Senior People Operations Administrator

Job Description

The British Council builds connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language. We work in two ways – directly with individuals to transform their lives, and with governments and partners to make a bigger difference for the longer term, creating benefit for millions of people all over the world. We help young people to gain the skills, confidence and connections they are looking for to realise their potential and to participate in strong and inclusive communities. We support them to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications. Our work in arts and culture stimulates creative expression and exchange and nurtures creative enterprise. We connect the best of the UK with the world and the best of the world with the UK. These connections lead to an understanding of each other's strengths and of the challenges and values that we share. This builds trust between people in the UK and other nations which endures even when official relations may be strained. We work on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2019-20 we connected with 80 million people directly and with 791 million overall, including online and through our broadcasts and publications.

The People Operations function will handle specific transactional work that requires a significant degree of expertise and country and/or region-specific knowledge (pay and payroll; tax; pensions; onboarding/exiting; reports; contracts). This role will carry out a range of operational tasks across the Southern Africa Cluster, ensuring that processes are adhered to effectively and efficiently, working closely with People Advisory and Shared Services teams within the HR function.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Implements a range of standardised HR operational procedures and systems to achieve specified, clearly measurable targets (volume, time and/or cost).
• Provides timely feedback on operational issues and events to more senior managers, enabling the adaptation of work plans where necessary and supporting continuous improvement in the efficiency/cost effectiveness/quality of service delivery/systems within the HR Operations function.
• Provides formal line management to the People Operations Administrator, involved in providing HR operational support to country offices across the cluster.
• Takes end-to-end accountability for researching and obtaining satisfactory and timely resolution of complex/escalated customer operational complaints and issues, coordinating input from other colleagues/departments/managers as required, to do so. Ensures the customer is kept informed throughout the process.
• Follows agreed corporate risk management processes and procedures when delivering services (e.g., child protection, security policies, HR protocols, payroll, anti-fraud measures) to always protect the interests of the BC and its customers.
• Using standard procedures and templates, regularly records, analyses and reports on HR operational activity levels and performance data, to support senior managers in making timely and effective business decisions that respond to operational needs.
• Notifying employees of their new compensation following the annual review. It may include the generation of letters/statements and the distribution of these to employees alongside their reward conversations.

Qualifications and Experience

• Degree in Human Resources or Organisational Psychology or related qualification.
• Experience working in HR and using HRIS.
• Strong systems knowledge Payroll and HRIS).
• Exceptional attention to detail.
• Good analytical skills and have experience in data analysis, statistics, or reporting.
• Strong knowledge of local labour laws, tax, and employment practices.

Desirable: