Reporting to the Global Head of People Services you will help run and continuously evolve our global People shared services model, ensuring scalable, compliant, and people-centric operations across regions.
This role goes beyond operational execution. You will act as a programme manager and change agent, strengthening global People service delivery through structured initiatives, process redesign, technology enablement, working in close partnership with regional & global People teams. A key focus will be balancing operational excellence with transformation, project delivery, and service maturity.
The People Team is building its capability and creating capacity to become a strategic and integrated Business Partner for the organization. Establishing a strong Global People Services & Operations CoE is critical to that success. You will be a trusted partner to People Team leaders and members globally, combining global people services & HRIS technology expertise, strong employee relations awareness, and solid working knowledge of global employment legislation to enhance the manager and colleague experience while managing risk and compliance.
The right candidate is able to establish strong partnerships across the People Team and wider business, knows how to drive and manage change, delivers through high customer service orientation, and along with their strong people process experience is key to success in establishing People Services & Operations as a global CoE.
Who You Are
- A globally minded People Services & Operations professional with strong service ethic and business focus.
- Passionate about improving how the People Team supports managers & colleagues at scale.
- You are forward thinking, know what 'good' looks like in the People Services & Operations space.
- You challenge the status quo.
- Comfortable operating at both strategic, operational and transactional levels, with key strengths around hands‑on business‑oriented problem solving.
- A confident relationship builder and team player, who can relate to and influence across cultures, time zones, and organisational levels. Has cultural awareness of how to work with our Regional PBP's.
- Calm, credible, pragmatic and thoughtful, with a strong appreciation of and curiosity for the business, their needs, employment legislation and local market differences.
- A can‑do, pragmatic approach to ways of working. Thrives in a fluid environment, with an ability to prioritize and balance managing ad‑hoc vs planned activities.
- Comfortable and energised by working in a changing environment, where Global People (shared) Services & Operations as a CoE is a new concept which requires building out and maturing.
- Strong affinity with and ability to role model our Company values.
Our Core Values – We…
- Take accountability for the business – We own outcomes and deliver with integrity and urgency.
- Bring integrity into everything we do – We act ethically and protect employee data and trust.
- Make every partnership count – We collaborate openly across borders and function.
- Drive our ambition – We continuously improve, innovate, and raise the bar.
Key Outputs
- Run and evolve the global People (shared) services operating model, ensuring consistency, efficiency, and local compliance & legislative alignment across all regions.
- Act as the central point of coordination between global, regional, and local HR teams, fostering strong working relationships and shared accountability.
- Set and maintain global service standards, SLAs, and escalation frameworks, with a strong emphasis on employee experience, proactiveness, and responsiveness.
- Partner closely with regional and local PBPs to ensure People Services reflect local employment practices, cultural expectations, and legislative requirements.
Program & Project Management
- Own global HR operations programs and projects, including system enhancements, service redesign, automation initiatives, and process standardization. For example, manage the design, build, deploy and running of a new global query management system (QMS).
- Translate HR strategy into structured, measurable programs, managing timelines, stakeholders, risks, and dependencies.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives across payroll processes, people services delivery, and HR systems functionality.
- Support global or regional transformation initiatives where improved systems, data integrity, or service models are required.
People Services, Employee Experience & Relations
- Champion a high‑quality manager & colleague experience, ensuring people services are delivered with empathy, clarity, and professionalism.
- Provide guidance and operational support on people services matters that intersect with employee relations, local employment legislation, and policy interpretation (in partnership with regional HR teams).
- Ensure local People Teams are equipped to manage and resolve employee queries raised via QMS efficiently and appropriately, with clear ownership and communication.
Global HR Systems & Data Enablement
- Own the operational effectiveness of HRIS (Sage People) and QMS (tbc), ensuring data integrity, audit readiness, and global usability.
- Partner with HR Systems and IT to deliver automation, workflow optimisation, and system enhancements.
- Own data validation, audit reporting, and collaborate with the People Analytics Team for the development of dashboards to support decision‑making and compliance.
- Enable the wider People Team and managers through high‑quality, user‑friendly system training, documentation, and knowledge resources.
Payroll, Rewards & Vendor Management
- Partner with local People Team members, Finance, and external vendors to ensure accurate, compliant, and timely payroll reporting globally.
- Manage the administration of our global Reward & Recognition Program – owned by Reward – and ensure continuous improvements to employee experience.
Reporting, Reviews & Annual Cycles
- Ensure operational readiness and run the annual performance and pay review process, including reporting – in close collaboration with Reward & PBPs.
- Responsible for compliance & annual reporting.
- Audit reporting.
- Support localised reporting in regions on e.g. triple BEE, nationalisation and supporting other region governmental data reports working with local PBPs to ensure delivered in timely manner.
- Ensure seamless data flow between HR systems, internal stakeholders, and external providers.
Qualifications, skills & experience
- You have held roles designing and managing global people processes and supporting managers & employees across multiple countries or regions.
- Proven experience in global People/HR shared services, People/HR operations, efficient and consistent delivery.
- Know what strong manager & colleague experience looks like.
- You have either worked in or ideally managed the implementation of a people (shared) services model, one where People Services processes (e.g. payroll, onboarding & offboarding employee changes & employee data management, query management, cyclical people process like performance & pay reviews) are centrally managed, governed, and delivered at scale.
- You understand HR Operations management, including policy management, processes, systems (HRIS), compliance, and service delivery models.
- Track record of managing global HR change projects or programs, particularly within systems, process improvement, or service transformation.
- Working knowledge of global employment legislation principles, and experience partnering with regional/local People teams on compliance and employee relations matters.
- Hands‑on experience with HR systems such as Sage People, QMS, and collaboration tools (Microsoft Teams).
- Experience managing third‑party vendors and global stakeholders.
- Strong analytical, organisational, and communication skills.
- Experience in deploying a global process within an operating environment that will continuously evolve and improve.
What we offer
- An inclusive and supportive work environment where diversity is celebrated.
- Opportunities for professional growth, learning, and career development.
- Flexible working arrangements, health insurance, and other benefits to support your wellbeing.
- A culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability.
Commitment to diversity & inclusion
We are an equal‑opportunity employer and value diversity in our workforce. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic. Equity is at the heart of all our departments and roles.
If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.
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