Operations Manager

Are you ready to lead a dynamic HR team in a mission-driven environment? Are you passionate about improving processes and delivering exceptional service within a higher education setting?


Role: People Services Hub Operations Manager
Location: Milton Keynes, with hybrid working options
Duration: Permanent
Hours: Full-time
Salary: Competitive, based on experience
Start Date: As soon as possible

About the Role

We have an exciting opportunity for a People Services Hub Operations Manager to join The Open University. This permanent role is based in Milton Keynes with hybrid working options. You will play a vital role in our People Services team, leading and managing our Tier 1 HR support and administration teams to provide high-quality, efficient service to our university colleagues.

In this role, you will lead Tier 1 people/HR support teams, ensuring responsive, high-quality service across the university. Reporting to the Senior Operations Manager, you’ll work alongside Advisory and Recruitment Operations Managers to optimize team performance, drive process efficiencies, and maintain a strong focus on compliance, service quality, and user-centric delivery.

You’ll play a crucial part in The Open University’s commitment to accessible, flexible education by ensuring smooth HR service operations that support our diverse, vibrant workforce.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and motivate Tier 1 Team Managers, fostering a highly engaged and skilled team that meets business needs.
• Oversee day-to-day HR service delivery, ensuring SLAs, KPIs, and quality standards are consistently met.
• Manage workload allocation and resource planning for efficient, effective service delivery across multiple communication channels.
• Drive process improvements by collaborating with internal teams to streamline HR systems, processes, and resources for enhanced self-service.
• Support the Senior Operations Manager in embedding a high-trust, continuous improvement culture, emphasizing operational excellence.
• Act as an escalation point for complex HR issues, applying guidelines and assessing risk to achieve desired outcomes.
• Regularly review and update Tier 1 process documentation, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Use data and performance metrics to support data-driven decision-making and optimize service delivery.
• Maintain data integrity in HR systems, adhering to GDPR and audit controls.
• Contribute to HR process and technology advancements by staying informed on emerging best practices in operational HR.

Skills and Experience

Essential:

• Demonstrated experience in managing operational teams within an HR Shared Services environment.
• Strong leadership abilities focused on team development and service excellence.
• Proven expertise in performance management, resource planning, and process optimization.
• Experience designing employee-centric processes with an emphasis on automation and self-service.
• Analytical skills with the ability to interpret performance data and identify areas for improvement.
• Flexibility and resilience in a dynamic environment, with a commitment to continuous improvement.
• A strong commitment to supporting a diverse student and staff population.

Desirable:

• Experience with SAP SuccessFactors and HR case management solutions.
• CIPD qualification (minimum level 5).

Essential Requirements
To apply, please submit your CV along with a Supporting Statement (up to 1000 words) demonstrating how you meet the essential and desirable criteria. Flexible working patterns will be considered.



About us and our client

As a flexible employee of Pertemps Recruitment Partnership Ltd, you will be joining a Company that holds the distinction of being one of the largest and most successful independent recruitment agencies in the country. Our pioneering spirit and ability to tap into the uniqueness of everyone's talents has enabled us to open doors for our employees, our clients, and our applicants too. Our philosophies and rewards are built very much on mutual trust and respect within the style of a partnership in which we hope you will feel both fulfilled and valued as a person.

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential.  We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength.  We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.