Senior HR Operations Specialist (12 month FTC) at Oxford… · Reading

Senior HR Operations Specialist

At OQC, we aren’t just theorising about the future; we’re building it. Born from a philosophy of bold innovation, we’ve transitioned quantum computing from an academic ambition into a commercial reality—and we’re just getting started.

The Purpose

Build and maintain the reliable, scalable and audit-ready People Operations infrastructure that supports OQC and its employees.

As our Senior HR Operations Specialist, you’ll own essential day-to-day processes across HR systems, employee data, payroll, policies and the employee lifecycle. You’ll combine operational discipline with continuous improvement, using standardisation, automation and technology to create efficient processes and a consistent employee experience.

The Role

Reporting to the Head of HR Operations, you’ll be a senior operational specialist within the People team, supporting OQC primarily in the UK while contributing to People Operations across other locations when required.

You’ll manage the integrity of our HR systems and employee data, coordinate payroll with Finance, administer employee lifecycle processes and maintain the documentation and controls required for effective governance and audit readiness. You’ll also work closely with colleagues across People, Finance, IT and Operations to ensure systems and processes operate effectively together.

This is a hands-on role for someone who can balance accurate day-to-day delivery with projects, process improvement and support for more junior People Operations colleagues. The position follows a hybrid working model with regular on-site presence and involves access to confidential employee and company information.

What You’ll Be Working On

• Own the day-to-day administration, maintenance and data integrity of OQC’s HR systems and tooling, currently including Workable, ClickUp and CharlieHR, while supporting the implementation and optimisation of HiBob.
• Coordinate end-to-end payroll operations in partnership with Finance, ensuring accurate and timely processing alongside appropriate governance and escalation controls.
• Manage onboarding, offboarding and employee lifecycle processes, including contracts, benefits administration, parental leave, salary changes, role changes and internal moves.
• Maintain accurate employee records, audit trails, governance documentation and compliance-related information, ensuring People data remains complete and reliable.
• Draft, maintain and coordinate updates to People policies, process maps and operational procedures so that documentation remains current, accessible and aligned with business needs.
• Identify operational inefficiencies and introduce improved workflows, automation and AI-enabled solutions that reduce manual administration and support future scale.
• Manage operational projects, system and tooling vendors, compliance risks and competing priorities while providing guidance, coaching and workload support to junior People Operations colleagues.

What We’re Looking For

• Experience owning or administering HR systems within a scaling or multinational organisation.
• Experience coordinating payroll processes in partnership with Finance or an external payroll provider.
• Strong experience supporting onboarding, offboarding and wider employee lifecycle administration.
• Experience maintaining accurate employee records, governance documentation, audit trails and operational controls.
• A track record of improving HR processes, systems or workflows to increase efficiency, reliability and scalability.
• Experience working within a regulated, audit-aware or compliance-focused environment.
• Strong HR systems administration, process-management and payroll-governance skills.
• Confidence analysing People data, producing reports and maintaining high standards of data accuracy and integrity.
• Experience managing operational projects or defined project workstreams against deadlines and quality standards.
• Strong stakeholder-management skills, with experience collaborating successfully across People, Finance, IT and operational teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, planning, organisation and operational decision-making skills.
• A diligent and sensitive approach to confidential information, supported by exceptional attention to detail, problem-solving ability and tenacity.

The ‘Nice-to-Haves’

• Experience supporting an HRIS implementation or migration project.
• Experience introducing workflow automation or AI-enabled improvements within People Operations.
• Experience managing HR technology providers, operational vendors or other external suppliers.
• Familiarity with HRIS optimisation, including improving workflows, reporting accuracy and the manager or employee experience.
• Experience providing day-to-day coaching and development support to junior People Operations colleagues.

Why Join OQC

You’ll join OQC at an important stage of growth, with the opportunity to help build the operational foundations that enable our people and organisation to scale effectively.

This is a chance to combine hands-on People Operations delivery with meaningful systems, process and automation work. You’ll play a central role in improving how employees and managers experience People services while helping create a more reliable, data-driven and technology-enabled function.