Head of Employee Services

Head of Employee Services

Permanent or FTC Available

£110k-£115k

Newcastle - 2 days a week Onsite (flexibility on days)

We're partnering with a large and complex organisation to recruit a Head of Employee Services to lead the HR Operations function.

This is an opportunity to oversee the delivery of payroll and shared services, ensuring services are accurate, efficient and employee-focused. The role will also support process improvements, greater consistency and the continued development of Employee Services across the organisation.

Reporting to the Director of Shared Services, you will lead the Employee Services team and work closely with HR, Finance, IT and senior stakeholders to maintain a reliable and high-quality service across a large UK workforce.

Experience required

• Significant experience leading HR Operations, Employee Services or Shared Services within a large and complex organisation.
• Strong operational knowledge of HR administration, payroll, pensions, benefits and employee lifecycle processes.
• Experience managing high-volume services against KPIs and SLAs.
• Proven experience leading and developing Employee Services teams.
• Strong understanding of governance, controls, compliance and service management.
• Experience improving and standardising HR processes across a complex organisation.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work effectively across HR, Finance, IT and senior leadership.
• Experience working with HR technologies such as Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, ServiceNow or similar.
• Experience supporting HR system or payroll implementations would be beneficial.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the Employee Services function, overseeing HR Administration, Payroll, Benefits and Pensions
• Ensure employee services are delivered accurately, consistently and within agreed timescales.
• Set and monitor service standards, KPIs and SLAs, addressing any performance or service issues.
• Review and improve HR processes to increase efficiency, consistency and service quality.
• Provide leadership and direction to the Employee Services team, supporting performance, development and engagement.
• Work closely with HR, Finance, IT and business leaders to resolve operational issues and improve the employee experience.
• Maintain appropriate controls, governance and compliance across payroll and HR administration.
• Support the implementation of new HR, payroll and time and attendance systems.
• Oversee third-party suppliers and service providers, ensuring agreed service levels are met.
• Use service data and employee feedback to identify and implement practical improvements.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced HR Operations leader who enjoys delivering reliable, high-quality employee services and making practical improvements within a large, fast-paced organisation.