People Ops Manager (8 Month Maternity Cover, London)

We are hiring a People Ops Manager on an 8-month maternity cover basis, with the possibility of extending into a permanent role. This role centres on legal compliance, employment law, and visa and immigration processing across the UK and EU. You will own the full employee lifecycle, ensuring operational continuity while the current post-holder is on leave. The ideal candidate brings hands-on experience from a fast-paced tech environment and is confident navigating UK employment law, right-to-work requirements, and multi-jurisdictional compliance.

Key Responsibilities

Legal & Compliance:

• Ensure company-wide compliance with UK employment law.
• Advise leadership on disciplinary, grievance, termination, and legal matters across UK and EU jurisdictions.
• Draft, review, and update employment contracts, offer letters, and company policies.
• Liaise with external legal counsel and manage relationships with employment lawyers.
• Coordinate with immigration lawyers and local authorities to ensure the relocation process for international hires

Visa & Immigration Processing:

• Manage end-to-end immigration cases, including UK Skilled Worker visas and EU work permits.
• Maintain a visa tracking system for all sponsored employees; ensure timely renewals and UK sponsor licence compliance.
• Conduct right-to-work checks for all new hires and maintain auditable records.
• Prepare and submit Sponsor Management System (SMS) reports and ensure Home Office compliance.
• Advise hiring managers on sponsorship routes, timelines, and eligibility requirements

People Operations:

• Administer HRIS platforms (Rippling, Deel) and ensure data accuracy across all employee records.
• Manage onboarding and off-boarding processes, payroll coordination, and benefits administration.
• Support performance review cycles and compensation processes.
• Serve as the first point of contact for employee queries and people-related initiatives.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in People Ops, HR, or Global Mobility, ideally in a tech or startup environment.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and regulatory compliance.
• Proven experience managing visa and immigration cases end-to-end (UK Skilled Worker, EU work permits, or equivalent).
• Familiarity with HRIS platforms such as Rippling or Deel. Excellent attention to detail and discretion when handling sensitive information.
• Experience working across multiple jurisdictions is a plus. Flexibility to work with US time zones (occasional overlap with PST/EST required)