HR Service Delivery Team Manager
Southwark Council
Why Southwark?
At the heart of central London, Southwark Council provides services needed and valued by the over 300,000 people who call Southwark home.
As a Council we place our residents at the center of everything we do and provide high quality services across all sectors we work in.
With London's largest local authority Council owned housing stock and ambitious neighbourhood regeneration plans we need a staff group motivated to delivery for our residents.
To support our over 5,000 strong staff group we have an HR and Organisation Development team who are there to support our staff and managers deliver.
What You'll Be Doing
As HR Service Delivery team Manager you will be leading and developing a team of HR assistants and advisors providing first line enquiry responses to staff and managers, including giving first line HR advice to managers.
You will also ensure that the team processes all employee life cycle transaction work against internal KPI's.
You will manage the team’s day-to-day operations, oversee work allocation and service standards, and support the delivery of transactional HR processes linked to the employee lifecycle. You will also act as the team’s subject matter expert, providing professional guidance on policy, recruitment, terms and conditions of employment, and wider operational HR matters.
The role has a strong focus on service quality, performance management and continuous improvement. You will design and monitor service standards and KPIs, maintain the integrity of HR records and establishment data, support payroll and pensions processes, and help ensure the council’s SAP SuccessFactors system is used effectively to support service delivery.
This is a role for someone who combines strong people management with operational excellence, customer focus and a practical understanding of HR and payroll administration in a complex organisation.
What We're Looking For
We are looking for looking for an HR qualified professional who enjoys operating in high workload volume area against hard deadline such as input into the monthly payroll. You will be driven and focused on providing high quality customer service to all, along with looking to constantly develop the team to enhance service delivery.
You will bring:
Leadership experience: A strong track record of managing and developing teams, setting clear expectations and supporting high performance.
Operational HR expertise: Experience of delivering HR advisory and administrative services across the employee lifecycle in a complex organisation.
Service improvement capability: The ability to review and improve processes, develop performance measures and drive service excellence.
HR and payroll knowledge: A good understanding of HR operations, payroll support processes and the importance of accurate, timely and compliant service delivery.
Systems knowledge: Experience of working with HR systems and data, ideally including SAP SuccessFactors or similar platforms.
Professional judgement: The ability to provide high-level, non-routine advice on HR policy, recruitment and terms and conditions.
Data accuracy and compliance: Strong attention to detail and a clear understanding of confidentiality, data protection and record management requirements.
Customer focus: A commitment to delivering responsive, high-quality services that meet the needs of managers, employees and internal stakeholders.
Additional Information
Recruitment Timetable
Application Closing Date: 05/07/2026
Interview: 21/07/2026
We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative. We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme
As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:
- Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
- Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
- If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition
Benefits and more information:
https://jobs.southwark.gov.uk/why-us/
The role is based in the Council central London (SE1) head office. While the team operate on a hybrid working model this managerial role will be primarily on-site, with occasional remote working.
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