People Operations Manager

De Montfort University is seeking an experienced People Operations Manager to provide leadership and continuity during a 12-month secondment cover period.

This is an excellent opportunity for an established HR Operations, Shared Services or People Services leader who enjoys managing teams, delivering operational excellence and improving services in a complex organisation.

Leading an experienced team of People Coordinators and an Immigration Adviser, you will be responsible for ensuring the smooth delivery of onboarding, employee lifecycle administration, contractual changes, HR system transactions and immigration operations. You will play a vital role in maintaining service quality, supporting managers and colleagues, and ensuring the University continues to deliver a responsive, customer-focused and compliant people service.

What you'll be doing

You will:

• Lead, coach and develop a well-established People Operations team.
• Create a high-performing culture built on accountability, collaboration and excellent customer service.
• Oversee operational delivery across onboarding, employee lifecycle processes and HR administration.
• Ensure work is prioritised effectively and service standards, KPIs and deadlines are consistently achieved.
• Manage team performance, capacity planning and service resilience.
• Use operational data and management information to identify trends, risks and opportunities for improvement.
• Drive continuous improvement of processes, controls and employee experience.
• Oversee immigration operations and support the University's UKVI sponsor license responsibilities.
• Build strong relationships with managers and stakeholders across the University. Support wider People Services priorities and act as deputy to the Head of People Services Operations when required.

About you

We're looking for a confident and experienced people manager with a strong track record of leading operational HR or People Services teams.

You will bring:

• Significant leadership experience within HR Operations, People Services or Shared Services.
• Experience managing teams responsible for onboarding, employee lifecycle administration and HR systems.
• A proven ability to lead, motivate and develop colleagues.
• Experience managing service delivery, workloads, service standards and operational performance.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• A continuous improvement mindset and a passion for delivering excellent customer service.
• Experience working within a large, complex organisation.
• The confidence to manage competing priorities and resolve operational challenges effectively.

Experience of UKVI sponsorship and immigration processes would be advantageous, although candidates with strong HR operations leadership experience are encouraged to apply.

To view the job description and person specification, please click here

Full-time/Part-time: Full-time

Employee Weekly Hours: 37.00

Minimum Salary: 44,746.00 GBP

Maximum Salary: 56,535.00 GBP

Please apply using the link below, which will redirect you to our careers site. You’ll need to complete the application form and submit a covering statement.

Applications close on 18 October 2026.