HR Services Operations Team Leader

DS Smith; Caerphilly; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Discretionary bonus

Hybrid working: 3 days in office, 2 at

Study support and career development

Pension scheme, life assurance, income

Employee assistance programme

Job summary

DS Smith is seeking an experienced HR Services Operations Team Leader to oversee our HR Operations team in a hybrid role based in Caerphilly. You will drive service excellence, lead a high-performing team, and continuously improve HR processes to enhance the employee experience.

You will oversee recruitment administration, onboarding, contracts, changes, and lifecycle activities while ensuring SLAs are met and confidential data remains secure.

Qualifications

• Experience working within HR Operations, HR Shared Services, or People Services.
• Previous team leadership or supervisory experience.
• Strong understanding of HR processes and employee lifecycle administration.
• Experience working with HR systems and employee data.
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Strong customer service focus.
• Experience handling confidential information with discretion.
• GCSEs (or equivalent) in English and Maths.

Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate, coach, and develop a team of HR Operations professionals.
• Oversee accurate and timely delivery of employee lifecycle activities (recruitment administration, onboarding, contracts, promotions, transfers, leave, leavers).
• Monitor SLAs and act as first escalation point for complex HR queries.
• Provide guidance on HR policies, procedures, and systems to employees and managers.
• Maintain accurate employee records and HR data; support system upgrades and enhancements.
• Ensure compliance with employment law, GDPR, and policies; support audits.
• Identify opportunities for process improvements and digital HR initiatives.
• Collaborate with Payroll, Finance, Recruitment, and Learning & Development.

Skills

HR Operations

Team leadership

HR processes

HR systems

Organisation & prioritisation

Customer service

Confidential information handling

Education

GCSE English & Maths

CIPD Level 3 or 5 (Desirable)

Tools

HR systems

Job description

About the Role

Our people are at the heart of everything we do, and we’re looking for an experienced HR professional to join our Shared Service Centre as an HR Services Operations Team Leader. This is an exciting opportunity for a highly organised, people-focused leader to oversee our HR Operations team and ensure the seamless delivery of HR administration and employee lifecycle services across the business.

The successful candidate will play a key role in driving service excellence, leading and developing a high-performing team, and continuously improving HR processes to enhance the employee experience. If you have experience in HR Shared Services, HR Operations, or People Services and enjoy combining leadership with operational excellence, we’d love to hear from you.

What You’ll Be Doing

Leading and Developing the Team

• Lead, motivate, coach, and develop a team of HR Operations professionals.
• Conduct regular one-to-one meetings, performance reviews, and development discussions.
• Allocate workloads and resources effectively to ensure service delivery targets are met.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and training of new team members.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and customer service excellence.

Delivering Outstanding HR Services

You will oversee the accurate and timely delivery of employee lifecycle activities, including:

• Recruitment administration
• New starter and onboarding processes
• Contract changes
• Promotions and transfers
• Family leave administration
• Leaver and offboarding processes

You’ll monitor team performance against Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and act as the first escalation point for complex HR operational queries.

Supporting Employees and Managers

• Provide guidance on HR policies, procedures, and systems.
• Resolve escalated employee and manager queries.
• Ensure a positive and professional customer experience.

Managing HR Systems and Data

• Maintain accurate employee records and HR data.
• Monitor data quality and implement corrective actions where needed.
• Support system upgrades, testing, and process enhancements.
• Produce operational reports and management information.

Ensuring Compliance

• Ensure compliance with employment legislation, GDPR, and company policies.
• Support HR audits and governance reviews.
• Maintain the confidentiality and security of employee information.
• Ensure all HR documentation is legally compliant and accurate

Driving Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and service delivery.
• Support automation and digital HR initiatives.
• Contribute to HR transformation projects.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures.

Building Strong Stakeholder Relationships

• Partner with managers and HR colleagues across the business.
• Work closely with Payroll, Finance, Recruitment, and Learning & Development teams.
• Support wider organisational and HR projects.

What We’re Looking For

Essential Experience & Skills

• Experience working within HR Operations, HR Shared Services, or People Services.
• Previous team leadership or supervisory experience.
• Strong understanding of HR processes and employee lifecycle administration.
• Experience working with HR systems and employee data.
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Strong customer service focus.
• Experience handling confidential information with discretion.
• GCSEs (or equivalent) in English and Maths

Desirable

• CIPD Level 3 or Level 5 qualification.
• Experience within a Shared Services environment.
• Knowledge of UK employment legislation.
• Experience leading process improvement initiatives

Benefits

• A competitive salary and discretionary bonus
• Study support and career development pathways
• 25 days’ holiday + bank holidays, plus banked hours
• Hybrid working: 3 days in the office, 2 from home
• Pension scheme, life assurance, income protection
• Employee assistance programme and digital GP access
• Cycle to work scheme and discounts on shopping, travel and more

Location: Caerphilly

Hours: Monday – Friday - 09:00 – 17:00 (we operate on a hybrid basis, with 3 days in the office and 2 at home)

Contract: Perm

About us

We are DS Smith, together with International Paper, we are a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions and other fibre-based products. We believe a better, more sustainable tomorrow is possible with the right people, who challenge and support one another to enact positive change. We employ more than 65,000 colleagues in North America and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), who are experts in innovation, manufacturing, design, sales, sustainability, supply chain, and much more. Together with our customers, we make the world safer and more productive, one sustainable packaging solution at a time. Become part of a world-leading organisation and do your best work with us!

Fair recruitment at DS Smith

To fulfil our purpose of redefining packaging for a changing world, we aim to build a diverse, motivated, and engaged workforce. Our goal is to create a culture of inclusion where everyone is treated fairly, differences are valued, and everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.

Our people come from diverse backgrounds, bring different perspectives, ideas and experiences to generate unique solutions focused on present and future sustainability challenges. We welcome all candidates to apply, even those not meeting all criteria

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