Lincoln Cornhill are delighted to be partnering with a large local authority to appoint a Head of HR Operations on a permanent contract.
Based in the Oxfordshire area with flexible hybrid working c3 days from home per week, this full-time role offers a competitive salary of £83,000 – 93,000 per annum. It represents a fantastic opportunity for an accomplished HR leader to inspire and develop high-performing teams, enhance organisational performance, and shape transformative cultural change.
This high-profile role, will lead a broad service encompassing Employee Relations, Pay & Reward, HR Policy & Insight, HR systems & third-party shared services, Recruitment and Trade Union relations. You will be responsible for ensuring your teams deliver both the strategic and operational priorities of the authority, while driving continuous improvement, business planning, and innovative change.
Core competencies include (but not limited to):
Corporate leadership
* Collaborate with senior colleagues to drive continuous improvement and deliver priorities that add real value to residents and communities.
* Shape and develop a high-performing, inclusive organisation that provides excellent services through ambitious, integrated, and innovative approaches.
* Break down barriers to empower employees, foster innovation, and co-design inclusive services with stakeholders that are efficient, effective, and resident-focused.
* Contribute to workforce planning, ensuring initiatives align with the council’s priorities and People & Culture strategy.
* Lead a team of high performing colleagues, ensuring managers create a positive and inclusive working environment that creates a culture of trust, collaboration, and ambition where all belong, thrive and perform at their best.
* Manage service budgets effectively, ensuring financial resilience.
Portfolio leadership
* Shape and implement the council’s People & Culture strategy to position the authority as an employer, partner, and place shaper of choice.
* Drive cultural change by embedding innovative, future-focused HR practices aligned to the council’s ambitions.
* Lead the development of employment relations, reducing and managing cases effectively.
* Develop forward-thinking pay & reward strategies to attract and retain key skills.
* Enhance manager self-service, ensuring HR processes are intuitive, efficient, and impactful.
* Lead Trade Union relations, building productive and collaborative partnerships on behalf of the authority.
* Oversee major HR contracts (e.g. payroll, agency worker provision, Occupational Health), ensuring strong performance and value for money.
* Ensure HR policies are legally compliant, reflect best practice, and uphold the council’s values.
* Provide high-quality, responsive HR support to leaders, managers, and employees.
* Anticipate risks, respond to challenges, and adapt strategies to ensure resilience and organisational success.
About you:
* Substantial experience of leading HR Operations within a large, complex organisation, delivering through periods of significant change and transformation.
* Strong and proven expertise in Trade Union relations, with evidence of building constructive and influential partnerships.
* A track record of creating high-performance, cost-effective cultures that deliver outstanding organisational outcomes.
* Deep knowledge of HR regulations, employment law, and best practice, with an understanding of the wider national and local government agenda, particularly in pay & reward.
Lincoln Cornhill Executive is acting as an employment agency and business in relation to this role.
At LCE we try to respond to all applications personally, however, due to the high volume of applications this is not always possible. If you have not heard back from us within 72 hours, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.