Head of HR Operations- maternity cover (12 months)

This is an exciting opportunity for a HR leadership role where you can make a visible impact from day one. As Head of HR Operations, you’ll lead core areas across HR operations, including payroll, recruitment and office management; ensuring our people services are efficient, inclusive and aligned to organisational priorities. We’re looking for someone who combines strong technical expertise with a genuinely people‑focused approach. Someone who can bring confidence, energy and practical leadership to a fixed‑term maternity cover role; not simply maintaining what’s already in place, but identifying opportunities to improve how we work and deliver a better experience for colleagues across the organisation.

With responsibility spanning payroll, reward, HR systems and data, recruitment, and workplace operations, this is a broad and influential role with real scope to shape change and leave a lasting positive impact.

You’ll join a collaborative, forward‑thinking HR team that works closely across the organisation to deliver high‑quality, people‑centred support. Operating within a Centre of Excellence model, the team combines specialist expertise with a strong focus on partnership, continuous improvement and practical delivery. This is an environment where good ideas are welcomed, relationships matter and people are trusted to lead with autonomy and judgement. You’ll work alongside supportive colleagues who care about delivering excellent services and creating positive experiences for employees across the organisation.

What you will do

• You’ll provide strategic and operational leadership across HR Operations, payroll, recruitment and office management, ensuring services are joined up, effective and responsive to business needs.
• A key focus of this role is supporting and shaping the development of reward strategies, improving our monthly pay process, job families and broader frameworks.
• You’ll use data and insight to strengthen reporting, streamline processes, reduce manual effort and support informed decision‑making across HR and reward practices.
• You’ll also oversee office and facilities management, ensuring our workplaces remain safe, accessible and fit for purpose, with responsibility for contracts, budgets, office infrastructure and health and safety compliance.
• Alongside this, you’ll play an important role in leading, coaching and developing teams— building capability, confidence and a positive, collaborative culture.

What you could deliver in this fixed‑term period

• Improve payroll, pay and reward processes to enhance efficiency, accuracy and user experience.
• Support the development of reward strategies, including benefits, job families and broader frameworks.
• Ensure office and facilities services continue to provide safe, accessible and high‑quality working environments, while reviewing contracts for value and commercial effectiveness.
• Enhance the usability of HR systems within current capabilities, while further strengthening reporting and data quality to drive better business insight.
• Compliance, governance and HR contract management.
• Support enhancements to recruitment delivery, improving inclusion, efficiency and alignment with workforce needs.
• Coach and empower the teams you lead, building capability and leaving a lasting positive impact across the function.

What you will bring

We’re looking for an experienced HR operations leader who combines strategic thinking with hands‑on delivery and strong relationship‑building skills. You’ll bring expertise across payroll, reward, benefits and HR operations, alongside the ability to use data and insight to improve processes and influence decision‑making. You’ll be confident leading change, simplifying complexity and balancing multiple priorities in a collaborative and pragmatic way. Just as importantly, you’ll be someone who builds trust quickly, communicates well at all levels and can also work in an organised and structured way, ensuring we maintain governance and compliance. You’ll bring credibility with senior stakeholders, strong knowledge of UK employment law and HR compliance, and experience leading teams through change and development. Experience in office or facilities management, health and safety, and broader operational governance would also be valuable in this role.

Benefits

• Generous holiday (25 days + bank holidays + extra Christmas leave).
• True flexibility in how and where you work.
• Strong pension & life assurance.
• Enhanced family leave.
• Green travel perks (EV scheme, cycle to work).
• Professional development support.
• Yearly wellbeing allowance.

These are just some of the benefits we offer.

Reasonable adjustments

We want to ensure that our recruitment process is inclusive of and accessible for everyone. If you think you may need additional support or reasonable adjustments made to any part of the recruitment process, please get in touch with recruitment@est.org.uk or call reception on +44 (0)20 7222 0101. We will do our very best to support you.

Diversity and inclusion

Energy Saving Trust is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone can be themselves, with support to be their best. We strongly encourage applicants from a wide range of backgrounds and with different identities and experiences to apply for roles with Energy Saving Trust. We are a Disability Confident Committed employer and we ringfence a minimum number of interview slots for candidates who apply via the Disability Confident scheme and meet the criteria for a role.