Head of People Operations

Clinical Partners is one of the UK's leading providers of mental health and neurodevelopmental services, delivering high-quality assessments and treatment across both NHS and private healthcare pathways.

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Head of People Operations to lead the operational delivery of our People function and help shape the future of our colleague experience as we continue to grow.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic and evolving organisation, leading a critical function at the heart of the business. As Head of People Operations, you will be responsible for ensuring the efficient, compliant and people-focused delivery of all operational people processes, including employee lifecycle administration, payroll governance, people systems, workforce data and operational employee relations support.

Working closely with colleagues across People, Finance, Governance, Legal and Operational teams, you will drive operational excellence, strengthen governance, and controls, and ensure our systems, processes and services support organisational growth while delivering an outstanding colleague experience.

You will lead a high-performing team, providing strategic direction while maintaining oversight of day-to-day service delivery. Through data, insight and continuous development, you will identify opportunities to enhance efficiency, mitigate risk and improve the effectiveness of our People function.

We are looking for a confident and collaborative leader who combines strategic thinking with operational expertise. You will be comfortable managing complexity, building strong stakeholder relationships and driving change within a fast-paced and highly regulated environment. Equally adept at leading people and improving process, you will play a key role in ensuring our People Operation function continues to evolve and deliver value across the organisation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the People Operations function, ensuring the effective delivery of employee lifecycle processes, payroll governance, HR administration and people services.
• Develop and implement operational strategies. frameworks and service standards that support organisational objectives.
• Lead, coach and develop the Peoples Operations team, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and excellent customer service.
• Oversee onboarding, contractual changes, employee records management and offboarding processes, ensuring accuracy, compliance and efficiency.
• Provide operational oversight of employee relations administration and case management processes.
• Ensure robust governance, controls and audit readiness across all People Operations activities.
• Own and continuously improve People systems, workforce data management and reporting capabilities.
• Deliver workforce reporting, metrics and insights that support informed decision-making and strategic workforce planning.
• Drive process improvement, automation and digital transformation initiatives across the People function.
• Partner with Finance to ensure effective payroll governance, controls and accurate data management.
• Ensure compliance with employment legislation, GDPR, regulatory requirements and internal governance standards.
• Act as a subject matter expert on People Operations matters, supporting organisational change, growth initiatives and strategic projects.
• Build strong collaborative relationships with stakeholders across the business to improve service delivery and colleague experience.

Requirements:

• Significant experience leading a People Operations, HR Operations or Shared Services function within a complex organisation.
• Proven experience managing and developing high-performing operational teams.
• Strong understanding of employee lifecycle processes, payroll governance, HR administration and workforce data management.
• Experience implementing and improving processes, controls and operational service delivery frameworks.
• Strong knowledge of employment legislation, GDPR and people governance requirements.
• Experience managing HR systems and using workforce data and analytics to drive operational improvements.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and build credibility at all levels of the organisation.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a focus on practical and sustainable solutions.
• Experience leading change, transformation and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Excellent communication, organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Experience within healthcare or another highly regulated environment.
• Experience leading HR technology, system implementation or automation projects.
• Familiarity with HiBob, Salesforce, Credentially or similar platforms.
• Experience supporting organisational growth, acquisitions or large-scale change programmes.
• Experience developing workforce reporting and people analytics capabilities.

This role is ideally suited to an experienced People Operations leader seeking the opportunity to shape and enhance operational people services within a growing healthcare organisaton, while contributing to the delivery of exceptional colleague and patient outcomes.

Remuneration and Benefits:

As well as meaningful work that genuinely makes a difference to people's lives, you'll benefit from a comprehensive reward and wellbeing package:

• £75,000-80,000 annual salary (DOE)
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Holiday entitlement increases with service up to 28 days
• Birthday day off every year
• Flexible working opportunities from day one
• Opportunities to participate in charitable events
• Defined Contribution Pension Scheme
• Salary exchange pension arrangement
• One-off welfare grants for colleagues experiencing financial hardship
• Financial planning support through Lloyd & Co Financial Planning
• Healthcare cash plan for dental, optical and other everyday healthcare costs
• Virtual GP access 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
• Employee Assistance Programme providing confidential support whenever you need it
• Specsavers eye care vouchers
• Money off prescriptions
• Specialist workplace coaching and support for neurodiverse colleagues
• Life assurance of 4x salary
• Funeral support
• Occupational sick pay of up to 8 weeks full pay and 8 weeks half pay (subject to service)
• Retail discounts across hundreds of brands
• Travel, fashion, electronics, home and garden savings
• Gym and fitness discounts

At Clinical Partners we are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace. We believe that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background, race, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and strive to provide a supportive and respectful environment for all employees.

DBS Check Requirement:

Please note that this position requires a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check as part of our commitment to safeguarding and ensuring the safety of our clients and staff. The successful candidate will be required to undergo a DBS check before commencing employment.

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