Head of Employee Services

Altum Consulting; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Altum Consulting is partnering with a large, complex organisation to appoint a Head of Employee Services to lead the HR Operations function during a significant period of transformation. The role is based in Newcastle with two days on site per week, and reports to the Director of Shared Services for UKBU.

The post holder will oversee HR Administration, Payroll, Benefits, Pension and Occupational Health administration, driving standardisation, data integrity, and continuous improvement across

Qualifications

• Experience leading HR Administration, Benefits, Pension and Payroll.
• Proven ability to drive process standardisation and continuous improvement.
• Experience managing senior teams and reporting to SLT.

Responsibilities

• Oversee Payroll, HR Administration, Benefits, Occupational Health and Pension administration for the UKBU.
• Lead and develop a team of specialists across service areas with KPIs and SLAs.
• Drive transformation, digitalisation, and automation of HR services.
• Collaborate with HR partners, finance and IT to align with organisational goals.
• Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and data privacy.
• Define governance, strategy and change management for global employee services.

Job description

Newcastle - 2 days a week on site (flexibility on days)

We’re partnering with a large and complex organisation to recruit a Head of Employee Services to lead the HR Operations function.

Altum Consulting is partnering with a large, complex organisation to appoint aHead of Employee Services to lead the function during a significant period of transformation.

Purpose of the Job

This role will report directly to the Director of Shared Services and, via dotted line, to the Chief HR Officer regarding all aspects of HR Administration, Data Management, Benefits & Occupational Health Administration, and Payroll for the UKBU. This individual will be responsible for ensuring that their teams work effectively together across the UK business, the wider HR organisation, and key stakeholders.

This role is a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) for the shared services organisation, who, in addition to leading Employee Services (HR Admin, Benefits Admin, Pension Admin, Payroll) and functions as the global process owner (GPO) for all employee services, will support, lead, guide, and develop the overall remit for the business. The remit of the SLT includes people and process at the forefront, with the following competencies: strategic vision setting, innovation/creative thinking, change management, analytics/problem solving, operational excellence, strong commercial acumen, customer orientation, fostering communication, continuous learning, and the ability to shift and change with the broader business.

Key Accountabilities

As Head of Employee Services, the individual plays a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth, compliant, and efficient delivery of core employee‑related services across the business.

This role is responsible for leading and continuously improving the delivery of transactional and administrative HR services. This role ensures that services are standardised across the organisation, scalable to support growth or restructuring, compliant with legal and regulatory requirements, and customer‑focused, delivering a positive employee experience. In terms of Leadership & Governance, you will lead a team of specialists and administrators across various service areas, develop KPIs and SLAs to measure service performance, drive continuous improvement and digital transformation, collaborate with HR business partners, finance and IT, and ensure alignment with organisational goals and employee needs.

Service lines include

Payroll: Oversee accurate and timely payroll processing for all employees, ensure compliance with tax laws, HMRC regulations, and internal control, manage relationships with payroll vendors or systems (as required), lead audits and resolve discrepancies

HR Administration: Manage employee lifecycle processes (onboarding, changes, exits), maintain accurate HR data and records, ensure GDPR compliance and data integrity, support policy implementation and process automation, liaise with HR operational staff and HR leadership team

Benefits Administration: Oversee enrolment, changes, and queries related to employee benefits, liaise with Benefits Centre of Expertise, providers (e.g., healthcare, insurance), as required

Occupational Health Administration: Coordinate health surveillance, assessments, and referral, ensure compliance with health and safety regulations, support wellbeing initiatives and absence management, liaise with OH providers and internal stakeholders

Pension Administration: Manage pension scheme enrolment and contributions, ensure compliance with auto‑enrolment and pension regulation, function as a point of contact for pension queries and escalations, liaise with Pension Centre of Expertise team, providers and trustees

As GPO, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring that HR‑related services are delivered consistently, efficiently, and effectively across all regions, taking employee experience into account. The following is a breakdown of the key responsibilities associated with this role:

Strategy & Governance

Define the global vision and strategy for employee services processes (e.g., onboarding, offboarding, payroll interface, benefits administration, employee data management). Establish governance frameworks to ensure compliance with internal policies and external regulations across all geographies. Align process goals with broader HR and business objectives.

Process Design & Standardisation

Design and maintain global process standards, ensuring consistency while allowing for necessary local adaptations. Document end‑to‑end processes, including roles, responsibilities, inputs, outputs, and KPIs. Drive simplification and harmonisation of processes across business units and regions.

Continuous Improvement

Monitor process performance using metrics and dashboards. Identify inefficiencies and pain points, and lead initiatives to improve quality, speed, and cost‑effectiveness. Leverage technology and automation (e.g., HRIS, RPA, AI) to enhance service delivery.

Stakeholder Management

Collaborate with regional HR teams, Shared Services, IT, and external vendors to ensure smooth execution of processes. Function as the escalation point for process‑related issues and exceptions. Engage with senior leadership to report on performance and initiatives aimed at improvement.

Change Management & Communication

Lead change initiatives related to process updates, system implementations, or organisational restructuring. Develop communication plans to ensure stakeholders are informed and engaged. Train and support teams on new processes and tools.

Compliance & Risk Management

Ensure processes comply with global and local labour laws, data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR), and internal audit requirements. Conduct regular audits and risk assessments to identify and mitigate potential issues.

Technology & Data Integration

Partner with IT and HRIS teams to ensure systems support process requirements. Ensure data integrity and integration across platforms (e.g., SAP SuccessFactors, etc). Support analytics and reporting needs for HR and business leaders.

Outcome, Results and Key Performance Indicators

To support outcomes, results, and KPIs, the individual will continually review and measure activities against targets, standards, and service levels, agreeing on and taking actions to improve capability and performance to achieve maximum potential across the team.

Dimensions of Job

• Member of HR Leadership Team
• Direct management of two to eight managers/senior managers and leads
• Manage relationships with key stakeholders, including three heads of Centres of Expertise, three HR Directors,
• Support ~13,500 employees with monthly payroll
• Manage 10 payroll companies, 9 pension plans, and tens of contract types
• Major transformation projects 2026-2027/8: implement HRIS, implement new payroll solution, implement new time & attendance solution, etc.

Key Relationships

Internal: Shared Service leadership team, CHRO and HR Directors, Finance, Accounting Services, Treasury administrators, Central IT, Tax team, Employment legal team

External: Software & service providers, including Leighton, Occ Health, background checks (as required), consultancies (as needed)