Head of People Operations (14 month - Fixed Term Contract)

Ready for a new challenge?  Are you looking for work that makes a difference? Do you want to work with people who learn and grow together?   If so, Opencast could be the place for you. We’re a growing tech consultancy that creates user-centred solutions with purpose for our clients in government and business. 

The role

The Head of People Operations leads the delivery and continuous improvement of our People Operations function, ensuring a positive and consistent employee experience alongside strong employment compliance, governance and operational effectiveness.

Leading a multidisciplinary team, the role is accountable for the core services, policies, systems and employment practices that support our people and managers, from employee relations and employee voice through to people administration, reward and performance operations.

Responsibilities Lead and develop the People Operations function, setting clear priorities, standards and accountabilities across employee relations, people administration, systems, data, compliance and employee voice. Ensure employees and managers receive responsive, accurate and person-centred support throughout the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, contractual changes, benefits and offboarding. Hold organisational accountability for employee relations and employment compliance, maintaining oversight of complex and higher-risk cases and ensuring appropriate legal, regulatory and policy standards are met. Own the People compliance and assurance framework, monitoring employment law developments and ensuring risks, controls and required organisational changes are effectively managed. Oversee the accurate and timely delivery of monthly payroll and benefits administration, working closely with Finance, suppliers and internal stakeholders. Lead the operational delivery of the annual performance, progression and pay cycle, ensuring it is well governed, clearly communicated and delivered consistently and effectively. Own the governance and continuous improvement of people policies and employee lifecycle processes, ensuring they are clear, inclusive, legally compliant and consistently applied. Ensure the HR system, employee records and people data are accurate, using insight to identify risks and improve organisational decision-making. Lead the organisation’s approach to employee listening, engagement and voice, ensuring employees have meaningful opportunities to share their experiences and perspectives. Translate employee feedback into clear organisational insight and action, supporting leaders to respond effectively and demonstrating how employee voice informs decisions and improvements.

Essential Skills Problem solving – I create solutions for complex problems whilst considering how the impact, risk and complexity can affect the wider business. Communication – I communicate adaptively by planning for different possible responses from stakeholders and adapting my content and approach accordingly. Mindset – I look for opportunities in difficult situations and create practical plans to use these opportunities while appropriately managing organisational risk. Leadership – I recognise the strengths and development needs of others in the team and use these to allocate roles effectively, develop capability and create accountability.

Technical Skills HR legislation & UK employment law – Excellent understanding of UK employment legislation and its impact on operational processes, policies and organisational decisions. Able to translate legislative requirements into practical organisational approaches and build the capability of others. People compliance & governance – Strong understanding of people-related compliance, governance and risk, with the ability to establish proportionate controls, identify gaps and provide organisational assurance. Policy development & governance – Significant experience developing, reviewing and implementing people policies and ensuring their consistent application. People operations – Strong understanding of end-to-end employee lifecycle processes and experience designing and continuously improving effective, scalable people operations. Stakeholder management – Confident in building relationships and influencing senior stakeholders, balancing employee experience, organisational priorities and compliance requirements. People data literacy & systems expertise – Confident interpreting people data, identifying trends and risks, and using HR systems and insight to improve organisational decision-making.

Salary £63,000 - £70,000 per annum

What we offer A competitive package including a 7% employer pension contribution, share options, and a discretionary bonus. You’ll also benefit from 25 days’ holiday and access to 3 annual “life happens” days to support unexpected situations. We provide wellbeing support, ongoing professional development, volunteering opportunities, and the chance to be part of a genuinely supportive team.

Where you’ll work This role requires regular on-site attendance at our HQ, hub offices, and client sites, as well as the ability to work from home. Applicants must be able to travel to offices and client sites across the UK as part of their normal working arrangements, as travel is essential for fulfilling the responsibilities of the role.

We include you We welcome candidates from all identities, attributes, ways of thinking and backgrounds to thrive in a career at Opencast. Our aim is for the diversity of our people to be reflected in the solutions we deliver, to help create a fairer society for all.

Interview Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. We’re happy to make adjustments to support your needs.

Want to know more? Visit our website or email careers@opencastsoftware.com

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