People Services Lead (SRE) 2 year FTC

We are recruiting for a People Services Lead to join the Southern Renewals Enterprise's People & Transformation team on a 2 year fixed term contract. The role is to drive a high-quality, data-informed and user-centric people experience across the full employee lifecycle. The role partners with HR, recruitment and operational stakeholders to design, standardise and optimise people processes, fostering strong cross-organisational collaboration, and delivering continuous improvement initiatives that support organisational performance, cultural alignment and operational excellence.

The Southern Renewals Enterprise (SRE) is accountable for the Southern Regions renewals programme (CP7 & CP8) and through collective expertise will develop, mobilise and deliver a £9 billion programme between 2024 – 2034. The Southern integrated Delivery (SID) which forms part of the SRE is a fully integrated commercial partnership between AtkinsRéalis, Network Rail, Octavius, VolkerFitzpatrick and VolkerRail and through our collective strength, capability and knowledge we will own and deliver the renewals programme. Together we achieve and share in success.

You’ll be working on:

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with all stakeholders, including HR partner leads, Recruitment partner leads, and SID line managers.
• Embed and communicate HR and people processes to support effective ways of working.
• Collaboratively create and document processes that ensure a best-in-class SID people experience.
• Act as the SID point of contact for creating streamlined and improved people processes.
• Utilise key metrics to identify trends and drive improvements.
• Be the subject matter expert and advise on HR and recruitment-related subjects.
• Conduct regular meetings with Partner HR Leads and recruitment teams to leverage expertise and enhance service delivery.
• Communicate with Partner HR leads regarding people-related issues.
• Administer governance and GDPR-compliant processes for managing people data within the SID.
• Own the People Services Plan and Handbook and update them with relevant information and changes.
• Support grievance and disciplinary cases, ensuring processes align with the policies and procedures of relevant partner organisations.
• Coordinate the timely resolution of performance issues.
• Advise on flexible working requests between SID line managers and individuals, ensuring no negative impact on the project and team.
• Maintain and develop SID organisation charts.
• Maintain the SID People Database (TSS), updating it with information on new starters, leavers, and any relevant changes for individuals deployed into the SID.
• Provide line management to the SLT Administrator.
• Drive new improvement initiatives with relevant parties and deliver people related projects.
• Promote and implement HR best practices across the organisation, ensuring they align with industry standards and enhance overall performance.
• Champion a best-for-portfolio approach, ensuring that HR strategies and practices are aligned with the broader goals and objectives of the SID.

You’ll work with:

A team of highly motivated, dedicated professionals delivering projects across the SRE as well as forging close relationships with People Leads across the partner organisations. The role sits in the People & Transformation team and is part of the central function of the SRE based in Puddle Dock. The role is hybrid working with 3 days in the office at London Blackfriars each week.

You’ll receive:

We offer a competitive rewards package, including a Company Car scheme, Private Healthcare, Pension, Life Assurance cover, 25 days Annual Leave (and a day off for your birthday). You'll also have access to Hybrid working where possible, an enhanced Paternity & Maternity package and the opportunity to develop yourself personally and professionally.

About you:

• Effective Communicator. Ability to clearly convey information and collaborate among diverse teams.
• High Emotional Intelligence. Ability to understand and manage the emotions of individuals, especially during sensitive situations.
• Organised. Ability to plan, organise, and prioritise time while handling multiple tasks and conflicting deadlines.

You’ll bring:

• Demonstrable experience in engaging with a variety of stakeholders, building strong relationships through effective and clear communication, and finding a common ground.
• CIPD Qualification.
• Proven ability in resolving and mitigating disputes between two or more parties.
• Positive relationships across partner organisations are key to achieving our outcomes and our People Services Manager will need to put this at the forefront of any decision.
• Knowledge of GDPR requirements and experience in managing people data, ensuring compliance with relevant organisational policies.
• Recruitment experience with an appreciation for employment/recruitment law.
• Experience in maintaining accurate and up-to-date records in a database (desirable).
• Experience working in an alliance, joint venture, or multi-party group/organisation (desirable).

Inclusion and diversity are important to us, we are an equal opportunities employer and value difference. We want and will continue to build an inclusive environment where our people thrive. We firmly believe constantly striving to build a truly diverse workforce is what makes us a strong business and will enable us to continue to solve important problems and deliver unrivalled value to both our customers and clients. If you need any specialist support throughout your application, we will work with you where we can to support your journey with us.