People Operations Lead, EMEA

M&C Saatchi Group is seeking a proactive, data-driven, and service-oriented People Operations EMEA Lead to oversee operations across Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East. This key role will be part of the Global People Operations specialist team, reporting to the Head of Global People Operations, and collaborating closely with regional leads in Asia Pacific and the Americas. The People Operations Lead will work on streamlining and optimizing people operations systems, ensuring compliance, and providing a fun and frictionless experience for managers and employees across the EMEA region.

The role will be based in London, with support for offices in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, South Africa, and the UAE. Experience working in these regions is an advantage.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

• Operational Excellence: Ensure service excellence across the employee lifecycle. Identify knowledge gaps and provide upskilling sessions for managers and the wider People team. Collaborate with the Global Employee Relations and Talent Development teams.
• Operational Audit & Projects: Collaborate with the Head of Global People Operations to audit and improve existing operations, processes, and policies across EMEA. Focus on automating processes, building scalable solutions, ensuring compliance, and creating consistent systems usage and standards. Work closely with Head of Global People Operations on the global rollout of our policy suite and then actively grow that suite as legislation and new practices are launched.
• People Operations Triage: Serve as tier 3 support for complex People Operations queries, providing assistance to the People Operations Assistants team. Identify trends in queries and proactively address knowledge gaps. Foster a strong partnership between People Operations and our People Partners that drives seamless service delivery.
• Global Employment & Mobility: Partner with a third-party vendor to manage global talent employment and transfers. Provide guidance on relocation policies, visas, and remuneration for talent outside the UK. Ensure a seamless and compliant experience for both managers and employees.
• Compliance: Review and ensure compliance with IR35 regulations. Provide education and support for managers navigating related challenges. Support the adoption of GDPR across the People team. Ensure full compliance with Right to Work documentation, sponsorship licenses, and visas. Stay updated on EMEA and US immigration laws, and educate managers and employees on related processes. Explore automation opportunities to streamline immigration procedures.
• People Data & Insight: Own the creation of accurate, insightful People management reports to aid business and People decision-making.
• Global HRIS (Workday): Act as a system champion for Workday, collaborating with the Workday Lead and Analyst to roll out functionality across EMEA. Identify training needs and support system adoption.
• Benefits Management: Ensure employee awareness and registration for relevant benefits. Collaborate with the Global Head of Reward and People team to enhance benefits offerings and improve the employee experience.
• Team Support: Provide coaching and direction to People Operations Assistants, delegating tasks and offering regular feedback to support their growth and development.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING:

This role is ideal for someone with a blend of relevant experience, strong operational knowledge, and a passion for driving improvements across People Operations. The successful candidate will possess the following skills and qualifications:

• Experience: Prior experience delivering operational excellence across complex businesses, with expertise in areas such as benefits, compliance, immigration, and global mobility.
• Project Management: Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects, from initiation to execution. Familiarity with project management tools and handling multiple concurrent projects is essential.
• Legal Knowledge: An understanding of UK employment and immigration law, with the ability to advise managers on immigration matters while minimizing bureaucracy and complexity.
• Multi-Tasking: Ability to juggle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment, ensuring both strategic focus and attention to detail in delivery.
• Stakeholder Management: Adept at building trust and influencing key stakeholders. Capable of delivering change through consultation and buy-in.
• Service-Oriented: Strong customer service focus, able to engage with employees and managers effectively while resolving queries with professionalism and care.
• Proactive & Results-Driven: A natural problem-solver who seeks opportunities to improve processes and create simple, accessible practices. Passionate about continuous improvement.
• Analytical: Skilled in data analysis, with the ability to synthesize data into actionable insights and present it clearly to different audiences.
• Excellent Communication: Exceptional communicator, able to create clear, concise reports and presentations that make complex information easy to understand.
• Team development: Motivated to inspire and direct others, delegating tasks efficiently and providing valuable feedback for team development.

WHAT YOU'LL GET

For the right candidate, we will offer a competitive salary and benefits package which includes 27 days annual holiday, private healthcare, employer contributory pension, life assurance and income protection. We also offer a host of benefits that support wellbeing including subsidized gym membership, whilst our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion sees us offer learning opportunities around DE&I, targeted mentoring programmes and the opportunity to participate in a number of active Employee Led Networks and associated events. Finally, this role will be supported with all the necessary personal development required to set someone up for success.

ABOUT M&C SAATCHI GROUP

M&C Saatchi Group is a creative company that connects specialist expertise, fuelled by data, technology, and culture, to help clients navigate, create, and lead meaningful change. The Group operates across five core divisions: Advertising, Consulting, Media, Passions and Global & Social Issues. Headquartered in London, operations span 23 countries with major hubs in the UK, Europe, US, Middle East & Africa, Asia and Australia. M&C Saatchi Group's two principles, Diversity of Thought and Brutal Simplicity of Thought, guide how they build teams and solve problems.

M&C Saatchi Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer which does not discriminate, celebrates diversity and bases all hiring and promotion decisions solely on talent and capability, without regard for any personal characteristics.

All employee information is kept confidential according to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).