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Language View profile Employee Login Job Description Senior People Services Hub Operations Manager Apply now Advert Reference Number: 875 Job Location: Milton Keynes Department: People Operations Salary: £59,139 to £66,537 Closing Date: 20 July 2025 Weekly Working Hours: 37 Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract Fixed Term Contract: End Date: 31 July 2026 Welsh Language: Not Applicable Job Description:
About the Role
You will be responsible for the oversight and effective delivery of operational HR services across the employee lifecycle — from recruitment administration through to retirement and exit. Reporting to the Director of the People Services Hub, the Senior People Services Hub Operations Manager plays a pivotal role within the Leadership Team.
Leading a team of experienced managers across Recruitment Operations, Tier 1 Advisory, and Tier 2 Advisory, the role will ensure high-quality, efficient, and consistent service delivery that meets both University and People Services priorities and supports an excellent employee and manager experience.
This is a senior operational role requiring a dynamic and experienced leader who can drive performance, lead through change, and embed a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration. Working closely with colleagues across People Services, Digital Services, and the wider University to ensure that the People Services Hub remains responsive, compliant, and aligned to evolving organisational needs.
Key Responsibilities
The main themes are:
Leadership & Strategic Delivery
* Lead HR operations across recruitment and advisory teams.
* Translate university goals into actionable HR plans.
* Serve as a senior escalation point for operational issues.
* Foster a culture of accountability, performance, and customer focus.
Service Transformation & Change
* Drive service redesign and transformation initiatives.
* Enhance HR systems (e.g., SAP SuccessFactors, AI tools).
* Promote innovation using feedback and industry benchmarks.
Governance, Compliance & Risk
* Ensure compliance with employment law, GDPR, and internal controls.
* Maintain data integrity and manage operational risks.
Performance Management & Insight
* Develop KPIs and metrics to track HR service performance.
* Use stakeholder feedback to improve service delivery and user experience.
People & Stakeholder Management
* Lead and develop Operations Managers and their teams.
* Build collaborative relationships across university departments.
External Provider Oversight
* Manage outsourced services (e.g., Occupational Health, EAP).
* Ensure service quality and alignment with staff wellbeing needs.
Please see the full Job Description here: Job Description for a complete list of key responsibilities.
Skills and Experience
You will bring extensive experience in leading large-scale People Operations or HR Shared Services functions, with a proven track record of delivering high-quality, efficient, and user-focused services across the employee lifecycle.
They will be a credible and inspirational operational leader, skilled at building engaged, high-performing teams and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and service excellence. With strong experience in driving change and operational transformation, you will bring the confidence and capability to lead teams through complexity, whilst maintaining service continuity and quality.
A highly effective communicator and collaborator, you will demonstrate the ability to build strong, trusted relationships across functions, levels and disciplines. Comfortable operating at pace, managing competing priorities, and influencing stakeholders to align around shared goals.
Combining a people-first mindset with a strong grasp of systems, data and governance, and be confident in using insight to drive performance, innovation, and compliance within a complex organisational context.
Demonstrates behaviours aligned with the OU's values: Inclusive, Innovative and Responsive.
Desirable
Experience in Higher Education or public sector environment
Essential Requirements
Flexible working:We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you.
Work location:It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where you can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Milton Keynes office it is expected that some attendance in the office will be required when necessary and in response to business needs. We’d expect this to be approximately twice per month in line with team on site presence.
How to apply: To apply for this role please submit your CV clearly outlining how you meet the skills and experience required for the role.
Early closing date:We may close this job advert earlier than the published closing date where a satisfactory number of applications are received. We would therefore encourage early applications.
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Contact us
If you have any queries or questions about the recruitment process, or regarding your application,please contact:Careers@open.ac.uk .
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