People Operations Intern in London

Company Overview

Metrea delivers effects-as-a-service to national security partners across five domains and more than a dozen mission areas. These include airborne ISR, electronic warfare, secure communications, aerial refuelling, special air missions, aerial firefighting, and advanced simulation. We own the whole stack: designing, building, and operating turnkey capabilities that give our partners decisive, asymmetric advantage against rapidly evolving threats. Our operating model is built around three interlocking pillars. The Support Groups provide a global shared-service – spanning people, finance, platform, operations, legal, and engagement. This frees up our Core Groups, who develop and own mission capabilities end-to-end, to focus entirely on delivery. The Market Groups apply a regional lens, ensuring that our agile and adaptable capabilities remain aligned to the wicked problems that matter most to our partners across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific. At the heart of our model is a simple but powerful idea: be a true partner with skin in the game. Our partners need effects, not just equipment. By owning the full stack – from the lab to the field – we are able to drive a continuous cycle of innovation that keeps our partners ahead. It's a fast-moving, intellectually demanding environment where talented people are given real responsibility, work on problems that matter, and contribute to an enterprise that is growing quickly and deliberately. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with facilities across the United States, the United Kingdom, as well as Continental Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Position Summary

Metrea’s People function ensures that core employee systems, experiences, and frameworks are delivered consistently and reliably across the enterprise, enabling teams to remain focused on execution in complex, mission-critical environments. In this role, you will support the day-to-day delivery of People operations across the full employee lifecycle, providing accurate, timely, and comprehensive operational support. Your responsibilities will include maintaining employee records, contracts, and starter and leaver information; updating People systems and trackers; and responding to employee queries with professionalism and efficiency. You will also provide practical administrative support aligned with People team activities, such as collating information, producing documentation, and supporting core people processes, while handling all data with the highest level of confidentiality. This role is built for someone at the start of their People career who wants to do more than learn. You will contribute from day one. If you are highly organised, detail-oriented, and motivated by getting things right, you will find real purpose here: the quality of your work directly shapes the experience Metreans have at every stage of their journey with us. You will work at the centre of the People function, keeping critical information accurate, supporting key workflows, and maintaining the consistency that underpins a high-calibre employee experience across the enterprise. Strong communication skills and the maturity to handle sensitive information with discretion are essential. This is a role where trust matters. We will invest in your growth in return. This is a place to develop fast, take on real responsibility, and build the foundations that will define your People career.

What You'll Do

• Serve as first point of contact for routine People Operations queries across the UK and EU, escalating complex matters appropriately
• Coordinate end-to-end onboarding activity, including pre-employment checks, new starter setup, and induction scheduling
• Maintain accurate employee records across People systems, ensuring data is correctly entered and kept up to date
• Prepare standard employee documentation including employment confirmations, contract updates, and reference letters
• Support payroll processes by collating and submitting employee changes covering starters, leavers, and contractual updates
• Support benefits administration by responding to employee queries and signposting relevant information
• Maintain absence and leave records, ensuring accuracy and consistency across systems
• Assist with updating People policies, templates, and internal guidance documents
• Prepare People reports and trackers including headcount and onboarding data
• Ensure all employee data is handled securely and in line with GDPR and internal data standards
• Provide general operational support to the People team to ensure consistent, high-quality delivery
• Engage actively in your own development, taking advantage of exposure to a broad range of People disciplines and the opportunity to learn from an experienced, high-performing team

What You Bring

• Some experience in a People, operations, or coordination setting is ideal, whether through an internship, graduate role, or early career position — we welcome applications from recent graduates who are organised, tech-savvy, and eager to build a career in People
• A natural communicator who enjoys engaging with people and takes pride in being helpful, responsive, and easy to work with
• Willing to roll their sleeves up, get stuck in, and learn on the job — this role rewards those who show up fully and take initiative
• Comfortable with a high degree of in-person presence; this is a role that benefits from being in the room
• High level of discretion when handling confidential employee information
• Strong organisational skills with a consistent focus on accuracy and follow-through
• Comfortable working within structured processes and across multiple systems in a fast-paced environment
• Strong attention to detail, particularly when handling data and employee documentation
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining reliability in day-to-day work
• A basic understanding of People processes or employee lifecycle activities is helpful but not essential
• Experience with People systems or databases is a plus; familiarity with ADP Workforce Now is particularly welcome
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and collaboration tools such as Teams
• A proactive, service-oriented mindset with a genuine desire to learn and grow within People Operations

Benefits

• Subsided gym membership / plans through Wellhub
• Salary sacrificed pension scheme
• Free lunch on office days
• 30 days annual PTO plus b/h
• Personal development opportunities

Work Authorization / Security Clearance

The employee will have the legal right to work in the relevant country and will be able to produce right to work documentation.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time non-exempt position with typical working hours of Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Hours and work shifts may change in accordance with department and business needs. Exempt Employees must have the ability to be on-call and available, as business needs require. Non-Exempt employees may be required to work over 40 hours per week with approval from the department manager.

Work Environment

London, 3 days a week onsite

Travel

No travel