People Apprentice

Do you have a genuine passion for delivering a great People experience? Are you always looking for opportunities to develop yourself and eager to kickstart your career in HR?

We're looking for a proactive, resilient and customer focused People Apprentice to join our friendly and supportive People Operations team.

This role will give you a brilliant foundation for an exciting career in HR. As our apprentice, you'll learn the ins and outs of HR , from your experienced colleagues who love sharing their knowledge. As the first point of contact for all our people's HR needs, you'll turn questions into solutions through problem solving and research. Along the way, you'll grow the skills you have, as well as some valuable new ones, eventually taking ownership of your own projects.

Our Virgin Family

Join the Virgin Group – a diverse collective driving change, enhancing customer experience, and having a blast. We're daring, disrupting industries from finance to space, united as part of the Virgin Family.

Our People Team supports Virgin Management and Virgin Red.

Virgin Management, the heart of Virgin, nurtures the brand globally. Our diverse, 180-strong team in London and New York, supports every facet of the Virgin empire, including Virgin Unite, our entrepreneurial foundation, and Virgin Start-Up, empowering UK entrepreneurs. Working in synergy with various Virgin entities globally, our interests are as diverse as travel, health, music, media, finance, and space. Our unique work culture and purpose unite us. Virgin Red rewards customers who live the Virgin lifestyle. Earn Virgin Points across our vast partner network, unlocking everyday rewards and exclusive experiences. As the Virgin network hub, we foster deeper customer understanding, opening doors for partners. Bold, distinctive, customer-centric – that's Virgin Red.

Tell me more

A great experience for our people 

• Be the face of our team, answering the questions that we receive in a friendly, accurate and timely way.  
• Ownership of processes across our people lifecycle, from onboarding to offboarding and everything in-between, such as changes in people’s circumstances, parental leave, etc. 
• Administration of our recognition programmes.  

Making things happen 

• Ensure that our inbox is well organised and that emails that haven’t been actioned are resolved.  
• Answer questions in a friendly, accurate and timely manner and empower our people to find answers where these are already available.  
• Flag the right member of our team to help with specialist queries and things that are a bit trickier/ sensitive.  
• Complete compliance activities and reporting accurately and on time.  
• Updating our key systems and trackers, uploading new users and removing leavers in a timely way. 
• Purchase Order (PO) administration.   

Making things (even) better 

• Ensure that our People Team guidance is clear, effective and up to date.  
• Make recommendations on how the experience we give our customers, and how we run things behind the scenes, can be better - for example looking at ways to increase our use of Bob (our people system). 
• Lead on projects to streamline our administration for example, consolidating our existing SharePoint.  

What you’ll need

• A natural learner who gets excited about trying new things – you're not afraid to step out of your comfort zone, knowing our supportive team has your back every step of the way.
• Passionate about building a career in HR, with genuine curiousity about all aspects of People Operations and has already taken steps to understand what working in HR involves.
• A problem solver who can think critically when things change, taking initiative to find answers through research, thoughtful questions, and bringing the right people together. You're comfortable navigating uncertainty and finding creative solutions.
• A flexible team player who's eager to get stuck in and contribute to our collective success – you understand that by supporting each other, we all reach our full potential.
• A skilled communicator who can adapt their style for different audiences and situations. You have the ability to take complex information and make it clear and accessible for everyone.
• You recognise that being part of HR means being a trusted partner to our people. Confidentiality and an understanding of the importance of trust when handling sensitive information.
• A detail-oriented organiser who can juggle multiple priorities while maintaining quality and delivering on time – you bring that special touch of magic to everything you do.
• An enthusiastic supporter of our brand.
• While not essential, experience in fast-paced environments, customer service, or HR is helpful.
• While not essential, comfort with numbers and MS Office tools is helpful (don't worry – we have plenty of Excel experts to help!).

The extra details

Interested in this role? We're ditching the dusty old CV for something way cooler. The first stop on your journey with us will be creating your Vizzy profile. After you register your interest, we'll slide into your inbox with your exclusive Vizzy link – your golden ticket to showcasing why you're our People Apprentice superstar.

Apprenticeship: Level 3 HR Apprenticeship - Accelerate your career progression by learning the theory behind core areas of HR while gaining formal qualification via the CIPD Level 3 Apprenticeship. On this Level 3 HR Apprenticeship, you’ll learn how HR supports an organisation and its culture, while developing a deep understanding of how your role supports colleagues and business goals.

Role type: Permanent

Location: London hub & your home space

Working hours: Full time (inclusive of learning time) - We embrace flexible working. Let us know what hours empower you to be at your best both professionally and personally, we’ll try to find a perfect match for you and us.

Benefits: Buckle up for an adventure with Virgin! Our benefits package isn't just a list - it's your ticket to an extraordinary career and life. Imagine unlimited leave for your globe-trotting dreams, a "Screw it, let's do it pot" to enjoy being you, and a learning budget to fuel your curiosity. We've got your back with top-notch health care, family support that goes the extra mile, and a pension plan to keep your future bright. From electric vehicles to flexible volunteering, we're not just offering a job - we're inviting you to join a community that celebrates your whole self.

Closing date: 06 January 2025

Some of the attributes that define a Virgin person just can’t be quantified in words. We pride ourselves on welcoming people from all walks of life, with all sorts of skill sets. Most recently, we successfully campaigned to add ‘Dyslexic Thinking’ as a skill on LinkedIn. Any uniqueness is a strength and will be considered an asset to our workforce. If there is something you would like us to consider, to tailor the hiring process to the way you work best, please don’t hesitate to let us know. 

Ready to turn your career into the ultimate adventure? Virgin's got the map, the compass, and the crew. Your great adventure awaits!