Deputy Director, Head of HR Operations

Job summary

HR Operations is central to the employee life cycle. The team delivers all core, end-to-end HR services – from recruitment operations and onboarding to HR systems, employee data, analytics and global mobility. We are the one stop shop for queries and keep the organisation moving: running reliable processes, improving service quality, acting as the transformation engine through the championing of automation, consistency and continuous improvement and seamless delivery.

The Deputy Director, Head of HR Operations provides senior leadership and strategic direction for all core operational HR services. They are the custodian of digital and human products, ensuring they are efficient, accessible, compliant and supportive of an excellent employee experience. This role leads the operational heart of the HR function, spanning recruitment operations, HR systems, employee data, people analytics, payroll interface, learning delivery operations, onboarding and offboarding, employment transactions, and casework coordination.

The successful candidate will lead the future of the organisation’s HR service delivery model, ruthlessly transforming human and digital experiences – modernising processes, enhancing digital capability, and embedding a culture of continuous improvement across all services. They will make sure that HR Operations moves from being process-led to being purpose- and experience-led: simplifying work, reducing handoffs, and designing services that are clear, reliable and accessible to colleagues at all levels.

A key responsibility of this role is providing strong governance, assurance and risk oversight across all HR operations. You will translate frameworks and policies (in close collaboration with the Strategy & Policy team) into operational reality and lead improvements that strengthen control, reduce risk and enhance service reliability. You will also work closely with cross-government HR networks to share good practice and contribute to wider HR service improvement initiatives.

You will work closely with the Chief People Officer, HR leadership team and Technology partners to accelerate the organisation’s digital journey, taking inspiration and guidance from broader government and wider industry leading-practice – supporting automation, improving system usability, and enabling HR Operations to deliver services efficiently at scale. You will provide confident leadership to operational teams, ensuring they are well-supported, capable, and empowered to deliver an excellent service.

This role demands a senior leader who can balance operational discipline with innovation; who can mitigate risk while promoting improvement; and who can create a modern operational environment that enables the organisation’s wider workforce goals and strategic ambitions.

Job description

The Deputy Director, Head of HR Operations will be responsible for:

• Provide senior leadership for all core HR operational services, in particular for recruitment operations and employee lifecycle transactions, and also encompassing HR systems, data, analytics, payroll interface and learning delivery operations, ensuring services are reliable, compliant, scalable and designed around user needs, with clear standards, SLAs and performance measures.
• Lead the redesign and continuous improvement of HR services through automation, digitisation, workflow simplification and self-service, shifting HR Operations from process-led to experience- and outcome-led delivery, reducing cost, hand-offs and complexity.
• Act as senior custodian for HR systems and people data, ensuring data quality, governance and security, and using analytics and insight to inform operational decisions, workforce planning and organisational performance.
• Translate HR policy, legal and regulatory frameworks into effective operational practice, maintaining strong controls, consistent decision-making and proportionate risk management across high-volume environments and complex casework.
• Lead, motivate and develop senior managers and large multidisciplinary teams, embedding a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, inclusion and customer focus, and ensuring teams are equipped to deliver at pace and scale.
• Work in close partnership with Technology, Digital, Finance, Commercial, Security and Estates colleagues, and represent FCDO in cross-government HR and shared services forums, contributing to wider service improvement and best-practice adoption.

Person specification

Working at the FCDO will be the most challenging and rewarding time of your career. We want to be the best diplomatic and development ministry in the world, with jobs that are the envy of Whitehall and the rest of the world. We aim to recruit and retain the best people; those who are delivery focused and have a strong track record in high impact outcomes.

The Civil Service is open to talented people from any career background; we will always seek to identify transferable skills from the individual’s experience. The Essential Criteria to succeed in this role and be selected are:

• Demonstrable experience leading a large, complex operations or shared services function (e.g. multi-disciplinary teams, high transaction volumes, or dispersed workforce), with accountability for service quality, performance and delivery outcomes.
• Proven track record of designing and delivering operational transformation, including automation, process re-engineering or digital enablement, with evidence of measurable improvements in efficiency, cost, quality or user experience.
• Significant experience overseeing enterprise HR systems and people data, including data governance, reporting and analytics, and using insight to drive operational decisions and organisational improvement.
• Proven ability to manage risk, assurance and compliance in high-volume or regulated environments, ensuring consistency, legal and policy adherence, and effective mitigation of operational and reputational risk.
• Experience leading and developing senior leaders and large teams, creating high-performance cultures characterised by accountability, inclusion, resilience and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and partner at senior level across organisational boundaries (e.g. Technology, Finance, Commercial or external bodies), shaping outcomes in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.

