Director of People Operations

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Workflow Design & Process Optimisation Systems thinking applied to the full employee lifecycle.
• Drive self-service adoption — design employee and manager journeys that default to self-service, reducing reliance on the People team for routine requests while improving the overall experience
• Own and Architect advanced ticketing — own the operation, configuration, SLA framework, and continuous improvement of the HR ticketing system; build intelligent triage, routing, and resolution workflows that progressively reduce ticket volume through upstream self-service design
• Establish data governance standards — define and uphold rigorous frameworks for people data accuracy, access control, and security; conducting regular audits and ensuring all data structures within the HRIS are fit for purpose
• Own compliance operations — maintain a clearly documented compliance calendar; manage background checks in line with Ofsted regulations, GDPR, ISO/SOC2, and UK employment legislation
• Govern payroll and benefits data flows — oversee the accurate, timely movement of all employee data impacting payroll and benefits, ensuring clean handoffs and zero errors at month-end

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

Essential

• 8+ years of progressive experience in People Technology, HRIS leadership, or strategic People Operations, with a track record of leading functions rather than just contributing to them — ideally within a fast-scaling organisation
• Proven track record leading HRIS (Hi-Bob, Workday, BambooHR, Personio) implementation or optimisation programmes, using agile methodologies (sprint planning, backlog management)
• Experience owning HR ticketing at a functional level and driving SLA-based service delivery at scale
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex business requirements into clear, scalable technical solutions and present them credibly to senior leadership
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills — equally effective with technical teams and the Executive
• Experience handling payroll and benefits-related data flows with accuracy and discretion
• Experience in a regulated environment (Ofsted, GDPR, ISO/SOC2)
• Hands-on experience with AI-powered HR tools or agentic workflow automation
• Exposure to other Tier-1 HRIS platforms (Workday, BambooHR, Personio) in addition to HiBob
• Background in People Analytics or HR data reporting

MEASURING SUCCESS

Within 3 months — You will have completed a comprehensive audit of current People Operations processes and HRIS configuration, identified priority pain points in the team, and built trusted relationships with the People & Talent team and key stakeholders.

Within 6 months — You will have contributed meaningfully to the People & Talent roadmap, delivered initial 'quick win' improvements to the ticketing process and core lifecycle workflows, and activated at least one agentic or AI-powered workflow.

Within 12 months — You will have executed multiple significant system and process enhancements from the roadmap, demonstrably improved key operational KPIs using technology interventions (ticket resolution time, onboarding satisfaction, data accuracy), and established an enhanced data-driven reporting cadence for the People & Talent function.