Head of People Operations

Role Overview

• Lead on the provision, (including the procurement of services) of core People services to the business including payroll, benefits, HRIS, Right to work checks and pension administration.
• Manage the relationship with third party providers to ensure a cost effective People service is provided to LCCC including the procurement of these services (payroll provider, benefits provider, etc.)
• Oversee and develop a robust process to monitor the above third-party supplier performance
• Coordinate the management of the payroll process for LCCC by your team. Oversee the processing of payroll changes (e.g. new hires, terminations, etc.) including system upgrades.
• Develop and monitor the company’s HR Information Systems (HRIS) as well as databases for effectiveness, value and consistency including recommending software for addressing the needs of employees
• Measure the effectiveness of our benefits programs and recommend improvements
• Review the People & OD and payroll budgets in liaison with Finance, ensuring they are in line with department expenditure, reporting any variances on People spend to the Chief People Officer
• Lead on adhoc People projects such as the annual benchmarking exercise and review of compensation programmes
• Lead on the administration of the annual salary review and bonus processes
• Ensure all People/HR recordkeeping and data processing procedures comply with GDPR requirements
• Identify efficiencies, optimise People reporting metrics to improve the productivity
• Digitise processes to reduce reliance on paper records and review scope for automating processes for efficiency and reduce reliance on spreadsheets and other documents as far as possible.
• Liaise with the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) on remuneration approvals and pay controls as appropriate
• Lead on the People Operations Team activities to deliver ‘Brilliant Basics’ ensuring all processes have SOPs/ Workflows and clear handoff points. Ensure SLAs are managed and variations against SLA are communicated to the Chief People Officer. Ensure monthly reporting of trends against the departments Brilliant Basics activity.
• Manage all people related risks in line with the LCCC risk register
• Accountability for end-to-end service design for People Operations and measuring delivery against
• Clear ownership of tiered services, escalation routes and service boundaries, Establishing clear mechanisms to control demand into People Operations, ensuring work is prioritised based on risk, value, and organisational impact rather than volume or urgency
• Develop People analytics across the business, utilising insight to effectively contribute to business planning initiatives
• Develop and track key People metrics to inform the senior leadership team and Remuneration Committee of people trends and insights
• Evaluate key People metrics for monitoring performance
• Work with the Internal Communications & Engagement Manager to deliver the staff engagement survey and implement resulting actions
• Utilise metrics, feedback and insights to develop end enhance the LCCC employee experience
• This role has line management responsibility for the People Operations Manager and Reward Partner.
• Manage, develop and coach the People Operations team to drive a customer focused, efficient and effective strategic people function, able to manage expectations, set boundaries and make trade-offs rather than defaulting to accommodation.
• Set objectives for the People Operations team and manage progress

Requirements

• Proven experience leading a People Operations function at Head of or equivalent senior manager level, with accountability for end‑to‑end operational delivery, performance and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrable experience reviewing, redesigning and optimising People Operations processes and systems, embedding best practice rather than incremental change.
• Strong track record of using data, metrics and performance indicators (including SLAs, cycle times, error rates, cost measures and trend analysis) to drive operational efficiency, quality and decision‑making.
• Experience establishing and managing formal service management disciplines, including SOPs, workflows, handoffs, escalation routes and performance reporting.
• Significant experience of managing third‑party suppliers (e.g. payroll, benefits, systems), including performance challenge, commercial review, contract renewal or re‑procurement decisions.
• Experience leading or contributing to HRIS reviews or implementations, with a clear focus on value, usability, automation and data integrity.
• Solid working knowledge of UK employment law, data protection (GDPR), reward and benefits governance, and associated operational risk.
• Ability to translate organisational strategy into a clear People Operations operating model, aligning services, resourcing, systems and standards with business priorities.
• Strong commercial mindset with experience controlling costs, managing budgets and delivering value for money, including identifying and eliminating low‑value activity.
• Confident in challenging assumptions, practices and stakeholder expectations, using evidence and insight to influence decisions at senior level.
• Able to prioritise demand and make trade‑offs, maintaining service quality while managing finite resources and operational risk.
• Decisive and outcome‑focused leader, comfortable taking ownership of difficult operational decisions and standing by them.
• Proven experience of leading, developing and performance‑managing operational teams, setting clear expectations, measurable objectives and holding people to account.
• Ability to balance clarity, consistency and fairness, applying judgement rather than defaulting to consensus or accommodation.
• Comfortable operating in a fast‑paced, regulated environment, managing competing priorities and ambiguity without loss of control or standards.
• Highly credible communicator, able to present complex data and operational insights clearly to senior leaders, boards or committees.
• Skilled in influencing a wide range of stakeholders by fact, logic and evidence, not solely by relationship or empathy.
• Able to maintain strong working relationships while assertively managing boundaries and service expectations.
• CIPD qualification desirable but not essential for a demonstrably experienced candidate with strong operational and analytical credentials.
• Experience working across both public and private sector

Benefits

• Annual performance based bonus, up to 10%
• 25 days annual leave, plus eight bank holidays
• Up to 8% pension contribution
• Financial support and time off for study relevant to your role, plus a professional membership subscription
• Employee referral scheme (up to £1500), and colleague recognition scheme
• Family friendly policies, including enhanced maternity leave and shared parental leave
• Free, confidential employee assistance, including financial management, family care, mental health, and on-call GP service
• Three paid volunteering days a year
• Season ticket loan and cycle to work schemes
• Family savings on days out and English Heritage, gym discounts, cash back and discounts at selected retailers
• Employee resource groups