Human Resources Operations Manager

§  Do you have significant HR generalist experience with a strong focus on employee relations?

§  Have you worked directly with trade unions, managing casework and building relationships with union reps?

§  Do you have experience line managing and developing high performing HR team members?

If so, we have the perfect opportunity for you!

Key info:

Contract: Full time, permanent position
Location: London (hybrid working – 2 days office / 3 days home)
Salary: £54,326 per annum + excellent benefits, including:

• 27 days’ annual leave, increasing with length of service, plus College closure between Christmas and New Year;
• employer pension contribution of up to 10%;
• enhanced maternity, adoption, surrogacy and paternity leave;
• 21 hours volunteering leave per year;
• 35 hours protected continuous professional development time per year;
• employee discount scheme;
• occupational health support, counselling and neurodiversity assessments;
• cycle2Work and SMARTech schemes following successful completion of probation;
• comprehensive learning and development opportunities.

The role

Our client - the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) is seeking an experienced HR Operations Manager to join its People & Culture team.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced HR professional with a strong employee relations background to take a key role in supporting a growing and forward-thinking organisation. The successful candidate will combine operational HR leadership with strategic employee relations expertise, helping to strengthen HR delivery, improve processes and support a positive employee experience across the College.

Reporting to the Executive Director of People & Culture, the HR Operations Manager will lead the HR Operations function, managing a small and highly capable team and providing expert advice and guidance to managers, senior leaders and stakeholders across RCPCH.

The HR Operations Manager will:

• lead the delivery of effective HR operational services across the College;
• build and maintain constructive relationships with RCPCH’s recognised trade union, Unite the Union, supporting formal consultations, negotiations and ongoing engagement;
• provide expert advice on complex employee relations matters, including disciplinary, grievance, bullying, harassment, performance and absence management cases;
• support managers and senior leaders with practical, legally sound advice on a broad range of people matters;
• lead improvements to HR policies, processes, systems and reporting, helping to create a simpler and more effective employee experience;
• provide leadership, coaching and development support to the HR Operations team, including the HR Advisor and HR Systems Administrator;
• use workforce information and management data to identify trends, support decision-making and improve organisational performance;
• support organisational change activity, including restructures, redundancies and role changes;
• act as Deputy Designated Safeguarding Officer, supporting the implementation of RCPCH’s safeguarding framework and providing HR advice where required;
• deputise for the Executive Director of People & Culture as appropriate.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to influence how HR services are delivered, working alongside colleagues across People & Culture to improve ways of working and support RCPCH’s strategic objectives.

About the successful candidate

RCPCH is looking for an experienced HR professional with a strong track record in employee relations, particularly within a unionised environment.

Applicants should demonstrate:

• extensive experience managing complex employee relations cases;
• proven experience working collaboratively with trade unions, including consultation, negotiation and formal hearings;
• strong knowledge of UK employment legislation and the ability to apply it pragmatically in an organisational setting;
• experience managing disciplinary, grievance, harassment, bullying, performance and absence-related matters;
• experience supporting organisational change, including restructures and redundancy processes;
• experience leading HR operations and improving HR processes;
• strong people management skills, with experience coaching and developing HR colleagues;
• experience using HR systems and workforce information to improve HR delivery.
• excellent communication, influencing and relationship-building skills;
• high levels of emotional intelligence and resilience when managing sensitive or challenging situations;
• experience supporting safeguarding practice within an organisation;
• CIPD Level 5 qualification (or equivalent HR qualification/experience).

Experience gained within healthcare, the public sector, charity, not-for-profit or another highly regulated environment would be advantageous.

About RCPCH

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) is the membership body for paediatricians and child health professionals in the UK. The College works to improve the health and wellbeing of infants, children and young people through education, training, advocacy and policy development.

The successful candidate will join a collaborative People & Culture function focused on delivering modern, effective and inclusive HR services.

Inclusion and safeguarding

RCPCH is committed to representing the communities it serves. Applications are welcomed from candidates of all backgrounds, with appointments made solely on merit.

The College particularly encourages applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates and candidates with disabilities, who are currently under-represented at this level of the organisation.

RCPCH is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults and expects all employees to share this commitment.

Interested?

For a confidential discussion about the role, please contact FJWilson Talent, RCPCH's recruitment partner, on 0203 195 3600 or email resourcingteam@fjwilson.com

Closing date:  Monday 17th August 2026 at 9:00am

Due to the high volume of applications, we are unable to respond to every applicant. However, if your application progresses to the next stage of the selection process, we will be in touch.

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The services advertised by FJWilson Talent Services are those of a recruitment agency.

We encourage applications from all sections of the community. Furthermore, qualifications and/or experience identified are indicative. We will consider applications from candidates who have comparable qualifications and/or experience for the role advertised.