People Associate – People Data & Systems

Oakleaf Partnership; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment consultancy is seeking a Project Associate to support the People function by managing and cleansing people data. This hybrid role involves auditing employee files, restoring documentation, and organizing data for future contract review. Ideal candidates will have experience in handling structured datasets and HR systems, strong attention to detail, and a methodical approach to work. This unique project role aims to create a single, accurate source of truth for employee data, making a lasting impact on efficiency within the organization.

Qualifications

• Experience with people data, HR systems or structured datasets.
• Proven track record in managing trackers and file structures.
• Systematic approach to improving processes.

Responsibilities

• Map and cleanse people data from various sources.
• Audit employee files and reorganize documentation.
• Lay foundations for future contract reviews.

Skills

Experience working with people data

Strong spreadsheet skills

Organizational skills

Methodical approach

High levels of professionalism

Curiosity and persistence

Tools

HR systems (e.g., HiBob)

Job description

Project Associate – People Data & Systems

6-month fixed term contract

Based in Central and West London – Hybrid, 2x days a week

Start ASAP – ideally before Christmas

A fast-growing organisation operating across the UK and Europe is looking for a Project Associate (People Data & Systems) to play a vital role in strengthening the foundations of its People function.

As the business scales, its people data, systems, and documentation need to keep pace. This six-month project role offers a unique opportunity to step into a hands‑on, high‑impact position where organisation meets investigation and structure brings clarity.

Working as part of a collaborative People team, the Project Associate will partner closely with senior stakeholders and a dedicated project lead to repair historic gaps, organise fragmented records and bring consistency to how people information is captured and maintained. The goal is simple but powerful: build a single, trusted source of truth for employee data and leave behind clean, accurate and reliable records that reflect the organisation today.

What you’ll be doing:

This is a practical, detail‑driven role for someone who enjoys untangling complexity and bringing order to chaos. Key areas of focus include:

Mapping and cleansing people data

• Locating and pulling together data from contracts, spreadsheets, payroll files, shared drives, archived emails and legacy systems.
• Logging findings in a structured way to highlight gaps, inconsistencies and sources.
• Updating and back‑dating records within the HR system in line with agreed standards.
• Running reconciliations (e.g. HR system vs payroll) and clearly flagging discrepancies.

Restoring and organising documentation

• Auditing employee files and document packs across locations and entities.
• Identifying missing, outdated or inconsistent documentation.
• Reorganising and renaming digital files into a consistent, logical structure.
• Maintaining trackers and audit logs to demonstrate progress and outstanding actions.

Laying the foundations for future contract review

• Collating and organising current and historic employment contracts.
• Creating comparison schedules to highlight key differences and anomalies.
• Ensuring data and file structures are accurate and review‑ready.
• Supporting the preparation of employee lists and documentation for future work.

How you’ll work

• This is an investigative, practical role with plenty of autonomy once priorities are clear.
• You’ll work closely with the project lead while being trusted to manage tasks independently.
• You’ll take a careful, methodical approach and handle sensitive information with discretion.
• You’ll thrive in a role where precision and organisation really matter.

What you’ll bring

• Experience working with people data, HR systems or structured datasets (experience with HiBob is a plus).
• Strong spreadsheet and organisational skills, with confidence managing trackers and file structures.
• A naturally systematic approach – you enjoy improving processes and leaving systems better than you found them.
• High levels of professionalism and confidentiality.
• Curiosity, persistence and a genuine satisfaction in getting to the bottom of messy histories.

Why this role matters

By the end of the contract, your work will have:

• Created a single, accurate source of truth for people data.
• Closed historic gaps in employee records.
• Supported future contract harmonisation and data consistency.
• Strengthened compliance, insight and reporting across the business.
• Made a lasting impact on the effectiveness of the People function.