People Operations Lead - EMEA

Role Overview:

This London-based role covers London, Dublin, Zurich, Paris, Amsterdam, Hamburg and Dubai and reports to the Head of People Operations & Employee Relations - EMEA. As part of a lean regional team, the People Operations Lead will own high-quality delivery of core HR operations across EMEA, balancing operational execution, regulatory discipline, vendor oversight, data integrity and a consistently strong employee experience across the employee lifecycle.

Responsibilities: People Operations Leadership

• Lead day-to-day delivery of People Operations across onboarding, employee changes, mobility, payroll inputs, benefits administration, employee records and offboarding for EMEA.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex employee queries, process exceptions and time-sensitive operational issues, applying sound judgement and confidentiality.
• Set clear service standards, controls, documentation practices and operating procedures to ensure work is accurate, consistent, timely and audit-ready.
• Partner with HR leadership, HR Business Partners, Recruitment, Compensation, Benefits, Payroll, Legal, Compliance, Finance, IT and external vendors to deliver joined-up regional support.
• Lead HR elements of projects - for example, opening in new locations.

Employee Lifecycle

• Global Mobility - Drive international relocations and assignments, coordinating with employees, internal stakeholders and external vendors to ensure a smooth and compliant experience.
• Onboarding - Manage HR onboarding for EMEA new hires, including background screening, orientation, documentation, right-to-work requirements and HR aspects of the SMCR Certification process.
• Employee Changes - Oversee lifecycle changes including transfers, manager changes, promotions, contract amendments, leave events and employee data updates across systems and payroll inputs.
• Offboarding - Manage voluntary leaver processes, including exit paperwork, exit interviews, system updates and accurate final payroll and benefits inputs.

Recruitment

• Partner with Recruiting and hiring managers to support a seamless candidate-to-employee transition, with timely documentation, approvals and onboarding handover.
• Understand the Remuneration Code for the UK and relevant European locations, helping navigate unique offer structures, role-specific considerations and candidate requirements.

Compensation and Benefits

• Partner with the US-based global Compensation team on compensation-related processes, issues and employee changes.
• Ensure local regulatory remuneration guidelines are considered and applied when reviewing unique offer packages or employee changes.
• Partner with the US-based Benefits team and local providers on employee benefit issues, renewals, communications and escalations.

Data and Risk Management

• Produce and analyse monthly KRI reports for EMEA Operating Committees, identifying trends, risks, exceptions and follow-up actions.
• Maintain accurate HR systems and employee files, ensuring documentation is complete, appropriately filed and aligned with data protection and internal control requirements.
• Support audits, regulatory requests and internal reviews by providing reliable data, documentation and process evidence.

Continuous Improvement

• Promote a culture of continuous improvement and constructive challenge across People Operations processes, workflows, templates and employee touchpoints.
• Leverage industry best practice and internal feedback to simplify processes, reduce manual effort, strengthen controls and improve the employee experience.
• Hold vendors to account through clear expectations, service review, issue resolution and performance management.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree strongly preferred.
• 9+ years of relevant HR experience, ideally in HR Service Delivery, People Operations or HR Operations within Financial Services.
• Experience with regulatory regimes, including SMCR and remuneration requirements, strongly preferred.
• International exposure and relevant experience supporting EMEA locations preferred.
• Strong HR systems capability; Workday experience a plus.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Excel, with strong data accuracy and reporting discipline.
• Experience working in a fast-paced, results-oriented and highly confidential environment.

Preferred:

• Solid track record in a similar position; likely currently operating in an HR Service Delivery, People Operations or HR Operations role in Financial Services and ready to step into a lead role.
• Ambitious self-starter with the ability to work independently in a dynamic, demanding environment while maintaining excellent judgement and follow-through.
• Highly organised, detail-oriented and intellectually curious, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and simultaneous projects with minimal supervision.
• Highest ethical standards and demonstrated ability to handle proprietary, sensitive, and confidential information appropriately.
• Proactive team player who builds strong relationships, contributes beyond core responsibilities and seeks practical ways to add value to the team and the firm.