Senior People & Culture Operations Manager (Maternity Leave Cover)

Aurora Energy Research; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative firm is seeking a Senior People & Culture Operations Manager to lead operational delivery across the EMEA region while ensuring global governance standards are met. This role combines hands-on regional management with strategic oversight, making it crucial for the company's expansion. You will refine global processes and frameworks, manage a dedicated team, and ensure compliance with local regulations. If you are passionate about fostering a positive workplace culture and have a track record in people operations, this is the perfect opportunity to make a significant impact.

Benefits

Private Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Parental Support

Salary-Exchange Pension

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Local Oxford Discounts

Cycle-to-work Scheme

Flu Jabs

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Senior People & Culture Operations Manager or Business Partner.
• Strong capability in project management and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of day-to-day P&C operations in the EMEA region.
• Oversee the operational aspects of new market setups.
• Act as a key contributor to the HRIS implementation project.

Skills

Project Management

Stakeholder Management

Analytical Skills

Communication Skills

People Management

Education

Degree Level Education

CIPD Accreditation

Tools

HRIS Platforms

Job description

Senior People & Culture Operations Manager (Maternity Leave Cover)

Join to apply for the Senior People & Culture Operations Manager (Maternity Leave Cover) role at Aurora Energy Research

Senior People & Culture Operations Manager (Maternity Leave Cover)

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Join to apply for the Senior People & Culture Operations Manager (Maternity Leave Cover) role at Aurora Energy Research

Description

As Senior People & Culture (P&C) Operations Manager, you will lead the operational delivery of People & Culture services in the EMEA region while acting as the Group Centre of Excellence (CoE) for global P&C operations governance. This dual role combines hands-on regional delivery with strategic global leadership.

Department: Core - People & Culture

Location: Oxford, UK

Description

As Senior People & Culture (P&C) Operations Manager, you will lead the operational delivery of People & Culture services in the EMEA region while acting as the Group Centre of Excellence (CoE) for global P&C operations governance. This dual role combines hands-on regional delivery with strategic global leadership.
You will be responsible for refining and maintaining global standards, frameworks, and processes across all P&C operations, ensuring consistency, efficiency, and compliance. You'll work closely with regional P&C leads in APAC and the Americas to ensure adherence to governance frameworks and will act as their point of escalation for operational challenges.
Additionally, you will oversee the operational aspects of new market setups and act as a key contributor to the HRIS implementation project, ensuring Aurora’s future-ready infrastructure supports its rapid global expansion.

Contract Type: Fixed-Term (Maternity Leave Cover)
Duration: 7 months
Reporting To: Head of People & Culture

Key Responsibilities

EMEA People Operations Delivery

• Lead the delivery of day-to-day P&C operations in the EMEA region, ensuring seamless execution across onboarding, payroll input, employment changes, documentation, and offboarding.
• Line manage the EMEA P&C Operations team, supporting their development, workload management, and operational excellence.
• Ensure service delivery aligns with business needs, compliance requirements, and employee experience expectations.

Group Centre of Excellence – Global Governance & Standards

• Serve as the Group CoE for global P&C operations, setting and maintaining governance frameworks, standard operating procedures, and quality benchmarks across all regions.
• Define global processes and templates for core P&C activities (e.g., onboarding, documentation, employee changes, policy management).
• Collaborate with regional P&C leads to embed these standards, ensuring consistent execution while accommodating local compliance needs.
• Monitor adherence to global governance, escalating and resolving deviations where required.

Oversight of Regional Operations & Escalations

• Provide guidance and support to P&C leads in APAC and the Americas, acting as the escalation point for regional operational issues.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and best practice alignment across regions.
• Lead cross-regional reviews to drive continuous improvement and operational consistency.

New Market Setups

• Oversee the end-to-end setup of People & Culture operations in the new market using structured project plans and timelines.
• Collaborating with legal, finance, IT, and local partners to deliver all people-related infrastructure and processes.
• Track milestones, manage risks (e.g., compliance, hiring delays), and ensure all People & Culture deliverables are on time, within scope, and aligned with business launch goals.
• Ensure readiness of operational processes, systems, and documentation for successful market launch.

HRIS Implementation (Project Team Member)

• Act as a key contributor to the HRIS implementation project, providing operational input, testing processes, and helping to define user requirements.
• Support change management and training efforts, ensuring successful system adoption across teams.
• Act as a key liaison between People & Culture, business stakeholders, and technology teams to ensure smooth adoption and engagement
• Post-launch, work with the system admin team to support enhancements and ensure alignment with global processes.

Data Integrity, Reporting & Compliance

• Own and manage Group-wide P&C reporting, including headcount, attrition, organisational structure, workforce demographics, and other key people metrics.
• Ensure data accuracy and completeness in all people systems, enabling robust analytics and reporting.
• Partner with Legal and Compliance teams to uphold data privacy and employment law standards across regions.
• Support regular audits and reporting obligations with accurate and timely data.

Global Mobility & Immigration:

• Support the refinement and professionalisation of global mobility policies, principles, and operational practices.
• Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements in international assignments.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to enhance reporting, tracking, and governance of global mobility processes.
  
  

What we are looking for

Required attributes:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent. CIPD accredited.
• Proven experience as a Senior People & Culture Operations Manager or Business Partner in a multinational or complex, matrixed organisational structure.
• Strong capability in project management and cross-functional collaboration
• Strong Excel, analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• People management experience, with the ability to lead, mentor, and develop P&C teams.

Desirable attributes:

• Experience in People & Culture transformation projects.
• Familiarity with HRMS platforms and implementation strategies.
  
  

What we offer

Some of the benefits we include are:

• Private Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Parental Support
• Salary-Exchange Pension
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Local Oxford Discounts
• Cycle-to-work Scheme
• Flu Jabs

At AER, we are committed to offering flexibility in the way we work. Most of our roles are hybrid with a mix of in-office/home working and potentially adjustable working hours. Let’s discuss what works for you and AER during the interview process.
The Company is committed to the principle that no employee or job applicant shall receive unfavourable treatment on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, and maternity.

To apply, please submit your Résumé / CV, a personal summary, your salary expectations and please inform us of your notice period.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Contract

Job function

• Job function

  Human Resources

• Industries

  Research Services

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