HR Lifecycle Operations

Company description

Publicis Sapient is a digital transformation partner helping established organizations get to their future, digitally enabled state, both in the way they work and the way they serve their customers. We help unlock value through a start-up mindset and modern methods, fusing strategy, consulting, and customer experience with agile engineering and problem-solving creativity. United by our core values and our purpose of helping people thrive in the brave pursuit of next, our 20,000+ people in 53 offices around the world combine experience across technology, data sciences, consulting, and customer obsession to accelerate our clients’ businesses through designing the products and services their customers truly value.

Overview

We are looking for a strategic and driven Senior Associate to join our UK People Shared Services (HR) team, which plays a pivotal role in enabling seamless people experiences across Publicis Sapient UK. This role is not just about processing people lifecycle events — it’s about owning and evolving those experiences to support the business and our people through high-impact, data-informed, and people centered operations.

Reporting to the GPC International (EMEA & APAC) People Shared Services Lead, the successful candidate will take on both operational ownership and strategic thinking across the People Shared Services team. You will act as a trusted partner to the wider People teams and business, ensuring we deliver scalable, compliant, and delightful people operations from onboarding to exit. This role has an opportunity to develop and grow into a people manager role by mentoring junior team members.

This is a full time hybrid role requiring 3 days per week in Publicis Sapient office on Turnmill Street, Farringdon.

We’re seeking someone who is not only detail-oriented and process-savvy but also passionate about identifying opportunities for simplification, automation, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and be an escalation point for lifecycle experiences across key touchpoints including onboarding, probation, parental leave, exits, sickness by ensuring accuracy, compliance, and empathy at every stage.
• Act as the subject matter expert for UK lifecycle processes, including right to work/visa compliance, payroll inputs, pre-employment checks, and sickness monitoring.
• Partner closely with HRBPs and CoE’s, providing insight-driven operational support across key talent moments and transitions.
• Lead and contribute to the UK-level and Global People Operations transformation projects, including technology rollouts in SuccessFactors, policy updates, and process automation using AI tools.
• Support policy management by maintaining, reviewing, and operationalizing HR policies and guidance documents, ensuring compliance with UK employment law and internal standards.
• Manage and interpret people data for audits, compliance, and reporting – turning raw data into insights and future improvements.
• Proactively identify and lead continuous improvement initiatives, recommending and piloting changes to enhance efficiency leading to a better people experience.
• Act as the point of contact for people within a specific business capability area for people operations across key touchpoints such as onboarding, probation, parental leave, exits, sickness.
• Potential management and/or mentorship of HR Advisors in team.

Qualifications

• 3–4 years of relevant experience in People Operations / HR in the UK context
• CIPD Level 3 qualified (or working towards it)
• Alignment with Publicis Sapient’s core values
• Demonstrated ability to own and improve people processes end-to-end
• A strategic mindset: be able to see the bigger picture while executing
• Be comfortable to deal with unambiguity and dealing with escalations
• Strong data literacy – be confident using Excel and should have the ability to convert raw data into meaningful inferences
• Hands on knowledge of SAP SuccessFactors
• Strong communication skills, with an ability to influence and engage across functions and ability to deal with senior level business stakeholders
• Experience in a global matrixed organisation is a plus
• Passion for dealing with people queries with Empathy

Additional information

• An inclusive workplace that promotes diversity and collaboration.
• Access to ongoing learning and development opportunities.
• Competitive compensation and benefits package.
• Flexibility to support work-life balance.
• Comprehensive health benefits for you and your family.
• Generous paid leave and holidays.
• Wellness program and employee assistance.