HR Operations Undergraduate Placement

Location:                           Milton Keynes

Closing Date:                 30th September 2026

Salary:                             £23,915.49

Contract:                        12-13months FTC   Start dates are usually in June/July

Hybrid working:            We want you to get the best out of your placement, so we operate a hybrid policy where undergraduates work in the office 3 days per week. There may be times where you will need to be in more frequently depending on the needs of the business.

To apply for our undergraduate placement scheme, you must be studying for an undergraduate degree that requires a placement year. Master’s students are not eligible for this placement.

Please consider before applying if you live more than 60 minutes away from post code MK15 8HG, that you would need to relocate to either Milton Keynes or be a commutable distance (within 60 minutes).

Are you organised, proactive and interested in gaining broad experience across HR? We’re looking for an undergraduate to join our HR team as an HR Operations Undergraduate. You’ll support key activity across Employee Relations, HR Compliance, Culture & Engagement, DEI, community initiatives, colleague communications, data reporting and annual HR cycles, giving you exposure to a varied and meaningful HR placement year. 

What will you be doing? 

Collaborate with the Employee Relations & HR Compliance Manager and wider HR function to produce MI for regular reporting cycles for key stakeholders, including Board of Management, risk committees and HQ. 

Support the preparation of annual MI packs for each functional business area and VWFS UK. 

Support the planning, coordination and administration of DEI-focused activities. 

Manage colleague communications and help oversee DEI and Community intranet content in collaboration with Internal Communications. 

Support VWFS in the Community activity, including volunteering opportunities, matched funding requests, reporting, request management and audit records. 

Support Community Committee meetings, including minute-taking, and manage the Community Committee and Inclusion mailboxes. 

Support employee engagement surveys and assist with ad-hoc activity across HR Operations, Culture & Engagement and the wider HR team. 

What are we looking for? 

Studying towards a degree, preferably HR, business or people related. 

Intermediate/strong Excel and PowerPoint skills, with Tableau capability beneficial. 

Clear and confident communication skills with colleagues at all levels, both verbally and in writing. 

Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage a large variety of tasks in a busy environment. 

High level of accuracy and attention to detail, especially when handling complex, confidential or sensitive information. 

A flexible team player who is proactive, willing to support others and able to adapt to team pressures and demands. 

Curiosity to explore, research and use initiative to solve queries and support projects.

Why apply for an undergraduate placement with VWFS?

Here at VWFS you'll be able to kick start your professional experience in the workplace. We take on 49 undergraduates each year which we find really helps our undergraduates as you all go through the programme, building your knowledge and networks together.

You’ll also benefit from:

·         A focus on personal development with access to LinkedIn Learning via our ‘Degreed’ platform and a bespoke development programme throughout your placement year delivering personal management, technical and soft skills including building successful relationships, presentation skills, IT skills and data literacy.

·         A supportive environment and network of colleagues to help you get your best out of the year – in a recent survey, 100% of our undergraduates said they felt valued and supported.

·         The opportunity to work on real life business projects and deliver impact around topics like sustainability.

·         Subsidised onsite canteen and coffee shop

·         Subsidised onsite restaurant with a range of hot and cold breakfast and lunches.

·         Employee Resource Groups supporting an inclusive workplace

·         Social gatherings and team events & volunteering opportunities.

·         Physical and mental health support with our Onsite Wellbeing Centre

Discretionary benefits include:

Bonus: Discretionary bonus based on both personal and Group company performance (pro-rated)

Car schemes*: The opportunity to join our popular car scheme plus car insurance cover.

Pension:  Employer pension contribution of 9% (based on employee contribution of 3%). VWFS will pay 6% if employee chooses a 2% employee contribution. From day 1 we provide income protection, life assurance (4x salary), will writing, retail discount vouchers, access to Care Concierge (a service to support carers of adults). Private medical insurance is available following successful completion of probation.

What our recruitment process looks like:

·         Apply and upload your CV, covering letter and answer a few application questions.

·         You’ll be invited to complete a Situational Judgement Test. This is a short multiple-choice question set to help us understand how you may approach situations.

·         If you pass this stage, you will be invited to complete an online video interview where you will have the opportunity to tell us more about yourself.

·         If successful, your last step in the journey is to attend an in-person Assessment Centre at our Milton Keynes office. You’ll also meet some of our managers and our current undergraduates to find out more about a placement year with us.

Please note: Our undergraduate placement roles do not meet the UKVI’s criteria for the skilled worker sponsorship route, therefore we are unable to accept candidates requiring sponsorship for this role.

*More information about car schemes

Our current car schemes are under review following changes in legislation from HMRC and so whilst we don’t have full details of our car scheme to share with you now, we will let you know what this looks like as soon as we are able.

Please do not apply for more than one placement role with us. This will ensure that you are considered for the placement that you are most interested in, and your skills are aligned to.