Head of People Technology & Digital Excellence in London

Job Description
Job Type: Permanent
Location: Hybrid, aligned to one of our core locations of London, Birmingham or Edinburgh
Flexible working: All roles are open to part-time, job-share and other types of flexibility. We will discuss what is important to you and balancing this with business requirements during the recruitment process. You can read more about flexible working here.
Salary & Benefits: £120,000-£140,000 DOE with an indicative bonus range of 30% -60%
private medical
38 days annual leave
excellent pension
12x salary life assurance
career breaks
income protection
3x volunteering days
much more.
Closing Date: 03/11/2027
To make things easier, you might want to save this advert now, it won’t be accessible after the closing date.
Who are we?
We’re Standard Life, a retirement specialist focused entirely on retirement savings and income. We champion the belief that everyone’s journey to and through retirement can be better, and for more than 200 years, we’ve been helping our customers plan and prepare for their financial futures.
Life today is increasingly complicated, uncertain and unpredictable. People move through different careers, face unexpected moments and navigate important choices. We offer our colleagues flexibility, trust and benefits that work for whatever life brings. In return we expect curiosity, connection, accountability and high standards. We make room for what matters - so you can bring your best, every day.
The role
The successful candidate will help shape and lead delivery of a multi-year People Technology and AI strategy, transforming how HR services are designed, delivered and experienced across the organisation. Leading the People Technology team, the role will ensure investment in platforms, products, data, automation and AI improves colleague experience and delivers measurable business value.
Working in partnership with the Head of People Technology, Digital, Analytics & Change, the role owns the integrated People Technology roadmap, delivery plans, operating model, investment portfolio, ecosystem and governance. Oracle HCM is the core system of record, but this is a broad enterprise technology role requiring experience across best-of-breed People technologies, Microsoft and AI-enabled tooling.
The role will translate strategy into executable plans through a product and platform operating model, balancing colleague experience and business outcomes with affordability, architecture, resilience, regulatory requirements and long-term sustainability.
Success will be reflected in a more tech-first People Function, increased automation, improved colleague and manager experiences, and a future-ready People Technology ecosystem aligned to business strategy.
Key Responsibilities:
Partner with the Head of People Technology, Digital, Analytics & Change to shape People Technology and Digital strategy, bringing market insight and a clear view of opportunity, risk and feasibility.
Own the multi-year roadmap and delivery plans across Oracle HCM, best-of-breed People technologies, AI, automation, data and integrations.
Ensure colleague experience and measurable business outcomes are at the heart of technology investment and delivery
Lead the product and platform operating model, creating clear accountabilities and effective ways of working across People, IT, Data, Cyber, Risk, Procurement and strategic partners.
Govern the People Function’s AI, automation, digital demand and investment portfolio, including prioritisation and strategic trade-offs.
Partner with People Operations and COEs to ensure technology investment is underpinned by process simplification, trusted data, effective knowledge management, business ownership and adoption.
Work closely with Group IT, AI and Digital teams on enterprise roadmaps, architecture, funding, support and third-party management.
Own strategic vendor relationships, driving service, innovation, resilience, knowledge