People Operations Lead

B&q; Eastleigh; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading home improvement company is seeking a People Operations Lead in Southampton. This position involves driving HR services, operational excellence, and digital innovation. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in leading multi-disciplinary teams and experience in HR compliance. This role offers a competitive salary, benefits, and a hybrid working model.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Pension scheme

ShareSave options

6.6 weeks holiday

Employee Assistance Programme

Shopping discounts

Qualifications

• Proven leadership of large, multi-disciplinary teams.
• Strong coaching skills and a track record of building high-performing teams.
• Deep expertise in HR compliance, payroll, and process optimisation.

Responsibilities

• Lead the People Operations function, delivering high-impact HR services.
• Drive operational excellence and digital innovation in HR.
• Support organisational change initiatives ensuring a positive colleague experience.

Skills

Leadership of large teams

Coaching skills

HR compliance

Stakeholder management

Change management

Data-driven mindset

Agile project delivery

Job description

Overview

Open to Job Share, Full Time or Part Time - Permanent

£80,000 - £100,000+ Pension + PMI +ShareSave+ 6.6 weeks holiday+ Hybrid Working (2 days per week in the office)

Southampton, Store Support Office

We believe anyone can improve their home to make life better. From our Southampton Store Support office (SSO) we equip our stores, our people, and our whole business with everything it takes to help our millions of customers create a home they’ll love. Join us as People Operations Lead and you’ll be a big part of this.

Role Purpose: To lead and continuously elevate the People Operations function—delivering seamless, high-impact, and future-ready HR services that power our people and business success. You will drive operational excellence, digital innovation, and transformation, ensuring every process, system, and colleague interaction is efficient, compliant, and brilliantly executed. With a sharp focus on agility, scalability, and colleague experience, you’ll turn HR operations into a high-performing engine that enables our people to thrive.

Key responsibilities

Key Accountabilities / Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic and operational leadership to the People Operations team, covering Colleague Data, MI, Payroll, Contract Management, HR Systems, and Compliance.
• Ensure accurate, timely, and compliant payroll delivery across the three Kingfisher legal entities within a shared service model.
• Implement the People Strategy with a focus on foundational HR practices, digital transformation, and continuous improvement.
• Lead the development and execution of the HR systems roadmap, collaborating with IT and business stakeholder to deliver scalable, efficient solutions.
• Act as the escalation point for complex HR and payroll issues, managing risk and ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory and audit requirements.
• Oversee resource planning, capability development, and succession planning within the team, using data and insights to inform decisions.
• Drive process improvement, automation, and simplification to ensure services are efficient, effective, and exceed SLAs.
• Support organisational change initiatives—including TUPE, restructures, and project-based activity—ensuring a positive colleague experience.
• Build strong partnerships with HR, Finance, Audit, IT, and external providers to ensure aligned and integrated service delivery.
• Champion engagement, inclusion, and continuous learning across the team.
• Collaborate across banners and Group to share best practice and build a community of practice.
• Lead the design and delivery of colleague self-service and automation initiatives, ensuring intuitive, accessible, and empowering digital experiences across the employee lifecycle.
• Monitor and respond to emerging trends in HR technology, compliance, and service delivery, ensuring the function remains future-ready and aligned with evolving business needs.
• Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for People Operations, using insights to drive continuous improvement and demonstrate value to the business.
• Ensure data integrity and governance across all HR systems, enabling accurate reporting, analytics, and decision- making.
• Act as a key contributor to the wider People leadership team, shaping cross-functional initiatives and supporting the development of a cohesive, high-impact People strategy

Required skills & experience

Required Skills & Experience

• Proven leadership of large, multi-disciplinary teams.
• Strong coaching skills and a track record of building high-performing teams.
• Ability to identify and develop talent.
• Deep expertise in HR compliance, payroll, and process optimisation.
• Strong customer orientation with a data-driven and continuous improvement mindset.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence at all levels.
• Experience in change management and agile, project-based delivery.
• Strong planning, organisational, and listening skills
• Ability to navigate complex organisational structures, balancing local needs with group-wide consistency and scalability.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, agile environment, with the ability to pivot quickly and manage competing priorities
• Experience leading digital transformation initiatives within HR or shared services, with a focus on automation, self-service, and user experience.
• Proven ability to use data and analytics to drive decision-making, improve service delivery, and demonstrate RO

What\'s in it for me?

As part of a great team, you’ll be valued for who you are. We’re committed to making B&Q more diverse and representative of the communities we serve, where everyone can feel they belong and have equal opportunities. You will have access to a range of networks that represent our colleagues and allies and help us to continue to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our business.

We also recognise that wellness means different things to different people, and we want to help colleagues be at their best and feel well by offering a range of benefits to help you. As well as a competitive salary, our benefits package includes an award-winning pension scheme, bonus, ShareSave options, 6.6 weeks holiday, payroll giving, an Employee Assistance Programme, shopping discounts, colleague wellbeing benefits and lots more!

So we can support you during the application or interview process, please contact [e-mail] for any recruitment adjustments.

We want to ensure that all employees, future employees and applicants to all Kingfisher companies are treated equally regardless of age, gender, marital or civil partnership status, colour, ethnic or national origin, culture, religious belief, philosophical belief, political opinion, disability, gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation.

If you require any additional support or adjustments to help you make an application, please contact us [e-mail] .

How to apply

Step 1: Apply via bandqcareers.com

Step 2: We\'ll contact you for a phone interview

Step 3: We’ll carry out a face to face or online interview (and we may request a 2nd interview if the role you\'re applying for is more complex).

Step 4: We’ll contact you with feedback, and maybe even a job offer.

Check out ourFAQs for more information about interviewing at B&Q.

Role

• Open to Job Share, Full Time or Part Time - Permanent