HR Operations Manager

Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children; Cannock Chase; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK charity in Cannock seeks an HR Operations Manager to oversee HR and payroll processes. This role demands a strong background in HR with at least 5 years of experience, excellent organizational skills, and a passion for compliance and process improvement. Candidates should have a good understanding of employment law and the ability to engage senior stakeholders. Offering up to £44,500 per annum, this position will allow you to lead within a dedicated team that changes lives every day.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years’ experience managing a HR or payroll team.
• Strong knowledge of employment law and HR compliance.
• Proven ability to create and improve processes.

Responsibilities

• Manage HR processes and payroll administration.
• Ensure compliance and data accuracy across HR systems.
• Develop HR policies and optimize workflows.

Skills

Organisational skills

Microsoft Office

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Process improvement

Education

CIPD Level 5

Tools

HRIS

Payroll software

Job description

Job Advert

HR Operations Manager

Location: Head office, Cannock

Salary: up to £44,500 per annum depending on experience

Contracted hours: 37.5 hours

About our Charity

As one of the UK’s leading charities providing essential specialist equipment to children with disabilities, Newlife is dedicated to making life better – for the families we serve, and for the people who help us to make that happen.

Through grants and emergency equipment loans, we ensure children get the vital equipment they need, when they need it, while our free nurse helpline offers crucial support and information – as well as a listening ear. Our campaigns help to give children with disabilities and their families a voice, advocating for change to benefit the families we serve. And we support adults with additional needs with volunteering and employment opportunities, providing an introduction to the workplace and a means for career development.

Across the whole of Newlife, our teams are crucial to our success – it’s not just a job; here you’ll be helping us to change lives every day.

The Opportunity

Are you passionate about compliance, systems, and risk management? Do you thrive on detail, process improvement, and empowering managers to lead confidently? We’re looking for a HR Operations Manager who will shape our HR operations for excellence.

You’ll be part of our small but very busy team, where no two days are the same. This is a hands‑on leadership role where you’ll manage HR processes, develop robust systems, and provide strategic insight to keep us ahead of the curve.

About the role

The HR Operations Manager role oversees the People team administration and payroll processes and procedures, managing governance and ensuring all data held, and reported from the organisation’s People system is accurate and up to date.

• Deliver precise and compliant HR operations in a timely manner and with the highest degree of accuracy
• Managing HRIS, payroll, data integrity, compliance, and policy implementation
• Design and optimise workflows and HR processes for efficiency
• Maintain and develop accessible HR policies, templates, and resources for best practice and accessibility
• Manage technical queries (payroll, statutory leave, annual leave, contract changes)
• Oversee multiple HR and payroll databases and leverage automation for accuracy and efficiency
• Manage reporting (absence, turnover, new hires etc) for data driven insights and impact reporting
• Support the Head of HR in developing and implementing a new People Strategy and managing organisational change

What we are looking for

• Excellent organisational, administration and Microsoft office skills are essential
• Minimum 5 years’ experience of managing a team in a HR or payroll setting with a good understanding of employment law and payroll processes
• Ability to influence and engage senior stakeholders
• High level influencing and communication skills
• Ability to multitask, work well under pressure and ability to use own initiative
• Proven ability to create processes—not just follow them—driving innovation and efficiency
• Strong knowledge of employment law and HR compliance
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills
• Payroll experience would be beneficial
• Technical knowledge and skills for statutory leave, contracts, calculations, payroll, reporting and data analysis
• Resilient, detail-driven, and passionate about process improvementHR audit experience
• CIPD Level 5 desirable