HR Systems Manager
Location: Milton Keynes/Hybrid
Salary: £47,389 - £63,606 per annum
Hours: 37 hours per week
Contract Type: Fixed-Term (ends 31 July 2026)
About the Client
The Open University is the UK's leading institution for flexible part-time learning, committed to widening access to higher education while maintaining research excellence. As part of the People Services Hub, this role is crucial in maintaining and enhancing the HR systems that support thousands of staff and students.
The Role
As the HR Systems Manager (also known internally as People Services Hub - Systems Manager), you will lead the People Systems team to deliver high-quality, reliable support for the OU's core HR systems-particularly SAP SuccessFactors. You'll be balancing daily operational support with forward-looking projects, ensuring system upgrades, data accuracy, process improvements, and exceptional user experience.
You will:
1. Lead, manage and develop a team of Systems Co-ordinators to ensure excellent service delivery, capability building, and skills development.
2. Allocate workload, manage performance, and resource plan to meet SLAs, KPIs, and service quality targets.
3. Serve as the escalation point for complex technical queries and system issues, applying policy and system knowledge to resolve them.
4. Collaborate closely with Digital Services, external technology partners (vendors), and other stakeholders to deliver enhancements, resolve system issues, and plan & execute upgrades.
5. Lead on cyclical, business-critical processes such as bi-annual SuccessFactors upgrades, annual pay reviews, etc.
6. Drive improvements in system usability, data accuracy, reporting, and user-experience via training, system changes and enhancements.
7. Ensure all system changes follow governance, have appropriate documentation and stakeholder engagement.
What We're Looking For
Essential:
8. Prior experience managing a technical or systems team - strong leadership in allocation of work, performance management, upskilling.
9. Deep, hands-on knowledge of SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, including configuring foundation objects, workflows, associations, org structure etc.
10. Strong understanding of core HR processes and how these interface with technology (e.g. Hire ? Termination, Pay Review, Onboarding etc.).
11. Proven track record delivering annual or bi-annual business-critical system activities like system upgrades and pay updates.
12. Excellent stakeholder relationship skills, both internally (People Services, Digital Services) and externally (vendors/tech partners).
13. Strong communication, problem solving, organisation skills; able to manage competing priorities under pressure and maintain high-quality outcomes.
Desirable:
14. Experience with SuccessFactors Recruitment & Onboarding modules.
15. Working with external technology partners or managed service providers.
What's in It For You
16. The chance to make impact in a mission-led institution, helping transform lives through education.
17. Hybrid working with flexibility; role based in Milton Keynes but with remote work and approx. one per month in office attendance.
18. Exposure to large-scale HR system upgrades and strategic transformation.
19. Competitive salary and a fixed-term contract through to 31 July 2026.
20. Benefits, flexible working opportunities, and working in an inclusive environment that values diversity and support for all staff.