People operations Team Leader

Nacro; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 34,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Ban the Box employer

Personal development opportunities

Job summary

Nacro is seeking a People Operations lead in a Birmingham-based hybrid role. You will manage the People Operations team, oversee the employee lifecycle, and coordinate payroll processes to ensure timely and accurate outcomes.

The role focuses on creating a collaborative, compliant, and high‑performing service for managers and staff. You will report to the People Operations Manager, support continuous improvement, and contribute to strategic workforce initiatives within a charity‑minded,

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in People Operations or HR administration across the full employee lifecycle.
• Experience formally line managing or supervising an operational team.
• Strong knowledge of HR policies, data protection and payroll processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the People Operations Coordinator team; set objectives and provide coaching.
• Prioritise workloads while meeting payroll deadlines and managing absence.
• Oversee onboarding, contracts changes, leave and offboarding with accuracy.
• Provide first‑line guidance on People policies and processes to managers.

Skills

People Operations

HR administration

Line management

Data protection

Payroll knowledge

Education

CIPD Level 5 qualification

Tools

HR systems

Job description

Location: Birmingham-based (Hybrid – 2 days per week in Birmingham Office)

This role does not offer eligibility for visa sponsorship.

This role offers a starting salary within Nacro’s pay structure of £34,421, per annum with expected progression to £35,454, per annum within the first year, subject to meeting clear criteria and performance standards, with further pay progression available in the future. Nacro’s pay framework provides transparent progression points and supports ongoing professional development and career growth.

At Nacro, we believe that everyone deserves a good education, a safe and secure place to live, the right to be heard, and the chance to start again, with support from someone on their side.

That’s why our housing, education, justice, and health and wellbeing services work alongside people to give them the support and skills they need to succeed. And it’s why we fight for their voices to be heard and campaign together to create lasting change.

We see your future, whatever the past.

“Do you want to make a difference to people’s lives and want to work for an organisation that will invest in your personal development?”

About the role

Reporting to the People Operations Manager, you’ll be responsible for the day-to-day management of the People Operations team, balancing workloads, monitoring service delivery and ensuring key employee lifecycle activities are completed accurately and on time.

You’ll provide full line management to the People Operations Coordinators, supporting their performance, attendance, wellbeing, development and probation, while creating a positive, inclusive and accountable team culture.

You’ll also work closely with colleagues across People, including People Advisory, Payroll, Resourcing and People Vetting and Compliance, to provide a joined-up service to managers and colleagues across Nacro.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead, manage and develop the People Operations Coordinator team, setting clear objectives and expectations and providing regular feedback, coaching and support.
• Allocate and prioritise workloads, balancing capacity, service standards, payroll deadlines and planned or unplanned absence.
• Oversee the accurate and timely processing of employee lifecycle activity, including onboarding, contractual changes, leave, absence‑related administration and offboarding.
• Provide hands‑on support with complex or non‑standard transactions during periods of high demand or service disruption.
• Ensure managers and colleagues receive accurate and consistent first‑line guidance on Nacro’s People policies and standard processes.
• Coordinate the People Operations elements of the monthly payroll timetable, ensuring payroll‑impacting activity is completed and checked within agreed deadlines.
• Investigate payroll discrepancies and recurring errors, working closely with Payroll and People colleagues to resolve issues and reduce avoidable rework.
• Lead quality assurance activity, including file checks, peer reviews and sample audits, ensuring errors are identified and corrected promptly.
• Monitor compliance with procedures, data protection requirements, record‑keeping standards and operational controls.

Maintain accurate operational procedures, process documentation and control records to support consistent service delivery

• Use HR systems and operational data to monitor workloads, backlogs, errors, trends and service performance.
• Coach and develop team members, identifying development needs and supporting continuous improvement in team capability.
• Act as a People Operations super‑user for the HR system, supporting colleagues with processes and systems and working with People Systems and Data colleagues to resolve issues.

Support audit, assurance and data subject access request activities, ensuring information is accurate, complete and provided within required timescale.

• Identify opportunities to improve People Operations processes, workflows and the employee and manager experience.
• Support the implementation of agreed system, workflow and process improvements and coordinate assigned operational improvement projects.

You’ll be someone who

• Has substantial experience in People Operations, HR administration or a shared‑services environment, including end-to-end employee lifecycle processes.
• Has experience formally line managing or supervising an operational team, including managing objectives, performance, attendance, development and probation.
• Has strong knowledge of employee lifecycle processes, HR policies, data protection and the operational application of relevant employment requirements.
• Has experience managing non‑standard People Operations transactions and providing accurate first‑line guidance.
• Understands payroll‑impacting HR processes, validation checks, discrepancy investigation and maintaining effective controls and audit trails.
• Is confident using HR systems and operational data to maintain accurate records, produce reports and identify trends and recurring issues.
• Has experience using quality checks and service information to manage performance, improve processes and develop team capability.
• Can confidently prioritise competing demands, protect critical deadlines and maintain service continuity within a high-volume environment.
• Communicates clearly and respectfully with colleagues, managers and stakeholders at all levels.
• Is an effective people leader who can set clear expectations, provide constructive feedback and support the wellbeing and development of others.
• Takes ownership, uses sound judgement and remains calm and solutions‑focused when dealing with operational challenges.
• Is committed to continuous improvement and finding practical ways to improve efficiency, accuracy and customer experience.

A CIPD Level 5 qualification or equivalent relevant knowledge gained through experience would be desirable, as would experience within a charity, public‑service or regulated environment.

Nacro is a fair and inclusive employer

At Nacro, we believe in the power of a diverse and inclusive team. We are a Ban the Box employer and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, including those with criminal records. Convictions are not discussed during the application process and will only be considered later if relevant to the role, assessed fairly, proportionately and confidentially. For advice, contact our confidential Criminal Record Support Service on 0300 123 1999 or [e-mail]