Project Lead
Posted 4 hours 50 minutes ago by Oakleaf Partnership
Project Lead - People Data & Systems
6-month fixed-term contract
Based in Central and West London - Hybrid, 2x days a week
Start ASAP - ideally before Christmas!
A fast-growing organisation operating across the UK and Europe is seeking an experienced Project Lead - People Data & Systems to take ownership of a critical transformation project within its People function.
As the business scales rapidly, people data, systems and employment documentation must evolve with it. This role leads a focused, high-impact project to rebuild the foundations: repairing historic gaps, creating consistent and reliable data standards, and ensuring employment documents reflect the organisation today - not the legacy of past growth.
Embedded within the People team, the Project Lead will work closely with senior stakeholders and People partners and will lead the project end-to-end. Supported by a Project Associate handling hands on delivery, this role is all about strategy, structure and decision making: setting standards, driving clarity and ensuring the work leaves a lasting impact.
Together, the team will deliver a single source of truth for people data and a harmonised contract landscape that gives confidence to leaders and clarity to employees.
What you'll be doing:This is a leadership role for someone who thrives on complexity, enjoys problem solving, and brings order to fragmented systems.
Leading the transformation of people data- Auditing people data held across contracts, payroll files, spreadsheets, shared drives and legacy systems.
- Building a clear picture of what exists today, where it came from, and what's missing.
- Refining the project scope and strengthening standards using professional judgement and experience.
- Identifying historic gaps, validating key fields and back dating records where appropriate.
- Establishing data standards that prevent future issues and maintain long term integrity.
- Reviewing historic contracts and employee files across multiple locations and entities.
- Identifying risks, inconsistencies and outdated practices.
- Ensuring records are complete, compliant and stored consistently.
- Providing assurance that every employee record reflects the reality of their terms.
- Mapping differences across current and legacy contracts.
- Identifying anomalies, gaps and improvement opportunities.
- Leading the development of a modern, aligned suite of employment templates.
- Supporting change planning and communication to ensure clarity and confidence across the organisation.
- You'll lead with structure and clarity, setting direction for the Project Associate and guiding delivery through strong standards and priorities.
- You'll be hands on where needed while retaining focus on the bigger picture.
- You'll collaborate widely but operate comfortably with autonomy.
- You'll handle sensitive information with professionalism and care.
- You'll bring energy, momentum and a methodical mindset to a complex environment.
- Proven experience in leading people data, systems or HR transformation projects.
- Experience with contract harmonisation and employment documentation review.
- Strong project management skills and experience working with HR systems (HiBob highly desirable).
- Familiarity with UK and European employment frameworks is a plus.
- A structured mindset, excellent attention to detail, and the confidence to make informed decisions.
- A passion for improving systems and leaving things better than you found them.
By the end of the project, the organisation will have:
- A single, accurate dataset for all employees - past and present.
- Complete and compliant employee records.
- Clear standards for how data is captured and maintained going forward.
- Harmonised employment templates with an implementation roadmap.
- Stronger compliance and a robust foundation for future growth.