Director of People Operations

Job description

Multiverse is the upskilling platform for AI and Tech adoption. We have partnered with 1,500+ companies to deliver a new kind of learning that's transforming today’s workforce. Our upskilling apprenticeships are designed for people of any age and career stage to build critical AI, data, and tech skills. Our learners have driven $2bn+ ROI for their employers, using the skills they’ve learned to improve productivity and measurable performance. In April 2026, we announced $70 million in strategic funding, led by Schroders Capital, with participation from StepStone Group, Lightspeed Venture Partners and General Catalyst. At an increased valuation of $2.1bn, the round makes us Europe’s first EdTech double unicorn. But we aren’t stopping there. With a strong operational footprint and 800+ employees, we have ambitious plans to continue scaling. We’re building a world where tech skills unlock people’s potential and output. Join Multiverse and power our mission to equip the workforce to win in the AI era. This is an operational role at the heart of how Multiverse's People team runs day to day. As our Director of People Operations, you will own the end-to-end employee lifecycle, our core People systems, and the quality of the experience employees and managers have across the moments that matter most. We are building an AI-native People Operations team, and this role is a key part of that. You will not just be aware of AI tools — you will use them to redesign how we work, automate what can be automated, and free up the team to focus on what actually requires human judgement. You will line-manage the People Coordinators, partner closely with People Partners, Payroll, and Finance, and act as the operational backbone of the People & Talent function. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Operational Excellence & Process Ownership - Own end-to-end People lifecycle processes (onboarding, offboarding, employee changes, probations, contracts, references) with automation in mind from the start. - Drive continuous improvement using AI and automation as the primary tools for increasing efficiency, scalability and employee experience quality. - Proactively identify manual workflows that can be automated and build or implement AI-enabled solutions to reduce effort and improve service quality. - Maintain compliance with regulatory obligations including SMCR, treated as a design constraint rather than an afterthought. - Keep People Operations processes, policies and knowledge bases well-documented and up to date. - Partner with Finance and Payroll to maintain accurate data flows, strong operational controls and clean pay-related processes. People Technology - Act as the go-to owner for core People systems, including HiBob, performance platforms and wider People tech stack. - Drive system optimisation, adoption, automation and cross-system integrations to improve operational efficiency and data accuracy. - Own the People team's AI tooling roadmap at an operational level: identify where AI can meaningfully improve how the team works and build the business case for investment. - Manage People systems governance, data integrity, compliance and effective system controls across the employee lifecycle. - Manage vendor relationships including renewals, contract management and ongoing performance. - Partner with Finance, Payroll and wider business stakeholders to ensure accurate people data flows across all platforms. Employee Experience & Service Delivery - Run the People inbox and service desk, ensuring fast, high-quality responses to employees and managers. - Identify bottlenecks in service delivery and improve turnaround times proactively. - Work with the Office Team to keep the day-to-day employee experience consistent and well-run. Reward & Benefits - Support Payroll and People Partners on the execution of pay cycles. - Implement changes to our compensation and benefits structure accurately across systems and documentation. - Monitor benefits take-up and stay current with market trends. - Process compensation and organisational changes with full supporting documentation updated accurately across systems, records and processes. People Team Collaboration - Line-manage and develop the People Coordinator, including building their confidence and capability with AI tools as part of their development. - Act as a trusted partner to People Partners, Talent Acquisition and the wider organisation on People processes and policy. - Support People Team initiatives, roadmap delivery and wider cultural and engagement work. EXPERIENCE - 5+ years owning People Operations, ideally in a fast-paced scale-up or similar environment. - A track record of using AI tools to change how People Ops actually works, not just awareness of them. - Strong HRIS experience, HiBob preferred; experience with workflows, automations or integrations is a plus. - Experience supporting People Operations in a financially regulated environment; familiarity with SMCR is a plus. - Advanced Excel or Google Sheets skills. - Solid understanding of UK employment law, compliance requirements and People Ops governance best practice. - Experience managing or coaching junior team members. - Strong analytical skills with a track record of owning and improving People processes at scale. Benefits - Time off - 27 days holiday, plus 5 additional days off: 1 life event day, 2 volunteer days, 2 company-wide wellbeing days (M-Powered Weekend) and 8 bank holidays per year - Health & Wellness- private medical Insurance with Bupa, a medical cashback scheme, life insurance, gym membership & wellness resources through Wellhub and access to Spill - all in one mental health support - Hybrid work offering - for most roles we collaborate in the office three days per week with the exception of Coaches and Instructors who collaborate in the office once a month - Work-from-anywhere scheme - you'll have the opportunity to work from anywhere, up to 10 days per year - Space to connect: Beyond the desk, we make time for weekly catch-ups, seasonal celebrations, and have a kitchen that’s always stocked! Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion We’re an equal opportunities employer. And proud of it. Every applicant and employee is afforded the same opportunities regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. This will never change. Read our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion policy here https://www.multiverse.io/en-GB/our-policies/equality-diversity-and-inclusion-policy. Our Commitment to Safeguarding Multiverse is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our learners. We expect all employees to share this commitment and adhere to our Safeguarding Policy https://cdn.sanity.io/files/6y1mknvo/prod-20240319/50283d0600920c5f1e02cf44e54c0f1534c74e61.pdf, our Prevent Policy https://cdn.sanity.io/files/6y1mknvo/prod-20240319/35a5defca7346bb1c212250867754b0a7ae5b478.pdfand all other Multiverse company policies. Successful applicants will be required to undertake at least a Basic check via the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS). For roles that will involve a Regulated Activity, successful applicants must also undergo an Enhanced DBS check, including a Children’s Barred List check and a Prohibition Order check. Roles involving Regulated Activity may interact with vulnerable groups, therefore are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 meaning applicants are required to declare any convictions, cautions, reprimands, and final warnings. Providing false information is an offence and could result in the application being rejected or summary dismissal if the applicant has been selected, and possible referral to the police and the DBS.