People Operations Manager in Horley, Surrey

About Us

Alternative Airlines is a fast-growing online travel agency specialising in flights. We have built a strong online presence, offering a seamless flight booking experience to a global customer base. With a fresh approach to the well-established air travel market, we are known for our innovation, attention to detail, and commitment to doing things differently.

Alternative Airlines has experienced remarkable growth, expanding from transaction values of £9m in 2020 to £83m in 2024. Our vision is to be the go-to online travel agency for flights, and our mission is to empower travellers worldwide with easy flight bookings and exceptional customer service. People are at the core of our success — and we’re now looking for a People Operations Manager to help us grow the infrastructure and processes that will scale with our ambitions while enhancing the culture that we are proud of and love.

If you’re hands-on with a strategic mindset, who thrives in fast-paced environments and wants to make a real impact — this is the role for you.

Role Overview

As our People Operations Manager, you’ll take ownership of day-to-day people operations while helping shape the future of how we attract, support, and grow our team. You’ll work closely with the senior leadership team, managers, and employees to ensure that our people practices are smart, inclusive, and aligned with the business. You’ll blend hands-on delivery with strategic input, bringing structure and insight to the full employee experience — from onboarding to performance, engagement, and beyond.

Key Responsibilities:

• People Strategy & Leadership: Develop and implement a people strategy that reflects our goals, employee values, and culture. Each team within Alternative Airlines has its own identity, so this role must have the ability to adapt their skills to ensure each area has its own path for development. Guide and support managers of all levels to embed high-performance culture. Ensure all HR practices align with UK employment law and relevant regulations.
• Talent & Development: Review and oversee recruitment and onboarding, ensuring a consistent, inclusive candidate experience whether the role is hybrid, office-based or solely remote working. Design and manage employee development and upskilling plans working with managers of varying levels of skills. Lead performance management processes — supporting regular reviews, feedback, and coaching. Begin to shape succession planning practices.
• People Ops & Tools: Manage day-to-day HR operations: contracts and systems. Drive continuous improvement of core people processes (onboarding, leave, reviews, etc.). Handle employee relations with a calm, fair, and solutions-oriented approach.
• Employee Experience & Culture: Champion an engaging, supportive, and values-driven employee experience. Embed principles of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) into our culture and policies. Contribute to internal communications.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build trusted relationships across the business — from junior team members to senior leaders. Be an approachable, credible advisor to managers on all people-related matters. Collaborate with departments to keep culture and communication aligned.

What You’ll Need:

• CIPD Level 5 (or working towards) and solid generalist HR experience.
• Proven experience in a mid-level HR/People Ops role, ideally in a startup or scale-up small business.
• Confidence managing full employee lifecycle processes and HR systems.
• A clear, proactive communication style and strong stakeholder management skills.
• Working knowledge of UK employment law and employee relations best practices.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.

Why Join Us?

We believe that work should be fulfilling, supportive, and balanced. At Alternative Airlines, we put our people first and offer a culture that promotes growth and well-being.

Benefits & Perks:

• Flexible Working – Work where you’re most productive, whether from home or in the office.
• Competitive Salary – Regularly reviewed to reflect your contribution.
• Plenty of Holiday – Time to rest and recharge.
• Social Events – Enjoy team outings and activities throughout the year.
• Enhanced Parental Leave – Up to 13 weeks fully paid baby leave, available to all employees regardless of gender or family circumstances.
• Flight Credits – Earn up to £1,000 in flight credits per year based on length of service.
• Wellness Days – Two extra paid wellness holidays per year to focus on your well-being.
• Sabbatical Leave – Enjoy a two-week paid sabbatical for every five years of service.

A Workplace That Values You:

We champion work-life balance because we know that happy employees do their best work. We invest in personal growth and development, helping our team members advance their careers. You’ll be part of an innovative, diverse, and ambitious team where your ideas matter. You’ll have the opportunity to shape the next stage of our company’s growth.

Join Our Award-Winning Team

We are proud to be certified as a Great Place to Work 2023-24, a recognition awarded by Great Place to Work® based on employee feedback. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups. If you need any adjustments to the application process, please let us know.