People Operations Team Lead (mat cover contract)

Location: Hybrid work in the UK, with a minimum of three days per week in person at Milton Park, Oxfordshire, or Colchester; candidates must live within commuting distance and have the right to live and work in the UK. The Milton Park office is expected to relocate to Oxford city centre in late 2027 or early 2028.

Company

hirify.global is part of Informa, a global academic publishing, business intelligence, knowledge, and events group; the role supports Taylor & Francis Group.

What you will do

• Lead, coach, and mentor five People Operations Specialists, allocating work and providing regular feedback.
• Manage employee lifecycle queries, escalations, service quality, and team SLA performance.
• Simplify and optimise People Operations processes with the Head of People Operations Excellence and Continuous Improvement team.
• Own operational data, prepare reports, and support internal and external audit activities.
• Implement the Workday HRIS and develop the team’s expertise in the system.
• Support payroll submissions to Informa Payroll and ADP.

Requirements

• Right to live and work in the UK is required.
• Experience supporting or leading a team, with a collaborative and accountable management style.
• Strong HR administration, HRIS, data processing, and Workday experience.
• Knowledge of regional employment law, compliance, data protection, and confidential information handling.
• Excellent communication, customer service, problem-solving, time management, and attention-to-detail skills.
• Ability to make decisions on escalated issues and work accurately to deadlines.

Culture & Benefits

• Balanced hybrid working model with at least three in-person days each week.
• 25 days of annual leave, a birthday day off, and three additional discretionary days during the holiday season.
• Four paid volunteering days per year and an employee assistance programme with 24/7 wellbeing support.
• Company-funded private medical insurance, pension scheme, life assurance, and optical and medical care.
• Flexible working culture focused on work-life balance, inclusion, and professional development.
• Share Match plan providing two free shares for each purchased share.

Hiring process

• Applications are reviewed alongside advertising, with shortlisting beginning before the closing date.
• Adjustments are available for candidates who need support during the recruitment process.