Head of People

Nearform

Contract type

Ongoing

Work mode

Remote

Experience

Lead / principal · Not stated

Level inferred from job title

Job description

Head of People at Nearform, reporting to the Chief People Officer and owning the strategic People Operations agenda across multiple regions. The role focuses on building an AI-native, scalable and commercially focused People function, including operating model, data, technology, governance and senior business partnering.

At a glance

Work mode: Remote

What you'll do

Be a senior member of the People Leadership Team (PLT), contributing to the direction, strategy and leadership of the People function as a whole
Provide leadership and challenge across the wider People team, helping create a joined-up, high-performing and service-oriented function across People Operations, People Advisory, Talent Acquisition and Transformation
Act as a member of the extended leadership team for Nearform, contributing beyond the People agenda and bringing a strong organisational and commercial perspective to business decisions
Build strong relationships with senior leaders across the organisation, creating confidence in the People function as a strategic partner to the business
Own the People Operations operating model and its evolution, ensuring the way People services are structured, delivered and governed supports Nearform's strategy, scale and ways of working
Lead and develop a high-performing global People Operations service across multiple regions and time zones, working through the Operations Lead to deliver an effective employee lifecycle and high-quality service to employees and managers
Ensure People services are simple, scalable, consistent and commercially effective, with clear accountability, service standards and effective processes across the function
Lead the continuous improvement and transformation of People processes, using AI, AI agents, automation, workflow orchestration, self-service and systems integration to reduce manual activity, remove complexity and fundamentally improve how People services are delivered
Identify where AI agents can automate or augment employee and manager interaction, employee lifecycle activity, knowledge access, workflow execution and administrative processes, while retaining appropriate human judgement and controls
Ensure policies, processes and systems are designed for scalability and future AI capability, with transformation initiatives effectively embedded into business-as-usual
Own the effectiveness and evolution of the People data, technology and governance environment, ensuring it provides the infrastructure, insight and controls required for a global, data-led People function
Drive the use of AI, AI agents, automation and integrated workflows to improve data quality, reporting, decision-making and the efficiency of People processes
Develop increasingly sophisticated workforce insights and analytics, enabling leaders to make evidence-based decisions on workforce cost, capacity, retention, mobility and capability
Maintain robust governance across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring appropriate controls, documentation and oversight of employment practices, policies, data, systems and regulatory requirements
Maintain oversight of global employment compliance, audits and regulatory obligations to ensure material risks are identified, managed and escalated
Ensure the People function is due diligence ready, maintaining the data, documentation, policies, controls and evidence required to support investment, acquisition, audit, ISO certification and other external scrutiny
Act as the senior People partner to Sales, Pre-Sales, Solutions, Consulting, Strategy, Marketing and Shared Services, developing a deep understanding of their strategies, organisational needs and commercial priorities being hands on with employee relations matters as they arise - and getting ahead of them where possible
Partner with senior functional leaders on organisation design, workforce planning, leadership capability, talent, performance, retention and organisational effectiveness
Bring together the appropriate People expertise to provide integrated solutions to business challenges
Use workforce data, commercial insight and organisational expertise to challenge thinking, identify risks and opportunities, and improve business performance
Own and lead high-impact strategic People and organisational projects aligned to Nearform's business priorities, working across People Practices and with senior leaders and other functions
Lead cross-functional initiatives involving People, Finance, Technology, Legal, Delivery and other business areas where appropriate
Turn strategic priorities into clear programmes of work, establishing ownership, measures, governance and delivery plans
Ensure major initiatives move effectively from strategy and design through implementation, with the required policies, processes, systems and capabilities embedded into sustainable business-as-usual

What we're looking for

Understands how AI-native organisations operate and how AI tooling, AI agents, automation, data and integrated workflows can fundamentally change People Operations
Can distinguish between adding AI to existing processes and genuinely redesigning how work is delivered, using technology to reduce administration, improve self-service and employee experience, strengthen data and enable a more strategic function
Curious, practical and comfortable experimenting with emerging technology and turning it into scalable solutions
Combines strategic thinking with strong operational execution
Significant experience leading global People Operations, with a strong understanding of the employee lifecycle, service delivery, systems, policies, processes, data, governance and compliance
Knows what good looks like and can build simple, scalable and commercially effective operations across multiple jurisdictions, while embedding sustainable improvements
Understands that the People Team is a business function, not simply an administrative service
Comfortable working with Finance and P&L leaders and can connect People decisions to cost, revenue per head, growth, retention, workforce capacity and organisational effectiveness
Highly comfortable with People data, systems and technology and understands how good infrastructure and workforce analytics improve decision-making
Significant experience managing People governance, employment compliance and operational risk across multiple jurisdictions, including audits, regulatory scrutiny and leading due diligence processes
Experience operating across multiple countries and jurisdictions, balancing global consistency with local requirements
Understands the people and commercial dynamics of professional services or consulting, including workforce capacity, capability, utilisation, revenue, client delivery and organisational cost
Experienced People leader who can build high-performing teams and influence senior stakeholders without relying solely on formal authority
Pragmatic, collaborative and confident in challenging existing approaches when there is a better way
Experience operating in organisations undergoing significant growth, transformation or change

Nice to have

Experience preparing for investment, merger/acquisition, integration, audit/due diligence or IPO would be highly valuable

Your team

People Leadership Team (PLT)

The People function, spanning People Operations, People Advisory, Talent Acquisition and Transformation

Benefits

Annual Company Bonus - We all help Nearform to hit company goals so we all receive a share of the profits on an annual basis in line with company performance

Work Remotely and Flexibly - We have a genuine dedication to work/life balance. Our flexible working culture allows you to work around what matters - school run, no problem!

Paid Time Off Package - We offer an annual leave of 25 days plus public holidays. We also offer sick leave, marriage leave and many more

Remote Working Allowance - Every 2 years, you will have a budget of up to €1250 (equivalent in GBP) to help you set up a comfortable and productive workspace in addition to your essential equipment provided by Nearform when you join

Healthcare - It's important to always take care of your health, so we offer additional private healthcare here at Nearform

Pension & Insurances - We offer a pension match of up to 5% and Income Protection and Death in Service for peace of mind

Save

Direct apply at Nearform

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