Apprentice HR Administrator

John Crane, a business of Smiths Group, is a global leader in mission-critical flow control solutions for energy and process industries that enable efficient and sustainable operations. Our products include mechanical seals and systems, couplings, bearings, filtration systems, and predictive digital monitoring technologies.

We have a global network of more than 200 sites in over 50 countries and employ more than 6,000 people worldwide. We partner with our customers to help them keep their operations safe, reduce downtime, improve efficiency, and meet the latest environmental standards.

John Crane is part of Smiths Group. For over 170 years, Smiths has been pioneering progress by engineering for a better future. We serve millions of people every year, helping to create a safer, more efficient, productive, and better-connected world across four global markets: energy, security & defence, space & aerospace, and general industrial. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Smiths employs approximately 16,000 colleagues in over 50 countries.

We have a fantastic opportunity for a Level 5 HR Apprentice to join the HR Operations Team reporting to the People Partners, Team Lead. As a HR Apprentice you will be learning the theory behind core areas of HR while working towards The People Professional CIPD Level 5 Apprenticeship standard (which should take approx. 24 months to complete). The apprenticeship will enable you to learn how HR supports an organisation and the culture of the business, while developing a deep understanding of how your role supports colleagues and our business goals. You will also be supporting with administrative support to help coordinate a wide variety of HR activities, full training will be provided for you to learn about our whole lifecycle of activities related to company vehicles, employee benefit schemes, and administrative processes.

You will also be given time to work toward your Level 5 CIPD Associate Diploma in People Management with our training provider BPP. The learning for this apprenticeship will be via online webinars and coaching and training in soft skills from our Early Careers team and the opportunity to join our internal Apprentice Steering Group: NextGen.

This role is based from our John Crane site within Slough working Monday to Friday normal office hours. This position will require regular travel to the Smiths Group site at London Blackfriars.

Smiths Group is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to crafting an inclusive environment for all employees.

 

Duties & Responsibilities (not limited to)

Fleet Administration:

• Process company car orders: liaise with employees, Finance, Payroll, and HMRC.
• Manage rental bookings for new hires including license checks and delivery coordination.
• Administer fuel card requests and maintain accurate records.
• Update and maintain MOT, toll, and vehicle databases.
• Manage P46 tax form preparation and submission.
• Administer EV Salary Scheme orders and documentation.
• Track and process company car fines, ensuring correct payroll deductions.

 

Employee Benefits Administration:

• Enrol employees into AXA, BUPA, LAYA (Ireland), Simply Health, Specsavers Eye Care, Childcare Vouchers, Cycle to Work, and Hapi Benefits, Pension and Charitable schemes.
• Maintain up-to-date Excel trackers for payroll deductions and benefits reporting.
• Coordinate yearly renewals and application collection for benefit schemes.
• Liaise with Finance to ensure timely invoice payments and reconciliations.

 

Offboarding Process Management:

• Support the HR team in managing employee offboarding, including processing leaver documentation.
• Ensure timely coordination with payroll to finalise final payments.

 

Charitable Scheme Administration:

• Manage the enrolment process for employees joining the company’s charitable giving scheme.

 

Pension Scheme Support:

• Support employees with general pension-related queries.

Leave & Absence Tracking:

• Monitor and maintain records of long-term sickness absences, maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave.
• Ensure relevant documents are submitted and in place, and update HR systems accordingly.

 

General HR Support

• Send relevant communications to Payroll, and HR teams.
• Handle ad hoc HR administrative requests and support process improvements.
• Maintain compliance with internal procedures and external regulatory requirements.

• Minimum of six months work-related experience in a HR role
• Hold 5 GCSE’s to include grade 4 or above for Maths & English
• Ideally hold A-Levels, T-Level or a BTEC and/or a Level 3 HR Apprenticeship qualification
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Great attention to detail

With colleagues stretching across the globe, we are proud of our diversity. To foster inclusivity, we run employee resource groups (ERGs) to provide a safe space for employees to connect and support each other. Our cross-business ERGs include Veterans, Pride Network, Black Employee Network, Women@Work Network, and Neurodiversity.

 

Across our company, we recognize excellence, culminating in the Smiths Excellence Awards, our annual celebration of the most extraordinary activities, people, and projects that best showcase our strengths and help drive our business forward. We announce these on our annual Smiths Day, a global celebration of Smiths around our network.

We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, economic status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics, where we celebrate, support, and embrace diversity.

At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Group, nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation – including, but not limited to, interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our career’s website (Careers - Smiths Group plc)