At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead HR operations, manage employee relations, and oversee payroll in a dynamic environment.
- Company: Join a premium-sector business in London with a hands-on, high-calibre team.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working options, and 25 days holiday plus bank holidays.
- Other info: Immediate start preferred; apply now for this exciting opportunity!
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a fast-paced role with direct exposure to senior leadership.
- Qualifications: Solid employment law knowledge, payroll experience, and strong analytical skills required.
The predicted salary is between 32000 - 40000 £ per year.
Experts in Luxury (EIL) is partnering with an ambitious, founder-influenced premium-sector business in London to appoint a Head of HR Operations for a 12-month fixed-term contract, covering maternity leave.
This is a genuinely high-calibre, hands-on operational leadership role — not a place-holder interim. You'll own the day-to-day running of the HR function in a lean, fast-moving, high-standards environment, with real autonomy and direct exposure to senior leadership. It's a role for someone who enjoys being the person who makes things work: bringing calm, structure, and sound judgement rather than process for its own sake.
What makes it interesting is the range. One moment you're advising on a complex employee-relations case or reviewing a payroll query; the next you're in a leadership-team conversation shaping people strategy. Reporting to the HR Director, you'll lead day-to-day HR and provide leadership to a Senior HR Advisor.
THE ROLE
- Lead day-to-day HR operations across the full employee lifecycle.
- Own employee relations and casework — disciplinaries, grievances, and performance — grounded in current UK employment law and ACAS best practice.
- Oversee payroll, working closely with providers to ensure accurate, compliant monthly processing.
- Improve HR policies, processes, and systems, and use people data to support decisions.
- Advise and coach managers and senior stakeholders, handling sensitive matters with discretion.
BE A STRONG FIT IF YOU…
- Have solid, current employment-law and ER knowledge and are comfortable running casework hands-on rather than delegating it.
- Bring genuine payroll oversight experience and are confident working with payroll providers.
- Are analytical and organised, with good Excel and people-data skills and real attention to detail.
- Have operated in a senior, hands-on HR role in a fast-paced, commercially driven environment — comfortable moving between operational detail and strategic conversation.
- Are calm, pragmatic, low-ego, and credible with demanding stakeholders.
- Are CIPD qualified (Level 7 ideal, though strong hands-on experience matters most).
- Backgrounds that translate well include standalone or lean HR roles, founder-led and entrepreneurial businesses, luxury / hospitality / premium consumer, and professional services.
If you're a strong match on most of the above, we'd encourage you to apply.
THE DETAIL
- Contract: 12-month fixed-term
- Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience (completion bonus considered)
- Working pattern: Full-time; open to four days a week or week-to-week flex by workload. Office-based in London, with informal Friday flexibility.
- Holiday: 25 days plus bank holidays
- Start: This is an urgent hire — ideally within around two to four weeks, so short-notice or immediate availability is a real advantage.
HOW TO APPLY
Apply via LinkedIn, or contact Experts in Luxury (EIL) in confidence at info@luxuryrecruit.com. Given the urgency, we're reviewing applications and speaking with candidates on a rolling basis. All applications are handled in strict confidence; the client's identity is shared with shortlisted candidates once mutual interest is established.
Experts in Luxury (EIL) is acting as an employment agency in relation to this vacancy.
Head of Human Resources Operations - 12-Month FTC (Maternity Cover) in London employer: EIL
Join a dynamic and ambitious premium-sector business in London as the Head of HR Operations, where you will have the opportunity to lead a high-calibre HR function with real autonomy and direct exposure to senior leadership. The company fosters a collaborative work culture that values hands-on operational leadership, offering competitive benefits including 25 days of holiday, flexible working patterns, and a completion bonus, all within a fast-paced environment that encourages personal and professional growth.
