HR Operations Manager in London

Cactus Life Sciences is a non-traditional, fully integrated medical communication agency specializing in technology-enabled innovation and stakeholder personalization, where we uniquely combine science, technology, and strategic communications. Following strong recent growth, we are strengthening our HR team to support continued development and expansion.

We are looking for an experienced HR Operations Manager to lead the delivery of efficient, compliant and scalable HR operations across our global workforce. This role partners closely with HR Business Partners and global stakeholders to deliver consistent, high‑quality HR operational support across the full employee lifecycle across the US, UK and Switzerland. The role will focus on strengthening operational processes, improving employee experience, maintaining data integrity, and supporting the growth of the organization.

Location: Cactus Life Sciences is a remote‑first organization, and we embrace an "accelerate from anywhere" culture. You may be required to travel based on business requirements or for company/team events.

Reporting Structure: This role reports directly to the AVP, HR Operations & Administration for day‑to‑day operational leadership, with overall strategic alignment and accountability to the VP, HR.

Responsibilities

• Manage and deliver end‑to‑end HR operations across the employee lifecycle including onboarding, contractual changes, mobility, and offboarding across multiple countries.
• Partner closely with HRBPs to operationalise people initiatives, organisational changes and workforce strategies across global teams.
• Ensure HR processes remain compliant with applicable employment legislation, regulatory requirements, and data privacy standards across the US, UK and Switzerland.
• Maintain accurate employee data and HR documentation, ensuring strong governance, audit readiness and confidentiality.
• Own HR systems from an HR Operations perspective, including supporting HRIS implementation, driving process alignment, ensuring data integrity, creating efficient workflows and automation, and optimising system use across the employee lifecycle.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to streamline processes, enhance efficiency and support scalable growth in a global, remote‑first environment.
• Act as a key escalation point for complex HR operational queries, providing practical solutions and ensuring a consistent employee experience.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with Talent Acquisition, Payroll, Finance, Legal and IT to support seamless service delivery.
• Support organisational change initiatives, business expansions, or new country set‑ups from an HR operations perspective.
• Analyse HR operational metrics and trends, producing insights and recommendations to improve processes and workforce outcomes.
• Maintain and evolve HR policies, operational playbooks and process documentation to ensure consistency across regions.

Qualifications and Prerequisites

• Significant experience in HR Operations or People Operations roles within global, multi‑country organisations; experience in healthcare, medical communications, life sciences or professional services environments is highly desirable.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law, with exposure to US and/or European employment practices preferred.
• Demonstrated experience managing employee lifecycle processes, HR administration and global HR service delivery.
• Experience supporting or leading HRIS implementation and ongoing HR systems management from an HR Operations and process improvement perspective.
• Strong process improvement mindset with experience identifying operational efficiencies and driving change.
• High attention to detail and strong data management skills with a focus on accuracy and governance.
• Comfortable working in a fully remote, fast‑paced and evolving business environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a strong customer‑focused approach.

Benefits of this Role

• Comprehensive health coverage for you including dental and vision care.
• Financial security through life assurance and income protection.
• Retirement savings plan with employer contributions and flexible options.

Application Process

Before applying, please ensure you meet the role requirements listed above and have legal authorization to work in the country where this role is advertised. Our selection process involves an initial screening by a recruiter and one or two interview rounds with the hiring manager and peers.

Equal Opportunity

Our hiring practices reflect our commitment to providing equal opportunities and creating an environment where everyone can thrive, develop, and succeed. We celebrate the uniqueness of our team members and prohibit discrimination of any kind, based on race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

Accelerating from Anywhere

As a remote‑first organization, these are essential attributes we look for in all our candidates:

• Taking ownership of your work with minimal supervision, showing strong ability to organise, prioritise and deliver results independently.
• Documenting work that brings everyone on the same page.
• Maturity to choose between synchronous and asynchronous collaboration.
• Effectively collaborating with colleagues across different time zones by setting dedicated hours for collaboration and keeping team members updated through your MS Teams status.

About CACTUS

At Cactus Life Sciences, we believe the future of medical communications lies at the intersection of science, technology, and human connection. Headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, with teams in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, India, and Japan, we help biopharmaceutical organizations redefine scientific exchange—leveraging AI, automation, and innovation while keeping patients at the heart of everything we do. Our expertise spans medical strategy, scientific content development, and medical education across therapeutic areas and the product lifecycle. By blending scientific rigor, agile operational models, and future‑ready technologies, we partner with medical affairs teams to catalyze their transformation, adapt to a changing landscape, and drive meaningful outcomes for healthcare communities worldwide.