Associate Director of HR Operations (Hybrid) at University of Nottingham

Are you an experienced HR leader with a passion for driving transformation, digital innovation and service excellence?

We are looking for an Associate Director of HR Operations to join our Human Resources team and play a leading role in shaping how we deliver outstanding HR services across the university.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for an experienced HR professional who thrives on building high-performing teams, ensuring service quality and creating a people-centred HR function that truly makes a difference. Reporting to the Deputy Director of HR (Operations), you will oversee key areas including Shared Services, Flexible Staffing, Global Mobility & Immigration and HR UniCore (Oracle Fusion).

As a trusted leader, you will:

• Provide strategic direction for HR service delivery, ensuring it is digitally enabled, legally compliant and customer-focused
• Act as Product Owner for UniCore within HR, helping us optimise digital capability while keeping people and service experience at the heart of what we do
• Lead and inspire diverse teams, creating an inclusive, collaborative and high-performance culture
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders, influencing and shaping services that support the university’s strategic priorities

To succeed in this role, you will demonstrate:

• Experience of leading high-performing HR operations in a large and complex organisation
• Broad HR management skills covering strategic operations and project management 
• Leadership skills with the ability to inspire, coach and develop diverse teams
• Ability to build relationships with colleagues at every level, with effective influencing, coaching and interpersonal skills

This role is more than operational oversight, it is about creating an HR service where innovation and service excellence go hand in hand, and where people feel supported to reach their potential.

What we can offer you in return:

• A welcoming, diverse and supportive community that values people and their contributions
• Hybrid working arrangements, with a blended approach of office and home working
• A generous benefits package including 30 days’ holiday plus additional closure days, an excellent pension scheme
• Access to a wide range of staff benefits such as health and fitness facilities, travel schemes and staff discounts
• Investment in your development, with opportunities to grow your career and make a meaningful impact