Head of People Operations in London

Spotlight Sports Group is a global media and technology company specialising in content and data within sports betting, horse racing and fantasy sports. With over 400 employees, the group operates multiple award-winning brands, including Racing Post, Pickswise, myracing and Free Super Tips. We partner with leading operators across the betting industry to produce and build multilingual, best-in-class digital products and content to engage and educate customers.

As a key member of the People team, you will be responsible for shaping and delivering operational excellence across the full employee lifecycle while leading and developing a small, high-performing HR Operations team. You will play a central role in shaping and delivering people practices that enable organisational performance, support transformational change and maintain strong compliance with employment legislation.

Key accountabilities/responsibilities:

• Lead, develop and support a small People Operations team, creating a high-performing, collaborative and supportive environment.
• Provide clear direction, coaching and development to build capability and ensure consistent and high-quality delivery of HR services.
• Actively support and guide the team in the day-to-day delivery of HR operations, stepping in where required to ensure pace, quality, consistency and pragmatic support across the employee lifecycle.
• Use data and insight to identify the touchpoints that will improve the employee experience.
• Maintain strong oversight of operational HR processes, ensuring they are efficient and compliant, seeking out AI tools and solutions to automate and improve manual processes.
• Ensure employee data is accurately maintained within HR systems, upholding strong data governance and GDPR compliance.
• Provide expert guidance and management of complex employee relations matters and processes.
• Partner with stakeholders to navigate sensitive and high-impact people issues with confidence and sound judgement.
• Design, implement and continuously improve people policies and frameworks that support both business needs and employee experience.
• Ensure organisational compliance with employment law, proactively managing legislative change and embedding best practice across the organisation.
• Maintain robust governance across the People function, including GDPR compliance and responsible management of employee data.
• Lead and support organisational design initiatives including restructures, role scoping/design and workforce planning.
• Assess the impact of organisational changes on roles and teams, working with leaders to explore and scope options whilst ensuring fair and compliant processes.
• Provide pragmatic and commercially focused people advice to stakeholders at all levels, and embed this ethos within the team.
• Co-ordinate activities associated with a business sale process, including due diligence requirements within the data room.
• Oversee the design, delivery and continuous improvement of the benefits and wellbeing offering, ensuring it remains competitive, relevant and aligned with employee and business needs.

Requirements:

Essential:

• Proven experience operating in a senior HR role (CIPD level 7 or equivalent experience), with responsibility for leading and developing a People Operations or HR team.
• Strong expertise in complex employee relations case management, organisational change and restructuring.
• Experience of improving people policies, frameworks and operational processes.
• Deep understanding of UK employment law and HR governance.
• Experience of building and implementing performance management frameworks that support high performance.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and challenge stakeholders with confidence and credibility.
• The ability to operate effectively in fast-paced, high-accountability environments, balanced with a genuine commitment to creating a positive employee experience.
• Strong attention to detail.
• A critical thinker - can understand and deal with complex issues, anticipate potential challenges, and look beyond the immediate request to identify what further support, insight or action may be required.
• Pragmatic and solutions-focused, with the confidence to make decisions whilst operating at pace.
• Puts people before policies, applying judgement and empathy in all situations.
• Excellent problem-solving, verbal, and written communication skills.

Desirable:

• Experience working in a private equity-backed organisation.
• Experience supporting a business through a transaction or sale process, including HR due diligence and data room preparation.
• Experience of working in an organisation undergoing transformational change.

Benefits:

We offer a range of well-being initiatives, including private medical insurance, excellent parental leave, a working globally policy, mental health support, assistance programs, and social gatherings. We also provide a pension scheme and various other benefit schemes. Plus, we all get our birthdays off work and enjoy 25 days of holiday per year. We’ve also got you covered with life assurance and exclusive perks like the Star card and our Step Further Awards to recognise your dedication. For those working via the hybrid model, we’ve made commuting easier with our Season Ticket Loan and Cycle to Work Scheme. You can also take advantage of complimentary access to our Racing Post Members Club, complete with an Ultimate Membership. We believe in making a positive impact beyond the workplace, and you'll have the chance to volunteer two days per year with our charity partner.