HR Systems Service Desk Analyst [Temporary Cover]

The role As an HR Systems Service Desk Analyst, you will be part of the HR Systems team, providing advice and guidance to internal and external users of the University's HR, payroll and recruitment systems. You will sit within HR Shared Services and provide both first and second line support to over 12,500 users, including staff, applicants and referees across the University. You will act as the main point of contact for service desk queries: receiving and logging requests, carrying out first-line investigation and diagnosis, and resolving a wide range of issues where possible. Where problems require further expertise, you will escalate them promptly to colleagues, other HR teams, University Information Services or service desks, while tracking progress and keeping users informed until resolution. A key part of your role will be maintaining accurate call records, monitoring all open calls, and helping to produce service desk statistics and trend reports that support root cause analysis and training needs. You will also manage user access to HR systems in live, test and training environments, including creating, modifying and deleting accounts and allocating appropriate security profiles to protect sensitive information. By feeding back recurring issues and user insights to developers and HR colleagues, you will contribute directly to the improvement of HR applications and the delivery of training on new functionality.

About You You will be a customer-focused, proactive problem solver who enjoys helping people get the best out of systems in a busy support environment. Educated to at least A Level, or with equivalent experience, you will be confident working with PC-based software and have the technical aptitude to learn new HR and payroll systems quickly. You will bring excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex systems and procedures clearly to users with differing levels of technical understanding. You will be able to demonstrate tact, diplomacy and a high level of customer service when dealing with people from a wide range of backgrounds, both over the phone and face-to-face. Strong listening skills, sound judgement, and the ability to handle multiple queries at once while maintaining high attention to detail are essential. You will have experience working with customers, managing their problems and requests professionally and efficiently. Experience on an IT service desk and/or with HR or payroll systems, as well as supporting or training colleagues on IT systems, would be highly desirable and will help you succeed in this role. The University is committed to helping staff thrive professionally and personally, supporting a good work/life balance. Elements of this role can be worked on a hybrid basis, with the split between on-site and remote work agreed with the recruiting manager.

Temporary cover: This post is fixed-term until 1st September 2027 or the return of the post holder, whichever is the earlier. Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a basic disclosure (criminal records check) check and a security check. Applications are welcome from internal candidates who would like to apply for the role on the basis of a secondment from their current role in the University.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online. Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to: Jay Davies, HR Systems Service Desk Manager at Jay.Davies@admin.cam.ac.uk

Closing date for applications: Sunday 8th March 2026 Interviews to be held: Friday 13th March 2026 Please quote reference AH48864 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy. The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.