People Operations Lead in Leatherhead, Surrey

KBR is a global provider of differentiated, professional services and technologies delivered across a wide government, defense and industrial base. Drawing from its rich 100-year history and culture of innovation and mission focus, KBR creates sustainable value by combining engineering, technical and scientific expertise with its full life cycle capabilities to help our clients meet their most pressing challenges today and into the future.

KBR is looking for a People Operations Lead to work in our Leatherhead offices. Responsible for leading the People Operations function, delivering exceptional customer service and operational excellence across the employee lifecycle. The role is accountable for service delivery, people leadership, continuous improvement, data governance, and the development of a forward-looking People Operations strategy that enhances employee experience, drives organisational effectiveness, and supports business growth.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership, direction, coaching, and guidance to the People Operations team, fostering a high performance, customer focused culture.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives and develop team capability to ensure the delivery of efficient, high quality people services.
• Promote a customer first mindset, ensuring the highest standards of professionalism, accuracy, and service excellence.
• Develop and implement the People Operations strategy and roadmap, ensuring alignment with business objectives and the wider People function strategy.
• Partner with senior People leaders to identify opportunities to enhance employee experience, operational effectiveness, and service delivery.
• Lead the continuous transformation of People Operations through process optimisation, automation, digitalisation, and adoption of best practice.
• Drive a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, challenging existing ways of working and implementing sustainable solutions.
• Lead operational readiness activities for organisational changes, acquisitions, restructures, and business growth initiatives.
• Develop and monitor the People Operations governance framework, ensuring services remain scalable, compliant, and fit for future business needs.
• Influence the future development of Workday, self-service capabilities, and HR technology solutions to maximise efficiency and employee engagement.
• Represent People Operations in cross-functional projects and senior leadership forums, ensuring operational impacts, risks, and opportunities are understood and managed.
• Establish and maintain a framework of KPIs, SLAs, and operational performance measures to drive accountability, service excellence, and informed decision-making.
• Build strong stakeholder relationships across the business to ensure People Operations is recognised as a trusted advisor and value adding function.
• Lead workforce and succession planning activities within the team, ensuring the development of capability, resilience and future leadership talent.

People Services

• Lead the delivery of core people processes across the employee lifecycle, ensuring service levels, KPIs, and SLAs are consistently achieved.
• Partner closely with People Partners and business stakeholders to deliver a seamless and high-quality employee experience.
• Drive process standardisation, simplification, and continuous improvement through regular review of policies, procedures, and service delivery models.
• Manage team capacity and workload, reprioritising resources during peak periods to ensure service continuity and delivery against deadlines.
• Act as an escalation point for complex employee and manager queries, providing guidance and resolution on people process matters.
• Provide subject matter expertise across employee lifecycle processes, identifying root causes of issues and implementing sustainable solutions.
• Champion the adoption and optimisation of Workday and employee self-service capabilities, supporting the implementation of new functionality and process enhancements.
• Deliver training, support, and guidance on Workday and core people processes to managers, employees, and internal stakeholders.
• Support business and system change initiatives through requirements gathering, testing, change management, and implementation activities.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders, including Finance, Legal, People Partners, Payroll, and external suppliers.

Employee Data & Reporting

• Oversee employee data management activities, ensuring the highest standards of data quality, integrity, confidentiality, and GDPR compliance.
• Conduct regular data audits and implement corrective actions to address data quality issues and strengthen governance controls.
• Work in partnership with the People Analytics team to support the production of people metrics, reporting, and workforce insights.

Governance and Compliance

• Ensure adherence to company policies, regulatory requirements, and data protection legislation through robust process controls and governance.
• Support the development, review, and maintenance of people policies, procedures, and operational documentation.
• Contribute to organisational change programmes and initiatives aimed at enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of People Operations services.

Experience Requirements

• Proven experience leading a People Operations, HR Shared Services, or People Services function.
• Strong understanding of HR processes across the employee lifecycle and associated employment legislation.
• Experience of delivering service excellence through SLAs, KPIs, operational reporting, and continuous improvement frameworks.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and develop teams whilst balancing multiple priorities and stakeholder expectations.
• Strong HR systems knowledge, preferably Workday, with experience supporting system enhancements and process optimisation.
• Experience producing, interpreting, and presenting people data, metrics, and analytics.
• Strong problem solving, decision making, and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent communication, relationship building, and customer service skills.

Desirable

• Experience working within a global or matrix organisation.
• Experience leading change, transformation, or system implementation projects.
• Knowledge of HR governance, audit, and compliance requirements within a regulated environment.

Knowledge, Skills and Qualifications

• CIPD Human Resources Management (Ideally Level 5 or 7) preferred or equivalent experience.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Self-motivated, credible People professional with associated Leadership behaviours.
• Strong leadership experience in a People managerial role (or equivalent).
• Understanding of UK employment law, compliance and the GDPR data protection.
• Understanding of security clearances and associated process (BPSS, SC, DV) (Desirable)

Behaviours / Personal Qualities

• Builds and maintains strong, collaborative relationships across a diverse range of stakeholders.
• Creates an inclusive and supportive environment where individuals feel valued, respected, and empowered to achieve their potential.
• Encourages teamwork, knowledge sharing, and continuous development.
• Demonstrates resilience and adaptability in response to changing business priorities and operational demands.
• Embraces change and seeks opportunities to improve services, processes, and outcomes.

Communication

• Communicates clearly, confidently, and effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Adapts communication style to influence, engage, support, and challenge appropriately.
• Demonstrates active listening skills and encourages open and constructive dialogue.

Organisation & Planning

• Plans effectively, sets clear priorities, and manages resources to deliver objectives.
• Maintains a focus on quality, accuracy, and achievement of deadlines.
• Monitors progress and takes proactive action to address risks and issues.

Results Focused

• Delivers high quality outcomes that meet customer and business needs.
• Takes ownership and accountability for performance, decisions, and service delivery.
• Uses data, insight, and knowledge to inform decisions and drive improvements.

Professionalism

• Demonstrates ethical behaviour and ensures compliance with company policies, legislation, and governance requirements.
• Maintains high standards of integrity, confidentiality, and professionalism.
• Leads by example and creates a positive, high performing team culture.
• Coaches and develops others, providing clear direction, feedback, and support.
• Manages performance effectively and recognises individual and team contributions.
• Empowers colleagues to take ownership and continuously improve.

Influencing & Collaboration

• Builds credibility and trust with stakeholders across the organisation.
• Influences decisions through effective communication, evidence-based recommendations, and strong relationships.
• Works collaboratively across functions to achieve shared objectives and resolve complex issues.

Interpersonal Effectiveness

• Demonstrates emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and confidence.
• Remains approachable, respectful, and professional in all interactions.
• Values diversity of thought and fosters an inclusive working environment.

When you become part of the KBR team, your opportunities are endless. Through collaboration with our customers, we are defining tomorrow's challenges, then providing the solutions and services to overcome those challenges, always maintaining our commitment to total safety and reliability.

Working at KBR means being rewarded for your contributions. In addition to competitive benefits and professional development, our people are empowered to use all their potential, creating meaningful change for themselves and our clients.