People and Field Services Apprentice (18-month fixed-term contract)
the National Centre for Social Research
·2 weeks ago
- Salary
- £20k+
- Location
- London / Essex, London
- Workplace
- Hybrid
- Type
- Contract
- Department
- Human Resources
- Seniority
- Internship
- Education
- Certification
- Closing date
- Today
- Source
- Pinpoint
Description
People and Field Services Apprentice (18-month fixed-term contract)
Application Deadline: 8 November 2026
Department: People Directorate
Employment Type: Contract / Temp
Location: Multiple Offices (Hybrid)
Compensation: £20,000 / year
Description
People and Field Services Apprentice (18-month fixed-term contract)
£20,000
London, with frequent travel to Harold Hill (Romford)
Full time | 18-month fixed-term contract
Role details
£20,000
London, with frequent travel to Harold Hill (Romford)
Full time | 18-month fixed-term contract
Role details
- Location: London, with frequent travel to Harold Hill (Romford)
- Team: People Services, providing cross-functional support to Data Collection and Field
- Apprenticeship: Customer Service Specialist Level 3 with Capital City College
Key Responsibilities
Instant Impact in partnership with NatCen (The National Centre for Social Research) are hiring two People and Field Services Apprentices to join the People Services team. This is an opportunity to build a career in customer service, people operations or business support while completing a Customer Service Specialist Level 3 Apprenticeship.
You will provide professional, responsive and customer-focused support to employees, managers and field colleagues. Working across People Services, Data Collection and Field, you will help keep enquiries, records, onboarding activity and operational tasks moving accurately and on time.
What you’ll do
- Be a helpful first point of contact - Respond to routine enquiries through shared inboxes, Microsoft Teams, telephone and other agreed channels.
- Take ownership from start to finish - Track tasks, keep people informed, follow up outstanding actions and escalate sensitive or complex issues appropriately.
- Support the employee and worker lifecycle - Help with recruitment, onboarding, record updates, compliance activity and leaver processes.
- Keep accurate records - Update HR and operational systems, trackers and documents while handling personal and confidential information securely.
- Coordinate fieldworker activity - Support recruitment, onboarding, training, PeopleSafe registration, checks, communications and operational initiatives.
- Produce clear administration and communications - Prepare letters, reports, spreadsheets, meeting notes and routine updates for different audiences.
- Work across teams and priorities - Support People Services, Data Collection and Field during changing priorities, seasonal pressures and peaks in workload.
- Improve the customer experience - Spot recurring issues and suggest practical ways to simplify processes, improve guidance and strengthen service quality.
- Complete your apprenticeship - Take part in off-the-job learning and assessments, then apply your learning in the workplace.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
- Five GCSEs at grades 9-4 (A*-C), including English and maths, or equivalent qualifications.
- If you do not already hold Level 2 English and maths, willingness to complete the required Functional Skills qualifications as part of the apprenticeship.
- You meet apprenticeship funding and eligibility requirements and will not be in full-time education when the programme begins.
- A genuine interest in customer service, People Services, operations or business support.
- Clear written and verbal communication and the confidence to deal professionally with different people.
- A helpful, accurate and timely approach to customer service.
- A completer-finisher mindset, with the discipline to follow up actions, check quality and close tasks.
- Good organisation, attention to detail and the ability to prioritise and meet deadlines.
- Resilience and adaptability when priorities change or workloads increase.
- Initiative, curiosity and the confidence to ask for guidance when needed.
- Integrity and discretion when handling confidential or sensitive information.
- Confidence using, or willingness to learn, Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams and digital record-keeping systems.
- Previous customer service or administrative experience is helpful, but it is not essential.
If you are organised, keen to learn and motivated by helping people receive a reliable service, we would love to hear from you.
As there is likely to be strong interest in this opportunity, we reserve the right to close the vacancy early should we receive a sufficient number of suitable applications. I would therefore encourage any interested candidates to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
As there is likely to be strong interest in this opportunity, we reserve the right to close the vacancy early should we receive a sufficient number of suitable applications. I would therefore encourage any interested candidates to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Benefits
As well as the salary and apprenticeship development opportunity, you will be working for the largest independent social research organisation in the UK. NatCen’s benefits include:
- 25 days holiday, plus eight bank holidays, and flexible working
- Generous company pension scheme
- Life insurance and health cash plan
- Cycle to Work scheme and season ticket loan
- Career development, professional subscriptions support and mentoring support from industry-leading experts
About the National Centre for Social Research
At The National Centre for Social Research, we believe that social research has the power to make life better. By really understanding the complexity of people’s lives and what they think about the issues that affect them, we give the public a powerful and influential role in shaping services that can make a difference to everyone. As an independent, not-for-profit organisation, we focus our time and energy on meeting our clients’ needs and delivering social research that works for society.
SPARK Values & Behaviour Expectations
We Are Curious
- Asks questions, seeks to understand customer needs and learns from different teams and experiences.
- Uses feedback, records and service information to identify recurring issues and suggest improvements.
We Move with Purpose
- Organises work around clear priorities and takes practical action to move tasks forward.
- Maintains a completer-finisher approach, follows up actions and delivers work accurately and on time.
We Act with Integrity
- Communicates honestly, professionally and promptly, including when a response or resolution will take longer.
- Handles information responsibly, follows agreed processes and treats customers consistently and respectfully.
We are proud to say we are a Disability Confident Committed Employer, so if you require any reasonable adjustments during the interview process please make us aware and we will endeavour to support you to help you showcase your best self during our hiring process.
Skills
ExcelComplianceCustomer Service