Head of Services

Newcastle - 2 days a week on site (flexibility on days)

We’re partnering with a large and complex organisation to recruit a Head of Employee Services to lead the HR Operations function.

Altum Consulting is partnering with a large, complex organisation to appoint a
Head of Employee Services to lead the function during a significant period of transformation.

This role will report directly to the Director of Shared Services and, via dotted line, to the Chief HR Officer regarding all aspects of HR Administration, Data Management, Benefits & Occupational Health Administration, and Payroll for the UKBU. This individual will be responsible for ensuring that their teams work effectively together across the UK business, the wider HR organisation, and key stakeholders.

This role is a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) for the shared services organisation, who, in addition to leading Employee Services (HR Admin, Benefits Admin, Pension Admin, Payroll) and functions as the global process owner (GPO) for all employee services, will support, lead, guide, and develop the overall remit for the business. The remit of the SLT includes people and process at the forefront, with the following competencies: strategic vision setting, innovation/creative thinking, change management, analytics/problem solving, operational excellence, strong commercial acumen, customer orientation, fostering communication, continuous learning, and the ability to shift and change with the broader business.

As Head of Employee Services, the individual plays a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth, compliant, and efficient delivery of core employee‑related services across the business.

This role is responsible for leading and continuously improving the delivery of transactional and administrative HR services. This role ensures that services are standardised across the organisation, scalable to support growth or restructuring, compliant with legal and regulatory requirements, and customer‑focused, delivering a positive employee experience. In terms of Leadership & Governance, you will lead a team of specialists and administrators across various service areas, develop KPIs and SLAs to measure service performance, drive continuous improvement and digital transformation, collaborate with HR business partners, finance and IT, and ensure alignment with organisational goals and employee needs.

Payroll
:
Oversee accurate and timely payroll processing for all employees, ensure compliance with tax laws, HMRC regulations, and internal control, manage relationships with payroll vendors or systems (as required), lead audits and resolve discrepancies

HR Administration: Manage employee lifecycle processes (onboarding, changes, exits), maintain accurate HR data and records, ensure GDPR compliance and data integrity, support policy implementation and process automation, liaise with HR operational staff and HR leadership team

Benefits Administration: Oversee enrolment, changes, and queries related to employee benefits, liaise with Benefits Centre of Expertise, providers (e.g., healthcare, insurance), as required

Occupational Health Administration: Coordinate health surveillance, assessments, and referral, ensure compliance with health and safety regulations, support wellbeing initiatives and absence management, liaise with OH providers and internal stakeholders

Pension Administration: Manage pension scheme enrolment and contributions, ensure compliance with auto‑enrolment and pension regulation, function as a point of contact for pension queries and escalations, liaise with Pension Centre of Expertise team, providers and trustees

As GPO, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring that HR‑related…