HR Generalist in Oxford

Requirements

• Third-level qualification in HR, Business or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience
• 5+ years experience in a progressive UK HR / People Operations role with end-to-end UK employee lifecycle exposure
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law
• HR experience across multiple jurisdictions is a distinct advantage (e.g. UK/Ireland/USA)
• Extensive experience working with HRIS systems with a strong fluency in HR technologies
• Proven experience owning onboarding, offboarding and core HR processes
• Confident handling employee relations matters independently
• Experience managing absence cases and conducting sensitive conversations with professionalism and sound judgement
• Strong organisational and documentation skills with high attention to detail
• Proactive, solutions-focused and comfortable taking ownership of processes and driving improvements
• Able to work autonomously while collaborating effectively with leadership
• Personal/professional familiarity with Generative AI to streamline workflows

What the job involves

We're looking for an experienced and proactive People Operations Generalist to join our growing People team, reporting to the People Operations Director. This is a broad, hands-on people role with real ownership and impact (across UK/Ireland and USA & other locations). You will take responsibility for the operational delivery of the full employee lifecycle at Deciphex.

You will deal with everything from onboarding and induction through employee relations, absence management and compliance, to offboarding and exit insights. You will ensure our people processes run smoothly, remain compliant across jurisdictions, and evolve as the organisation grows. You’ll proactively identify gaps, strengthen systems and documentation, and implement practical improvements that support both managers and employees.

Working closely with our Irish based People Operations Director, you will be trusted to run the operational engine of the People function while helping design how it evolves as Deciphex scales.

Global Onboarding, Offboarding & Employment Changes

• Responsible for the design, management and continuous enhancement of comprehensive onboarding & induction, offboarding and employment changes
• Ensuring every new joiner experiences a seamless start with timely access to the tools, systems, training and information required to perform their role effectively
• Ensure all documentation, compliance and training requirements are completed for all employees
• Manage the end-to-end leaver process, including exit interviews, documentation, system updates and handovers
• Analyse onboarding and exit data to identify trends and share insights with the People Operations Director

Global HR Operations, Systems & Documentation

• Responsible for the oversight and administration of all employment documentation, including but not limited to: contracts, amendments, comp plans, employment letters and benefits documentation
• Maintain and optimise BambooHR (HRIS), ensuring data accuracy, reporting integrity and compliance
• Produce regular people reports (headcount, turnover, absence, etc.) and provide insights to support workforce planning and decision-making
• Own the integrity of employee records, ensuring documentation is accurate, complete and audit-ready
• Maintain and continuously improve the HR filing system and company knowledge base

Employee Relations & Absence Management

• Act as the primary People point of contact for day-to-day employee relations matters, managing performance concerns, grievances, and disciplinary processes in line with company policy
• Provide clear, compliant and practical guidance to managers, ensuring fair and consistent application of policy and employment law
• Manage statutory leave and employee absences, ensuring accurate tracking, proactive case management and appropriate escalation of risks
• Carry out welfare checks, coordinate occupational health referrals where required and conduct sensitive conversations with professionalism and empathy

Policy, Compliance & Health & Safety

• Maintain and regularly review HR policies to ensure legal compliance and alignment with best practice
• Proactively identify and address compliance risks across multiple jurisdictions
• Own and manage Health & Safety across the organisation, including risk assessments, required training and documentation
• Ensure GDPR compliance across all people processes and records

Performance & Development Support

• Support the delivery of the performance review cycle, ensuring timelines, documentation and follow-up actions are completed effectively
• Track probation periods and flag risks early to enable proactive management
• Work closely with the performance management lead to ensure consistent application of performance processes

Wellbeing, DEI & Culture Support

• Support the design and delivery of employee wellbeing initiatives across all locations
• Support the delivery and tracking of DEI initiatives and representation reporting
• Help embed inclusive practices into hiring, onboarding and policy development
• Contribute to a positive, inclusive and psychologically safe working environment