Desirable

• Experience in managing HR operations within a global or multi-national organisation.
• A relevant professional qualification in HR, project management, or operations management.

The Desirable Criteria will be used in the event of any tied candidates at interview.

It is important that your application provides evidence and examples that meet these criteria. A deep technical knowledge of foreign policy and wider Government priorities is not critical; however, an interest and an aptitude for learning will be expected.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office contributes £23,465 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with the Department and wider Civil Service. It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead. You’ll benefit from a wide range of training and development opportunities, regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.

This includes:

• 25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service. This is in addition to 9 public and privilege holidays per year;
• A competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension; where your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken; and where your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire;
• Generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers;
• Interest-free loans allowing you to spread the cost of an annual travel season ticket or a new bicycle;
• The opportunity to use onsite facilities including fitness centres and staff canteens (where applicable); and
• Occupational sick pay.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

How to apply

You must be a British Citizen at the point of application.

The recruitment process is being undertaken by Gatenby Sanderson on behalf of the FCDO. Please submit your full application to GatenbySanderson using this link: www.gatenbysanderson.com/job/GSe131340 by 17:00 on Friday 12th June 2026. All applications will be acknowledged and considered by the selection panel.

Your submission should include:

• A CV setting out your educational and professional qualifications and full employment history, including an explanation of any gaps in your employment history.
• A Statement of Suitability (no longer than two pages) explaining your personal skills, qualities, abilities and experience relevant to the requirements of the job in support of your application with particular reference to the Essential Criteria in the Person Specification. It should also describe your vision for the job and how you would propose to approach this if appointed.
• A completed Diversity Questionnaire. The FCDO is committed to equal opportunities. Our officers are recruited on merit, through fair and open competition. We seek our strength through diversity and appoint suitably qualified individuals regardless of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, social backgrounds, age or disability. To help us ensure that our recruitment activity reflects the diversity of British society, we would be grateful if you could complete the diversity monitoring form. As part of the application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say'. All monitoring data will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be provided to the selection panel. The information you provide when submitting your application will help us monitor our progress towards the Civil Service becoming the most inclusive employer. See the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for more information. All data is reported in an anonymous and aggregate format and will not be seen by anyone assessing your application.
• A Declaration of Interest form (Hard copy available upon request).

If you wish to speak to a member of the team before submitting an application, please contact Russell Brandon at Gatenby Sanderson on russell.brandon@gatenbysanderson.com.

We want the modern FCDO to reflect the very best of 21st century Britain. We encourage applications from all suitably qualified applicants, irrespective of background or circumstances.

Assessment

• Longlisted candidates will be invited to meet with our advisers GatenbySanderson for a preliminary interview during the
  weeks commencing 22nd June and 29th June.
• A shortlist of the applications will take place week commencing 6th July
• Across weeks commencing 13th July and 20th July, shortlisted candidates will be asked to undergo an Alternative Leadership Assessment (ALA) with psychological profiling, led by GatenbySanderson.
• Final interviews will take place w/c 27th July.
• The interview panel will be chaired by Mark Power, HR Director. Details of all other panel members will be confirmed to shortlisted candidates.The interviews are expected to be held in London, in person. There may be the option to conduct the interview by Microsoft Teams for overseas candidates. If you need any adjustments do let us know.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should contact: Russell Brandon at GatenbySanderson on russell.brandon@gatenbysanderson.com.

Further Information

This role can be based at one of our Headquarters offices in London, Milton Keynes, or East Kilbride, but please note that due to the nature of the role, frequent travel to our King Charles Street, London HQ is required if you are based in East Kilbride or Milton Keynes. Occasional international travel will be required. The FCDO operates with a hybrid working policy of a minimum of 60% in the office.

If successful you must hold, or be willing to obtain, security clearance to DV level. All offers of appointment will be subject to achieving DV level clearance. You must have been resident in the UK for five out of the last ten years immediately prior to your application.

Any move to FCDO from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences. If there is any evidence of plagiarism, including presenting the ideas and experience of others as your own, your application will be withdrawn.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a Criminal Record Check may be carried out.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Russell Brandon
• Email : russell.brandon@gatenbysanderson.com

Recruitment team

• Email : russell.brandon@gatenbysanderson.com

Further information

Civil Service Commission Selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of appointment on the basis of merit by fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance you should contact; External.Recruitment@fcdo.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk and more information can be found at www.civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

Attachments

Deputy Director HR Operations - Candidate Information Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1416kB)