Support the production of presentations, reports and documentation required by the Workforce Information Senior Management Team.

Undertake any other duties commensurate with the grade and responsibilities of the post.