HR & Data Insights Lead (6 months FTC) in Manchester

Key Responsibilities

• Own and lead the organisation's People Data and Analytics strategy, ensuring people insights directly influence business performance, workforce planning, and executive decision-making.
• Act as the organisation's subject matter expert for HR data, analytics, reporting, and workforce intelligence, establishing best practice across the People function.
• Design, develop, and continuously enhance executive dashboards and self-service reporting using Power BI and other BI tools, delivering meaningful insights for the Executive Leadership Team and Board.
• Lead the governance, quality, integrity, and accuracy of all people data, ensuring consistency across HR, Finance, Payroll, and all integrated business systems, including HiBob, Teamtailor, ADP, and other enterprise platforms.
• Own the reconciliation of workforce, payroll, finance, and organisational data to provide a single, trusted source of truth across the business.
• Develop advanced workforce analytics, predictive models, and scenario planning to support organisational growth, restructuring, succession planning, talent acquisition, retention, diversity, and future workforce strategy.
• Identify emerging workforce trends, risks, and opportunities through sophisticated data analysis, translating complex information into commercially focused recommendations for senior leaders.
• Partner with the Chief People Officer, People Director, Finance Director, People Team Data Lead, and senior business leaders to shape strategic workforce decisions through evidence-based insights.
• Lead the development of enterprise-wide people KPIs, ensuring consistent reporting frameworks across all business functions.
• Drive automation and continuous improvement of HR reporting processes, reducing manual effort while increasing reporting capability and data accuracy.
• Establish and maintain robust data governance, GDPR compliance, audit readiness, and information security standards across all people data.
• Lead high-profile analytics projects supporting organisational transformation, mergers, acquisitions, restructures, and change programmes.
• Present complex workforce analytics and strategic recommendations to Executive Committees, Board members, and senior leadership teams, influencing key business decisions.
• Mentor HR colleagues and promote a data-driven culture across the organisation by improving data literacy and encouraging evidence-based decision-making.

Required Skills & Experience

• Extensive experience leading People Analytics, HR Data, or Workforce Intelligence within a complex, multi-site or international organisation.
• Demonstrable experience delivering strategic workforce insights that have influenced Executive and Board-level decisions.
• Advanced expertise in Power BI, SQL, Excel, and modern data visualisation techniques, with experience automating reporting and developing scalable analytics solutions.
• Strong knowledge of HRIS platforms, preferably HiBob, alongside integrated systems such as Teamtailor, ADP, payroll, finance, and enterprise reporting environments.
• Deep understanding of workforce planning, organisational design, talent analytics, diversity metrics, compensation data, and employee lifecycle reporting.
• Proven experience establishing data governance frameworks, maintaining data integrity, and ensuring GDPR compliance.
• Excellent commercial acumen with the ability to translate complex analytical findings into practical business recommendations.
• Outstanding stakeholder management skills with experience influencing senior executives, Board members, and cross-functional leadership teams.
• Experience leading enterprise-wide analytics initiatives, process improvements, and digital transformation programmes.
• Strong project leadership skills with the ability to manage multiple strategic priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Desirable

• Experience implementing or optimising HRIS and analytics platforms.
• Knowledge of predictive analytics, machine learning, or AI applications within People Analytics.
• Experience working with cloud-based data platforms and enterprise data warehouses.
• Professional qualifications in HR, Data Analytics, Business Intelligence, or Project Management.

Success Measures

• A trusted, organisation-wide single source of truth for all people data.
• Executive and Board reporting delivered accurately, on time, and with actionable commercial insight.
• Automated reporting processes that significantly reduce manual effort and improve decision-making.
• High-quality workforce forecasting supporting business growth and strategic planning.
• Robust governance and compliance ensuring confidence in all people data and reporting.