People and Culture Manager

Oakleaf Partnership; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A global luxury art gallery based in London is seeking a People & Culture Manager to support employees throughout their lifecycle and improve people processes. This role requires fluent French, knowledge of French employment law, and experience in payroll management. Key responsibilities include onboarding, performance management, and ensuring compliance with UK and French legislation. Ideal candidates should be detail-oriented and proactive, with strong communication skills. This is a hybrid position, requiring some travel to Paris.

Qualifications

• 4-5 years’ experience in a HR Coordinator, HR Manager or People Operations role.
• Confident managing French payroll and employment law in a multi-country environment.
• Exceptionally organised, detail-driven and discreet.
• Strong communicator with a warm, approachable style.
• Proactive problem-solver who enjoys improving processes and employee experience.

Responsibilities

• Manage and support employees across onboarding, probation, performance cycles, promotions and exits.
• Act as first point of contact for employee queries relating to policies, payroll, benefits and HR processes.
• Build trusted relationships across the business, offering guidance and support when needed.
• Support recruitment administration including interview scheduling, offers and onboarding.
• Lead new starter orientation and manage HR system set-up and documentation.
• Maintain accurate employee data across HR systems and personnel files.
• Coordinate all payroll inputs with external payroll providers.
• Prepare and validate payroll runs, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Support benefits administration, pension and insurance processes.
• Ensure compliance with UK and French employment legislation.

Skills

Fluent in French

Strong working knowledge of French employment law

Hands-on experience of French payroll

Job description

People & Culture Manager

London Hybrid (4 days in the office, moving to 3). Some travel to Paris.

I am partnering with a global luxury art gallery with an international footprint, this is a brilliant opportunity for a people-focused HR professional who thrives in a fast-paced, creative environment and enjoys being close to the detail.

Key requirements (essential)

• Fluent in French
• Strong working knowledge of French employment law
• Hands-on experience of French payroll

The role

As People & Culture Manager, you will play a pivotal role in supporting employees across the full lifecycle from hire to retire, acting as a trusted first point of contact while continually improving people processes and systems. You will work closely with stakeholders across multiple locations, with regular collaboration and occasional travel to Paris, ensuring compliance, consistency and a positive employee experience. This is a highly operational, people‑centric role with real scope to influence culture, process improvement and engagement.

Key responsibilities

• Manage and support employees across onboarding, probation, performance cycles, promotions and exits
• Act as first point of contact for employee queries relating to policies, payroll, benefits and HR processes
• Build trusted relationships across the business, offering guidance and support when needed
• Support recruitment administration including interview scheduling, offers and onboarding
• Lead new starter orientation and manage HR system set‑up and documentation
• Maintain accurate employee data across HR systems and personnel files
• Coordinate all payroll inputs (including starters, leavers and changes) with external payroll providers
• Prepare and validate payroll runs, ensuring accuracy and compliance
• Support benefits administration, pension and insurance processes
• Ensure compliance with UK and French employment legislation, including audits and documentation

To be successful in this position I am looking for:

• 4-5 years’ experience in a HR Coordinator, HR Manager or People Operations role
• Confident managing French payroll and employment law in a multi-country environment
• Exceptionally organised, detail-driven and discreet
• Strong communicator with a warm, approachable style
• Proactive problem-solver who enjoys improving processes and employee experience