Director of People Operations

Job Description

Job TitleDirector of People Operations DepartmentHuman Resources-BG-UK Overview of DepartmentThe People team develops the capabilities, culture and experiences that create a human and commercial edge for Baillie Gifford. We exist to make the firm the world’s most distinctive place to grow a career, investing in our people with the same long-term conviction as our portfolios and continually reimagining how work is done to outpace the industry. The team supports the full people lifecycle, including people operations, people partnering, leadership, learning and capability development, attraction and resourcing, organisational culture, reward, wellbeing and the end-to-end people experience. Through this work, we ensure that people and performance are deeply connected and that our colleagues are equipped to deliver long-term value for clients. Purpose of RoleThis role leads People Operations across Baillie Gifford, delivering clear, human-centred and technology-enabled services across our people lifecycle. The role protects organisational health, compliance, and trust, while enabling the wider People Team to focus on long-term value. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, you are a senior member of the People Leadership Team and the operational voice of the People function across cross-firm initiatives and regulatory engagement. This is a newly created role, reflecting the firm’s ambition to strengthen its People Operations capability as part of the wider People strategy. The focus is on building modern, human-centred and technology-enabled services that support colleagues and leaders today, while creating strong foundations for the future. We welcome applications from leaders beyond traditional people function backgrounds, including those who have led people-adjacent operations in fintech, technology or platform-led organisations. We are interested in judgement, operating mindset and leadership impact – not job titles. Responsibilities Lead all People Operations activity, creating an integrated team that delivers high-quality, efficient, and human-centred services. Oversee employment law and complex people relations matters, ensuring fair outcomes, compliance, and policy clarity. Own people risk reporting, governance, and operational resilience for the People function. Lead change enablement, automation, and readiness for AI across people processes and ways of working. Own self-service platforms and the People technology roadmap, improving adoption, reliability, and colleague experience. Simplify policies and processes so it is easy for colleagues and people managers to do the right thing. Build and lead a service-oriented team that works in close partnership with the wider People Team and the business. Foster a culture of continuous improvement, transparency, and accountability within People Operations. Contribute as a member of the People Leadership Team to the overall People strategy. Represent the operational perspective of the People function in cross-firm projects and external discussions. What success looks like 1. Clear, human people experiencesPeople Operations delivers simple, supportive services across the people lifecycle, from onboarding to exit.Success looks like: Clear and consistent processes that respect colleagues’ time High trust and satisfaction from colleagues and people managers A service culture grounded in empathy, clarity, and follow-through2. Strong organisational health, risk, and compliancePeople risk is well understood, well managed, and proportionate to the firm’s long-term ambitions.Success looks like: Confident and proactive management of people risk with robust systems and controls across people processes Fair and timely resolution of complex people matters Fewer and clearer policies that are easy to apply in practice3. Modern and effective people operationsPeople Operations uses technology well to remove friction and free capacity for higher-value work.Success looks like: Intuitive self-service and reliable core systems Automation that reduces manual effort and error Strong foundations for insight, knowledge sharing, and future AI use4. Trusted people data and insightPeople data is accurate, timely, and used to support sound decisions.Success looks like: Clear and practical dashboards that leaders use High confidence in data quality and integrity Insight that informs workforce and organisational planning5. An engaged, service-oriented people operations teamThe team is confident, capable, and focused on continuous improvement.Success looks like: Clear roles, ownership, and development pathways Strong partnerships across People Partnering, Reward, and Learning and Talent High engagement with a culture of service excellence and learning6. Leadership across the People TeamYou provide clear operational leadership that strengthens the whole People Team.Success looks like: Visible leadership within the People Leadership Team Effective collaboration across functions and geographies Trusted relationships with senior leaders and stakeholders Your knowledge and experience: Senior leadership experience running or transforming People Operations, Shared Services or people-adjacent operations in a complex, high-performing organisation Experience leading operational services inregulated or risk-aware environments, with exposure to people risk and governance considerations The judgement to engage credibly with employment law and complex people issues, knowing when to deepen your own understanding and when to draw on specialist expertise to reach fair, proportionate outcomes A track record of building service-oriented teams with clear accountability, strong partnerships and a focus on continuous improvement Experience using HR technology, automation and digital tools to reduce friction, improve reliability and unlock capacity Confidence working with people data and insight to support sound decisions and organisational planning Experience partnering with senior stakeholders and representing an operational perspective in cross-functional or external forums The type of candidate that we’re looking for: We’re looking for an exceptional operational leader who may not come from a traditional People background, but who has deep experience owning and improving services that matter at scale. You bring a systems mindset, strong judgement, and a genuine focus on building trust through delivery.You are comfortable operating in complex, regulated environments, making proportionate decisions that balance protection, pace and progress. You’re digitally fluent and curious, excited by the challenge of redesigning work across modern technology stacks and exploring how automation and AI can improve both experience and effectiveness.Above all, you are a service-oriented leader who builds high-trust cultures in changing contexts. You lead with empathy and clarity, create strong partnerships, and see continuous improvement as essential to long-term organisational health. Critical skills: Systems thinking Digital effectiveness (including AI) Data Literacy Enabling others Improvement mindset Additional information: Instead of a cover letter, candidates are asked to submit a CV and short written responses (maximum 300 words each) to the following questions: Question 1 – Tell us about a time when you were accountable for an end-to-end operational service at scale. Question 2 -Describe a technology-enabled change you led that improved a core people or business process. Question 3 – Share an example of how you built or sustained a high-trust service culture during a period of change.We expect candidates may use AI tools thoughtfully as part of their application. We are interested in your judgement, prioritisation and trade-offs – not perfection.