Closing date for applications: 12 June 2026
First round interviews: w/c 15 June 2026
Start date: July 2026
Contract type: 12-month Fixed-term contract

ABTA is a trade association for UK travel agents, tour operators and the wider travel industry, and has been a trusted travel brand for over 70 years. Our purpose is to help our members to grow their businesses successfully and sustainably, and to help their customers travel with confidence.

We’re passionate about the role we play within the industry and are committed to helping each other thrive. We’ve built a culture where amazing people can do their best work and grow as professionals, and individuals. We work in an open plan office, which allows effective collaboration across departments, in the heart of London Bridge right next to Borough Market.

ABTA is currently recruiting for a HR Assistant to join the HR department on a 12-month fixed-term contract. The HR team play a pivotal role in ensuring the development of ABTA’s people, and you will be at the centre of supporting colleagues throughout their time with us. From maintaining our onboarding process and organising training, to driving the EDI strategy and providing advice to managers, no two days are every the same for our team.

Purpose of this role:

To provide support to the team in delivering ABTA’s HR strategy, and enhancing ABTA’s Employer Brand and Employee Value Proposition. The HR Officer will be responsible for the administration needs of the HR function including payroll, staff benefits, recruitment, and training. They will provide support with learning and development, and promoting ABTA’s wellbeing and EDI initiatives.

Key responsibilities:

• Employer Brand and EVP: Support the HR & People Development Manager to ensure that the ABTA values are embedded into ABTA’s culture and all of ABTA’s internal HR processes and policies.
• Recruitment and Retention: Provide administrative support to recruiting managers on all aspects of recruitment including advertising vacancies, arranging interviews and supporting at interviews where required. Manage the administration of onboarding and inductions for new starters, and exit interviews for leavers.
• Performance management: Support with administration of investigations and performance management procedures.
• Learning and development: Liaise with training and development consultants and other external course providers to organise training, including room bookings, diarising training sessions and associated organisation ensuring costs are authorised.
• Employee Relations: Support administration of the regular staff engagement survey and associated actions.
• Payroll: Liaise with Finance to provide appropriate payroll information on a timely basis. Maintain accurate employee records, ensuring HMRC and legal compliance; administration of ABTA’s benefits package.
• HR policies and procedures: Provide general support, advice and assistance to all staff members on ABTA's HR policies and procedures referring where appropriate.
• HR Administration: Prepare HR documents such as employee contracts and offer letters. Prepare reports and data as requested.
• Internal communications: Work closely with Communications team and HR and People Development Manager to ensure staff communications reflect ABTA employer brand; Collaborate with staff to produce the monthly staff newsletter; Support internal communications and team engagement by leading the internal social committee to organise staff activities and delivery of internal business updates.
• Any other support as required by the department.

Preferred experience: 

• Dealing with managers and staff at all levels, and liaising with external suppliers and candidates.
• Prior inputting of payroll would be an advantage.

The Ideal candidate should:

• Have excellent organisational skills, be flexible and be able to prioritise and manage a variety of tasks in parallel.
• Have a high level of skill and accuracy of written and verbal communication.
• Be able to give timely advice in response to enquiries.
• Be able to maintain a consistent level of performance under changing circumstances and think ahead with a pro-active approach.
• Have a good level of understanding of the HR function.
• Have excellent interpersonal skills with colleagues, external supplier and candidates at all levels.
• Be able to plan workload effectively and deliver within deadlines and to agreed standards.
• Be receptive to and contribute new ideas and approaches, and adapt accordingly.
• Be able to deal with unusual situations in a calm, professional manner.
• Be able to make decisions of a fairly uniform nature and seek help with more complex situations.

Our values

The successful candidate will demonstrate behaviours which fit with ABTA’s values:

Be There
We are always ready and prepared to help our members, customers and colleagues with a positive attitude. We are encouraged and empowered to make clear, timely and informed decisions, even when faced with the unknown.

Be Trusted
We are proud to be part of an award-winning brand in the travel industry, passionately providing quality support and advice in a fair, equitable and consistent way. We aim to be approachable and reliable, in order to do a consistently good job for the industry and each other.

Be Ambitious
Although we need to be risk-aware, we have the confidence to be bold and visionary, and the insight to make calculated risks to transform the way we work. We encourage each other to push the boundaries and share ‘outside the box’ thinking.

Salary: competitive dependent on experience, plus company benefits
Location: We’re a hybrid-working organisation, so all colleagues are able to balance working in a collaborative environment from our open-plan office in the heart of London Bridge, along with time working from home.

ABTA offers a supportive work environment alongside other additional benefits such as private health insurance, pension, life insurance, income protection, season ticket loan, Rent Start -deposit loan scheme, online GP service, buy/sell leave, an in-depth learning and development framework, as well as retail discounts. ABTA has adopted a hybrid working model which combines the benefits of home working, and office work.

To apply for the post please submit your CV with a covering letter outlining why you are the right person for the role, your salary expectations and notice period, to hr@abta.co.uk. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At ABTA, we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workforce, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. We are an equal opportunities employer that encourages eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity. To ensure that this policy is fully and fairly implemented and monitored, and for no other reason, please fill out our Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form.