Team Leader- HR Operations in Stone

Location: Stone, Staffordshire; Hybrid working, 2 days a week in our Stone Office.

Status: Permanent

Package: Competitive Salary, Flexible Working, Development & Opportunity (Personal & Technical), Private Medical (Optical & Dental options), Matching Contributory Pension, 25 Days Leave + Public Holidays + Buy and Sell Scheme, Life Insurance, Referral Scheme, Employee Assistance Program, Benefits Hub.

Who’s Instem? Well, we’re a global provider of bespoke industry‑leading software solutions and services, which facilitate the pre‑clinical, and clinical phases of the drug discovery process. We have over fifteen products in our portfolio, used by over 700 pharmaceutical clients (including all the top 25!).

What’s the culture/environment like? For a global business of over 400 staff, we very much have a family feel. You’ll be part of a friendly, communal, solution based, flexible environment, where you’ll feel empowered, valued and accountable. We’ll invest in you as a person and encourage you to take part in companywide workshops for wellbeing, mental health, critical conversations, and strengths.

The Team Lead, HR Operations is responsible for overseeing global HR operational processes, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and exceptional service delivery across all regions. This role leads a geographically dispersed HR Operations team, drives process improvements, and partners closely with HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, Payroll, Finance, and IS to deliver a seamless employee experience. The leader in this role balances operational excellence with people leadership, continuously enhancing HR scalability and efficiency. In addition, this role will be the primary point of contact for the day-to‑day HR operations in the UK and European countries.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a global HR Ops team; ensure consistent, high quality service delivery.
• Manage end to end HR lifecycle processes (on/offboarding, job changes, promotions, separations).
• Maintain HRIS data accuracy; partner with Payroll to ensure clean monthly data transfer.
• Ensure global compliance with employment laws and internal controls, with particular depth in UK employment law (e.g., employee relations, leave, and working time requirements, employee lifecycle).
• Identify and implement workflow improvements and automation.
• Develop and maintain SOPs for global HR processes.
• Track and analyze HR service delivery metrics.
• Serve as escalation point for complex/sensitive HR issues.
• Collaborate with HRBPs, TA, Finance, Legal, and IT to resolve issues.
• Guide managers/employees on processes and policy interpretation.
• Maintain data integrity and audit readiness: Prepare headcount, turnover, leave, and compliance reporting. Ensure documentation meets global regulatory standards.

Skills, Knowledge, Experience

• Strong HR Operations or shared services background; experience leading multi region teams.
• Deep knowledge of HR lifecycle workflows and high volume environments.
• HRIS proficiency; strong Excel/reporting skills.
• Experience with SOP creation, process documentation, and compliance fundamentals.
• Progressive HR Operations experience in the UK, with preferred experience in other European countries such as France and Romania.
• Preferred: Experience with global HR Ops models, HR tech implementation, or scaling/transformation environments.

An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.