ER and Operations Lead

Secure Trust Bank PLC.; Metropolitan Borough of Solihull; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

Matched pension

25 days leave + birthday off

Wellbeing hour

Flexible benefits

Life assurance

Volunteer days

Career progression

Job summary

Secure Trust Bank is seeking an experienced ER & Operations Lead to deliver a high-quality, compliant HR service across the employee lifecycle. You will combine employee relations expertise with operational leadership to oversee complex casework and ensure policy compliance.

You will drive People processes, governance, and systems, building strong relationships with managers and external partners to enhance service delivery and regulatory adherence.

Qualifications

• Experience in end-to-end employee lifecycle
• CIPD Level 5 or equivalent
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and guidance
• Experience with SMCR and FCA-regulated frameworks

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of People Operations across the full employee lifecycle from onboarding to offboarding.
• Maintain a high quality, SLA-driven People service with strong controls and audit readiness.
• Build relationships with managers, colleagues and external partners to support service delivery.
• Govern and review People policies and procedures.
• Act as escalation point for operational and employee relations matters; mitigate risks.
• Manage a range of employee relations cases including absence, disciplinary, grievance, performance, and leave matters.
• Provide ER guidance and coaching to managers for compliant decision-making.
• Lead SMCR and GDPR-related People activities and maintain regulatory compliance.
• Produce and analyse People data, MI, KPIs and trends for decision making.
• Drive process optimisation, automation and adoption of AI/digital tools.

Skills

People Operations

Stakeholder management

Communication

Data awareness

Education

CIPD Level 5

Job description

Job Role: ER and Operations Lead

Location: Solihull (with hybrid working)

Salary: £45,000 - £50,000 pa

Hours: 35 hours per week

About the company

Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, but we can’t achieve our customer focused strategy without the right people in our team.

At Secure Trust Bank, we know that people are our biggest Asset, which is why a career with us is not just a job. It’s the chance to be part of something bigger, to add real value to the Bank and help us constantly improve. We believe in giving our staff autonomy, with initiative and exceptional performance recognised through a variety of individual and team awards and incentives. All our employees have a tangible impact on the Group’s core values, and we are looking for candidates who are enthusiastic, proactive and enjoy working in a fast paced environment.

Why Join Us?

• A competitive salary and benefits package including discretionary bonus
• Matched pension contributions
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and your birthday off, on us!
• A monthlywellbeinghour to spend doing whatever makes you happy
• A wide range of flexible benefits from Cycle2Work to private healthcare
• Life assurance
• Paid volunteering days and matched charity fundraising
• A collaborative and flexible working environment.
• Opportunities for professional development and career progression.
• A chance to make a real impact in a regulated, purpose-driven organisation.

What you`ll be doing

We are seeking an experienced ER & Operations Lead to drive the delivery of a high-quality, compliant, and people-focused HR service across the entire employee lifecycle. Combining employee relations expertise with operational leadership, you will oversee complex casework, ensure consistent application of policies and employment legislation, and lead the effective delivery of people processes, systems, and governance activities. This is a pivotal role focused on enhancing the colleague and manager experience while ensuring the highest standards of compliance, control, and service excellence.

• Lead the delivery of People Operations activities across the full employee lifecycle, from onboarding to offboarding.
• Ensure a high-quality, consistent, and SLA-driven People service, maintaining strong controls, governance, and audit readiness.
• Build effective relationships with managers, colleagues, and external partners to support excellent service delivery.
• Oversee the review, maintenance, and governance of People policies and procedures.
• Act as a key escalation point for operational and employee relations matters, identifying and mitigating risks.
• Manage a broad range of employee relations cases, including absence, disciplinary, grievance, performance, capability, flexible working, and family leave matters.
• Provide expert ER guidance and coaching to managers, promoting fair, consistent, and legally compliant decision-making.
• Lead SMCR and GDPR-related People activities, ensuring compliance with regulatory and governance requirements.
• Produce and analyse People data, MI, KPIs, and trends to support informed decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Drive process optimisation, automation, and the adoption of AI and digital tools to enhance efficiency and improve the colleague and manager experience.

What we`re looking for

• Proven experience in a People Operations, HR or Employee Relations environment, with strong exposure to end-to-end employee lifecycle processes.
• CIPD Level 5 qualification, or equivalent demonstrable experience and knowledge.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment legislation, codes of practice and their practical application within employee relations and policy management.
• Understanding of SMCR requirements and FCA-regulated frameworks, or the ability to quickly build and apply this knowledge.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to coach, influence and constructively challenge managers and colleagues.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to review and produce clear, accurate and risk-aware documentation.
• Strong organisational skills, attention to detail and ability to manage competing priorities, deadlines and service standards.

Everyone is different. Everyone is valued

As part of our vision to become the most trusted specialist lender in the UK,we’ve been helping customers and businesses fulfil their ambitions since 1952. Inthat time, we’ve learned that we’re more than the sum of our parts. We’re a strong Group because of our peoplebeing ourstrength; specialist, expert, ambitious and also diverse. Allofour people are differentand this is something we celebrate.

Every one of our employees brings unique talent, ability and perspective to their role.

That’s why Secure Trust Bank Group nurtures differences. We understand that we perform better because we’re not cast from the same mould. We actively embrace andsupportdiversity, work with leading industry bodies andpromoteinitiatives that reinforce our philosophy of giving you the freedom to be who you are.

We’re an award-winning bank providing savings accounts andlending servicesto overone million customer. We’re Secure Trust Bank Group. We embrace difference.