Job Advert
Flexible Location: Based throughout Scotland, NES is a remote friendly employer supporting office and hybrid working. We’re happy to talk about how you want to work.
Work Pattern: Fixed Term, 2 x Part Time posts – 21.6 hours per week – 21 hours and 36 minutes and 3 x Full Time, 36 hours per week
As from 1/4/26, the Agenda for Change full-time working week will be reducing from 37 to 36 hours per week. Part time hours will be reduced pro-rata. However, there will be a corresponding increase in the hourly rate so that pay will not be affected.
Fixed-term or Secondment** until 28 August 2026
**For NHS applicants, an NHS secondment will be offered in the first instance. For non-NHS applicants, a fixed-term or secondment would be considered.
You must have eligibility and entitlement to work in the UK which is required to be maintained throughout your period of employment.
April to August is our busiest period and annual leave is more limited during these months to help us maintain service delivery; however, we are open to discuss and accommodate requests where possible. Any pre-approved leave for internal employees will be honoured.
We encourage team members to spend time in the office, around once a week to support collaboration and connection with colleagues.
Who We Are
NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is the national health board with statutory responsibilities to effect sustainable change through workforce development, education and training across the health and social care system in Scotland, while working at UK level with partner organisations.
The role of the People and Culture Directorate is wide-ranging and exciting. We not only enable NES to attract, recruit, support, train, develop, reward and recognise its own workforce, but also play a significant role in employing doctors and dentists in training across Scotland. Furthermore, we support recruitment of medical and dental trainees and other vocational groups for the whole of Scotland's health sector. We support the management of change, providing organisational consultancy. We also play an active part in the organisation’s commitment to fulfilling its equality and diversity responsibilities, not just to its own staff but throughout all the activities of the organisation.
The HR Trainee Services team is central to supporting a consistent employment experience for Doctors and Dentists in Training across NHS Scotland. Under the ‘lead employer’ arrangements, the team provides HR services as an Employing Board and a Placement Board (e.g Onboarding, Payroll, Salary Setting, Maternity/Paternity/Shared Parental leave and Absence) and in the delivery of ‘Once for Scotland’ activities including Skilled Worker Sponsorship, PVG checking and national Trainee Recruitment & Selection.
The Opportunity
We are looking for enthusiastic and self-motivated individuals to be part of our talented and highly versatile team. While the role is mainly remote, you may be asked to attend one of our offices across Scotland for team meetings or key activities.
We are looking for five Admin Assistants (3 x Full Time; 2 x Part Time) to join our HR Trainee Services team to support the delivery of national recruitment and employment services for Doctors and Dentists in Training (DDITs) across NHS Scotland.
In this exciting and varied role as an HR Admin Assistant, you will collaborate across multiple workstreams and organisations, having a direct impact on the HR Trainee Services team achieving and delivering their programme priorities
Do you enjoy working at pace and being adaptive to an ever-changing environment?
Do you enjoy making a difference, influencing improved ways of working, and sharing innovative ideas?
Do you want to play a key role in delivering a high-quality HR service to our Doctors and Dentists in Training?
Working within the HR Trainee Services team is an excellent opportunity to gain HR experience operating in a fast paced, results driven environment. A qualification in HR is not an essential requirement for this role, however, for those who are studying either via a college or university, this is a great opportunity to gain experience between term time>
Does this sound like you?
What We Love to See
Our HR Assistants offer a broad range of skills and experience, if you can offer some or all of these, we’d love you to apply:
- High attention to detail in all aspects of your work
- Customer focused with a flexible problem-solving attitude
- High level keyboard skills with proven speed and accuracy
- Ability to work collaboratively and flexibly within in a team, and across other workstreams and departments
- Ability to communicate clearly, effectively and confidently at all levels (both verbally and in writing)
- Demonstrate honesty, integrity, care and compassion when dealing with others, utilising tact and persuasion skills when necessary
- Ability to work on own initiative, to organise and prioritise own workloads, to meet strict deadlines
Benefits Which Matter
As a valued employee of NHS Scotland, you can enjoy an extensive range of benefits including:
- Life-work balance - with opportunities for flexible working and hybrid working
- Generous NHS pension scheme
- Annual incremental salary progression (up to the maximum of the salary band) plus annual NHS salary scale review
- Annual Leave - 27 Days increasing in line with service plus 8 days public holiday
- NHS discounts and more
Diversity and Inclusion
Developing a successful national service for Scotland is impossible without ensuring we consider the diverse needs, perspectives and backgrounds of everyone in Scotland in our work.
We are focused on hiring the very best talent available for NES, and actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and aim to ensure everyone is treated fairly, with respect and has a positive recruitment experience – regardless of the outcome.
It’s not essential to be in a HR Assistant role right now. You may be returning from a career break (e.g. maternity, paternity, caring for others) or returning after working in another field. Your experiences elsewhere can bring a fresh perspective to our work.
If you are considering applying and feel it would be helpful to discuss this initially, please contact Claire.wall4@nhs.scot or Emma.McFadyen@nhs.scot
Next Steps
**NHS candidates will be considered firstly on a secondment basis, and so are strongly encouraged to discuss this with their current NHS employer at the earliest opportunity, ideally prior to application.
Our recruitment process is currently 100% remote and if successful you would initially work remotely, working from our offices as operationally required.
All applicants who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail.
Online interviews will take place on 4th and 5th March 2026.
For further information please refer to the Job Information Pack below.
Unless otherwise stated the deadline for applications is 23:59 hours on the closing date. Please note, CVs will not be accepted.
Please note: We expect a high volume of applications, so this advert may close earlier than the stated closing date.
- Please be advised that if you are successful in being offered the role following the recruitment process, you will be expected to attend the office prior to your start date to complete face-to-face pre-employment checks. If you require any adjustments to support this, please let us know.
- To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service.
As part of the pre-employment checks for a preferred candidate, NHS Scotland Boards will check your entitlement to work in the UK. It can be evidenced through a number of routes including specific types of visa as well as EU settled and pre-settled status. To find out more about these routes of permission, please refer to the GOV.UK website here.
For specific types of post, if you do not have the necessary eligibility to work in the UK, it might be possible (though not guaranteed) to secure sponsorship via a UK Skilled Worker/Health & Care Worker Visa. However, this is only possible if the employer is a licenced Sponsor, and if the post does not fall below the current minimum salary threshold or ‘going rate’. Further information on these criteria can be found here.
It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form.
If you have any queries regarding the NHS Scotland National Recruitment Portal or the recruitment process, please don't hesitate to contact our recruitment partners, the East Region Recruitment Service, at: EoS.ERRS@nhs.scot