People Operations Lead, EMEA

M+C Saatchi UK; London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a proactive People Operations Lead for the EMEA region. This full-time role, based in London on a hybrid basis, focuses on optimizing people operations, ensuring compliance, and enhancing the employee experience. The ideal candidate will possess strong operational knowledge and a passion for driving improvements. With a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, this role offers an exciting opportunity to influence and lead within a dynamic team. Join a forward-thinking company dedicated to diversity and employee development.

Benefits

27 days annual holiday

Private healthcare

Employer contributory pension

Life assurance

Income protection

Subsidized gym membership

Personal development resources

Qualifications

• Experience in operational excellence across complex businesses.
• Strong project management skills with multi-stakeholder experience.

Responsibilities

• Streamline people operations systems and ensure compliance.
• Serve as tier 3 support for complex People Operations queries.

Skills

Operational Excellence

Project Management

Legal Knowledge

Multi-Tasking

Stakeholder Management

Service-Oriented

Proactive & Results-Driven

Analytical

Excellent Communication

Team Development

Job description

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M+C Saatchi Group is seeking a proactive, data-driven, and service-oriented People Operations EMEA Lead to act as a people operations manager across the EMEA region (headcount c. 1200). This role reports to the Head of Global People Operations and is part of the Global People Operations team, collaborating closely with other regional leads.

This full-time role is based in London on a hybrid basis, with a minimum of 3 days a week in the office.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

The People Operations Lead will work on streamlining and optimizing people operations systems, ensuring compliance, and providing a fun and frictionless experience for managers and employees across the EMEA region. Key focuses for the role include:

1. Operational Excellence: Ensure service excellence across the employee lifecycle. Identify knowledge gaps and provide upskilling sessions for managers and the wider People team. Collaborate with the Global Employee Relations and Talent Development teams.
2. Operational Audit & Projects: Collaborate with the Head of Global People Operations to audit and improve existing operations, processes, and policies across EMEA. Focus on automating processes, building scalable solutions, ensuring compliance, and creating consistent systems usage and standards. Work closely with the Head of Global People Operations on the global rollout of our policy suite and then actively grow that suite as legislation and practices evolve.
3. People Operations Triage: Serve as tier 3 support for complex People Operations queries, providing assistance to the People Operations Assistants team. Identify trends in queries and proactively address knowledge gaps. Foster a strong partnership between People Operations and People Partners to drive seamless service delivery.
4. Global Employment & Mobility: Partner with a third-party vendor to manage global talent employment and transfers. Provide guidance on relocation policies, visas, and remuneration for talent outside the UK. Ensure a seamless and compliant experience for managers and employees.
5. Compliance: Review and ensure compliance with IR35 regulations. Provide education and support for managers navigating related challenges. Support the adoption of GDPR across the People team. Ensure full compliance with Right to Work documentation, sponsorship licenses, and visas. Stay updated on EMEA and US immigration laws, and educate managers and employees on related processes. Explore automation opportunities to streamline immigration procedures.
6. People Data & Insight: Own the creation of accurate, insightful People management reports to aid business and People decision-making.
7. Global HRIS (Workday): Act as a system champion for Workday, collaborating with the Workday Lead and Analyst to roll out functionality across EMEA. Identify training needs and support system adoption.
8. Benefits Management: Ensure employee awareness and registration for relevant benefits. Collaborate with the Global Head of Reward and People team to enhance benefits offerings and improve the employee experience.
9. Team Support: Provide coaching and direction to People Operations Assistants, delegating tasks and offering regular feedback to support their growth and development.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING:

This role is ideal for someone stepping up into a regional manager role, bringing a blend of relevant experience, strong operational knowledge, and a passion for driving improvements across People Operations. The successful candidate will possess the following skills and qualifications:

1. Experience: Prior experience delivering operational excellence across complex businesses, with expertise in areas such as benefits, compliance, immigration, and global mobility.
2. Project Management: Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects, from initiation to execution. Familiarity with project management tools and handling multiple concurrent projects is essential.
3. Legal Knowledge: An understanding of UK employment and immigration law, with the ability to advise managers on immigration matters while minimizing bureaucracy and complexity.
4. Multi-Tasking: Ability to juggle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment, ensuring both strategic focus and attention to detail in delivery.
5. Stakeholder Management: Adept at building trust and influencing key stakeholders. Capable of delivering change through consultation and buy-in.
6. Service-Oriented: Strong customer service focus, able to engage with employees and managers effectively while resolving queries with professionalism and care.
7. Proactive & Results-Driven: A natural problem-solver who seeks opportunities to improve processes and create simple, accessible practices. Passionate about continuous improvement.
8. Analytical: Skilled in data analysis, with the ability to synthesize data into actionable insights and present it clearly to different audiences.
9. Excellent Communication: Exceptional communicator, able to create clear, concise reports and presentations that make complex information easy to understand.
10. Team Development: Motivated to inspire and direct others, delegating tasks efficiently and providing valuable feedback for team development.
11. Regional Experience: As the role supports the EMEA region, experience or exposure to this region is an advantage but not a prerequisite.

WHAT YOU’LL GET

For the right candidate, we will offer a competitive salary and benefits package which includes 27 days annual holiday, private healthcare, employer contributory pension, life assurance, and income protection. We also offer a host of wellbeing benefits including subsidized gym membership. Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (D+I) includes learning opportunities, mentoring programs, and participation in Employee Led Networks and events. This role will also be supported with personal development resources to ensure success.

ABOUT M+C SAATCHI GROUP

M+C Saatchi Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer that celebrates diversity and makes hiring and promotion decisions based solely on talent and capability, without regard for personal characteristics.

All employee information is kept confidential according to GDPR.

Additional Details

• Seniority level: Not Applicable
• Employment type: Full-time
• Job function: Management and Manufacturing
• Industries: Advertising Services