HR Operations Project Specialist

Length of Assignment: 10 months

Rate: Between £500/day to £740/day (Inside IR35)

Location: City of London

Working Pattern: Hybrid (approximately 5 days onsite per fortnight)

Oakleaf Partnership is representing a diverse and collaborative global financial services organisation seeking an Interim HR Operations Specialist to support a critical HR risk and governance project across EMEA. As the organisation continues significant growth across Europe, it is approaching a size and regulatory threshold that will bring increased oversight from the European Central Bank (ECB). As a result, the business is undertaking substantial enhancement work across compliance, risk, IT, and HR to ensure readiness for ongoing regulatory monitoring and consistent governance standards across the region.

Within HR, this includes strengthening risk governance, enhancing reporting requirements (including pay transparency and workforce data disclosures), and developing more robust frameworks to measure and manage HR-related risk. This role will play a key part in ensuring HR is operationally and strategically prepared for this next phase of regulatory maturity. It is essential for this person to have previous Banking/Financial Services experience.

This position offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced HR risk and governance professional to contribute to meaningful organisational change while working closely with senior stakeholders in a highly regarded financial services environment.

• The successful candidate will support a range of deliverables within an HR risk and governance sub-workstream, taking ownership for defining deliverable scope, agreeing outputs with stakeholders, and driving progress across multiple priorities.
• The role focuses on strengthening HR risk frameworks in preparation for enhanced regulatory scrutiny, including identifying and documenting HR risk data and systems, clarifying data rationale and integrity controls, and establishing clear governance standards.
• You will document and refine Key Risk Indicators (KRIs), including calculation methodologies, supporting rationale, and review controls, while helping define HR risk appetite measures covering areas such as workforce turnover, diversity in recruitment and senior leadership, working time governance, and broader workforce risk considerations.
• The role will involve reviewing current HR risk thresholds, proposing improvements, and facilitating stakeholder agreement to ensure consistent and measurable risk management practices.
• Working closely with Risk and Compliance teams, you will help embed the Bank-wide Three Lines of Defence (3LOD) framework within HR, documenting governance structures such as escalation protocols, ownership matrices, and hierarchy models.
• You will also contribute to reputational risk framework development across EMEA, supporting documentation, assessment methodologies, stress testing scenarios, dashboards, and reporting outputs.
• In addition, the role will review existing EMEA working time policies, identify areas for improvement, and recommend clearer governance and accountability structures.
• You will support alignment between regional transformation programmes and HR strategy, enhancing documentation to demonstrate how HR services, objectives, and risk management activities support broader organisational and regulatory goals.
• This role requires a hands‑on approach - reviewing deliverables, improving processes, and ensuring practical implementation rather than purely advisory input.

• HR Risk & Governance Expertise: Demonstrated experience managing and improving HR risk processes within a complex organisation.
• Regulatory Environment Experience: Exposure to ECB or comparable regulatory frameworks highly desirable.
• Financial Services Background: Experience within banking or regulated financial services environments is essential.
• Analytical Capability: Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate risk concepts into practical HR controls and reporting.
• Delivery Focus: A proactive "doer" who can work independently, manage ambiguity, and drive outcomes.
• Stakeholder Management: Strong relationship-building skills with the ability to build trust across HR and Risk communities.
• Communication Skills: Able to translate complex risk concepts clearly for non-risk stakeholders.
• Personal Attributes: Self-starter, tenacious, proactive, and comfortable operating in evolving environments while keeping stakeholders informed.

This is a high-impact interim opportunity where securing the right individual is key. The role offers the chance to play a pivotal part in strengthening HR governance and regulatory readiness within a growing European financial services organisation.