HR Operations Adviser in London

Location: London/Hybrid (2 days a week minimum office based at The Minster Building, London with one of the days being a Monday)

Type: Full time - Permanent (If you are a job share partnership, work reduced hours, or any other way of working flexibly, please do still get in touch)

At Ardonagh Specialty, we provide much more than just a workplace. We are dedicated to fostering skill development and knowledge within a team that is passionate about their work, values their Employees, and truly celebrates diversity. Working at Ardonagh Specialty means you’ll be part of The Ardonagh Group. We are proud of our innovative environment offering many opportunities for growth across the wider group. Employees regularly move between our united teams, and we encourage you to make your role your own.

Our offices are lively and exciting places to be, but we understand that life needs flexibility, and offer a genuinely flexible approach to working. If you are looking to join a thriving, energetic business with exciting plans, this role could be an ideal fit for you.

What we can offer:

• Inclusive culture with apprenticeships, study support, participation in our annual Spotlight Awards, Community Trust, Sports Teams, office socials, events and more.
• Access to wellbeing programs, fantastic discounts across many big-name businesses including supermarkets, gym memberships, restaurants, and healthcare cash plans.
• Employer pension contribution of 10% (providing you, the Employee provides 5%).
• Good work life balance - flexibility to suit you.
• Competitive salary.
• Life Assurance at X4 of your base salary.
• Group Income Protection.
• Generous Annual Leave entitlement.
• Private Medical Insurance.
• Group annual bonus scheme.

Purpose of the Role:

The HR Operations Adviser is responsible for delivering a high-quality, efficient HR operations service across the employee lifecycle, supporting managers and employees with both transactional and more complex HR operational queries. The role acts as a key point of expertise within the HR operations team, managing non-standard or complex requests, supporting continuous improvement of HR processes, and helping ensure a consistent and compliant employee experience. The role will work closely with the HR Operations Administrator to support workflow management. The role will also contribute to HR systems, automation and process improvement initiatives, helping drive standardisation, self-service, and operational efficiency across the HR function.

Key Role Accountabilities:

• Deliver a high-quality HR operations service across the employee lifecycle, ensuring a responsive and efficient experience for managers and employees.
• Manage and resolve a range of HR operational queries, providing guidance on policies, processes and non-standard requests.
• Support onboarding, contractual changes, transfers, leavers, and other employee lifecycle processes in particular where cases are complex or outside standard process.
• Review and support the preparation of HR documentation, including contracts, letters and employee communications.
• Maintain HRIS and action employee record updates in a timely manner, ensuring a high level of accuracy.
• Conduct pre-employment checks and right-to-work verification, and support annual rescreening.
• Support audit activity by ensuring documentation and records meet required standards.
• Support the coordination of cyclical HR activities (e.g., annual leave rollovers, pay review letter preparation and distribution).
• Work closely with the HR Operations Administrator to support workflow management, prioritisation and resolution of operational queries.
• Provide guidance and support to more junior team members on HR processes and ways of working.
• Support the continuous improvement and standardisation of HR processes to improve efficiency, consistency, and employee experience.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of HR knowledge resources, self-service tools, and HR system content, including AI solutions where appropriate.
• Take ownership for the review, maintenance, and continuous improvement of designated HR policies and procedures, ensuring they remain accurate, compliant, practical, AI optimised, and aligned with operational processes and employee experience objectives.
• Identify recurring issues, process gaps, and opportunities for automation or improvement and make recommendations accordingly.
• Support HR projects and operational improvement initiatives as required.
• Build effective relationships with Colleagues, Managers, HR team members, finance, IT and other stakeholders to support smooth operational delivery.
• Ensure practices align with employment legislation, organisational policy, and data protection requirements.

Qualifications & Experience:

Essential:

• Previous experience working within an HR Operations, HR shared Service, or HR Adviser role.
• Proven ability managing a high volume of HR queries and employee lifecycle processes in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience providing advice and guidance to managers and employees on HR policies and procedures.
• Experience supporting complex or non-standard HR operational queries and cases.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office and HR systems (ideally Dayforce, Team Tailor, Accurate, DocuSign).
• Experience preparing HR documentation, including contracts, letters, and employee communications.
• Experience maintaining confidentiality and handling sensitive employee information appropriately.
• High attention to detail with a commitment to delivering accurate work.
• Strong communication skills and a customer‑focused approach.
• Good understanding of data protection and confidentiality standards, as well as UK employment legislation and HR best practice.

Desirable:

• Experience using workflow/ticket management tools to manage workload and processes.
• Experience identifying and implementing process improvements and standardisation opportunities.
• Previous experience within a regulated industry.
• CIPD qualification.

Person Specification:

• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage and prioritise a varied workload effectively.
• Excellent attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to apply judgement and identify practical solutions.
• Ability to work effectively in a high-volume operational environment.
• Confident communicator with strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to build effective working relationships with managers, employees, and colleagues at all levels.
• Proactive and improvement-focused mindset with a willingness to challenge inefficient processes and suggest improvements.
• Ability to work independently while also collaborating effectively as part of a team, in-person and remotely.
• Resilient and adaptable, with the ability to remain calm and organised under pressure.
• Commitment to delivering a high standard of customer service and employee experience.
• Curious mindset, committed to improving processes and systems.
• Professional and trustworthy, with strong discretion and judgement.

If you’re excited about this role, but your experience doesn’t perfectly match what we are looking for, please apply anyway. You might just be the right fit for the job, or other opportunities we may have within the wider Group.

Interview Process:

At Ardonagh Specialty, we have a straightforward interview process to ensure the best fit for both you and the company:

• Submit your application with your CV, emphasising your skills and experience related to the job.
• Our Talent Acquisition team will then arrange a call where they can tell you more about the role and the team.
• If successful, you will generally be invited to engage in a 1-hour interview with the Hiring Manager and selected team members, via teams or in person.
• Depending on the role, you may be invited to attend a second stage interview with further members of the team.
• If successful or unsuccessful, we always try and move quickly in presenting an offer or providing feedback.

We truly value the diversity of our teams and as a Group, we are committed to supporting and welcoming individuals from all backgrounds, as we appreciate every perspective is a significant part of our success. Should you require any reasonable adjustment throughout the recruitment process, please do not hesitate to let a member of the Talent team know.

If your application is successful, we will conduct relevant employment checks prior to you commencing employment with us. These will include verifying your recent employment, address, credit history, and a standard criminal record check.