Talent Partner

Interim People & Talent Partner

Here at the IOP we are looking for an Interim People & Talent Partner to support a secondment period until May 2027 to support us in our mission.

The IOP is a friendly and ambitious organisation. Inclusion and diversity are central to our work and we have a ‘work anywhere’ in the UK policy to make working at the IOP as flexible as possible. This is complemented with competitive salaries, professional development opportunities and generous benefits.

Our comprehensive benefits package including:

• An excellent pension scheme
• Private medical insurance, life assurance, health care cash plan (via salary sacrifice) eye care vouchers, annual flu vaccinations, long service awards, employee assistance programme
• Floating bank holidays (choose when to take your bank holidays throughout the year)
• Generous annual leave (25 days starting as a standard)
• Flexible working plus much more

We are seeking an experienced Recruitment and Payroll professional with a strong understanding of UK employment law, payroll legislation, statutory requirements, and HR best practice. The successful candidate will have proven experience managing end to end recruitment and payroll processes, always ensuring compliance and accuracy. A sound knowledge of HR systems, particularly iTrent, payroll administration, employee lifecycle processes, and current employment legislation is essential.

The ideal candidate will be highly organised, resilient, and dependable, with the ability to manage competing priorities within a small team. They will have experience working both independently and collaboratively, demonstrating excellent attention to detail and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

Strong interpersonal and communication skills are essential for this role, along with the ability to build effective relationships at all levels of the organisation. The postholder will be confident in providing guidance and advice on recruitment, payroll, and employee relations matters, ensuring decisions are legally compliant and aligned with organisational policies and procedures.

• Lead and sign off all payroll related activities, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and effective liaison with internal and external stakeholders
• Manage end to end recruitment activity, delivering effective attraction, selection, and onboarding processes to secure high quality candidates in a timely manner
• Coach and support managers on HR policies, processes, and employee lifecycle matters, including family leave, return to work arrangements, and complex or sensitive people issues
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of People services, including HR systems, People Team processes, EDI initiatives, and the effective management of employee and manager queries
• Line management of People Officer

• Internally, the role works across all departments as well as IOP Publishing HR and Finance
• Externally, the role works with employment lawyers, recruitment agencies, occupational health providers and EDI professionals

Ideally, your skills include:

• Sound knowledge of UK employment legislation and its practical application
• Strong recruitment and payroll experience, including end-to-end recruitment and payroll processes
• Strong understanding of HR best practice and employee lifecycle processes
• High level of professionalism, discretion, and commitment to confidentiality
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to listen, influence, negotiate, and provide advice on complex or sensitive matters
• Line manager experience
• Experience working autonomously in a busy, varied, and fast-paced environment
• Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to accuracy
• Strong line…