Head of People Services LGS

For Linklaters Global Solutions Warsaw, we are currently recruiting for the Head of People Services LGS role.

Work arrangements:

Hybrid model work: 2 days per week from the office located next to Rondo ONZ

Contract: Employment contract with 3- month probation period

Business trips: Few times a year

About the Team
 

You will join Linklaters Global Solutions (LGS) as part of the People function – a strategically driven, globally connected team dedicated to supporting the firm’s talent and culture. As Head of People Services LGS, you will lead the shared services People - HR Operations team that delivers core global people administrative services and underpins the employee experience across the firm.

In this role, you will oversee end‑to‑end delivery of key services, including employee lifecycle processes, people data management and compliance, payroll oversight, and wider People process support. You will be responsible for ensuring efficient, high-quality service to employees, leaders and People partners globally, while safeguarding compliance with employment regulations, data privacy requirements and firmwide policies. You will also contribute People insight into wider business location decisions, helping to shape where new or expanding teams are best placed, and acting as a promoter of the Polish hub where this is strategically and economically appropriate.

You will shape the strategic direction of People services, positioning the function as a trusted, forward‑looking business partner across the onboard‑to‑retire lifecycle. The role combines leadership, business partnering and strong operational focus: you will manage team performance, drive operational excellence and continuous improvement, and support the development of HR administration with potential to expand into other HR domains. You will work closely with senior stakeholders across regions and report to Head of LGS Transformation & Service Delivery.

As Head of People Services LGS, you will:

Set the direction and lead the team

• Create new HR Operations team at Linklaters Global Solutions

• Shape and communicate the vision, strategy and operating model for People shared services.

• Lead, develop and motivate a high-performing, inclusive People Services team.

• Act as the senior point of contact for key stakeholders on People services.

Deliver high-quality global services

• Oversee end-to-end employee lifecycle services, people data management and payroll-related operations against agreed service levels.

• Drive consistency of processes and standards across geographies, resolving complex or high-impact issues.

• Identify and expand the scope of services that can be delivered centrally.

Improve processes and drive digitalisation

• Lead process simplification, standardisation and automation to improve efficiency and user experience.

• Maximise the use of Workday and case management tools, working closely with Technology and HR Centres of Excellence.

Manage risk, governance and compliance

• Ensure compliance with employment laws, data privacy (including GDPR), data retention and firm policies.

• Maintain strong governance, controls and risk management across People operations, partnering with Legal, Risk and Compliance.

Use data and insight to steer decisions

• Use KPIs and analytics to monitor service performance and inform decisions and planning.

• Safeguard data quality and integrity, providing clear reporting and insights to senior leaders and other geographies.

Partner with stakeholders and vendors

• Build trusted relationships with internal stakeholders, advising on People services priorities and performance.

• Manage external vendors (for example payroll and benefits) to optimise quality, efficiency and value.

Own budget and resources

• Manage the People Services budget, driving cost efficiency and effective resource allocation.

• Plan capacity and investment needs, including technology and automation, and track return on investment.

Lead change and future readiness

• Act as a visible change leader for People services transformation and new HR service models.

• Align People Services with the firm’s strategic agenda, supporting business growth, employee engagement and continuous improvement.

Contribute to location strategy and growth of the Polish hub

• Participate in discussions on where to locate new or expanding teams, contributing People insight on labour market conditions, cost, skills availability and scalability in Poland.

• Support transition planning for teams and processes moving between locations, ensuring continuity of People services.

• Act as a promoter of the Polish hub, advocating for placing new functions and roles in Poland where it makes strategic and economic sense, and linking workforce planning with business growth opportunities for the Warsaw office.

Apply if you:

• Bring at least 5 years’ experience in a managerial role leading HR administration / people services teams as your core background, combined with 7 to 10 years’ hands-on operational experience of administering the full employee lifecycle.

• Have practical, hands-on experience of HR administration and employee lifecycle processes across more than one country, ideally including Poland and the UK.

• Have solid working knowledge of Polish employment law with good awareness of UK / European regulations. Experience working with or overseeing payroll is a plus.

• Have experience in originating and driving new business opportunities for Poland, supporting transitions of teams and processes between locations, and advocating for the development and growth of a hub location such as Poland where this aligns with business strategy, including preparing business cases and leading discussions with senior C-level stakeholders.

• Are process oriented with a strong continuous improvement mindset, with a track record of taking ownership of HR processes, standardising and simplifying them, and improving speed, accuracy and quality across different markets.

• Have led teams through change in a growing or transforming organisation, are comfortable with ongoing change and ambiguity, and focus on finding solutions rather than being afraid of change.

• Have experience using HR technology, ideally Workday or a similar Human Resource Information System, as well as case or ticket management tools, and are keen to leverage technology and data to improve services.

• Are an effective people and process manager: you develop, coach and support your team, while ensuring efficient, high-quality service delivery and managing escalations, including from senior or C-level stakeholders.

• Communicate in a collaborative way, build strong relationships, and can influence and gain buy-in from stakeholders across geographies. Excellent English and Polish skills required.

• Are highly organised, analytical and comfortable working under pressure, using data and metrics to prioritise, solve problems and identify opportunities to improve how the team operates.

• Hold a university degree (preferred) and ideally a professional HR qualification such as CIPD (or equivalent), with any additional certifications in project management, process improvement (for example Lean, Six Sigma).

Benefits
Joining Team Linklaters will see you qualify for a range of benefits designed to reward the vital contribution you'll be making to our success. These include:

• Private medical care

• Free in-house fitness center

• Life insurance

• Worldwide travel insurance for business and non-business travel

• Benefit Multisport club card or subsidized travel card

• Wide range of training opportunities

About Linklaters
Linklaters is a people business. Being best in class in the eyes of our clients means that our people must be exceptional.
We look not only for brilliant minds, but for people who will thrive in our environment: people who love working collaboratively and demonstrate the innovative, efficient, agile, entrepreneurial, and responsible mind-set we aim to bring to every interaction.
Ours is an environment of outperformance. We achieve this not with targets and incentives, but by fostering a positive, supportive, fair, and open atmosphere.
We respect and value difference but insist on inclusivity. We celebrate all aspects of diversity and challenge any form of bias, because we want everyone to feel that they belong. This is vital to our ability to work as one team, with a common mind-set.
We recognize that one size does not fit all. Our goal is to embed flexibility across our firm by giving everyone the opportunity to work in an agile way, whether as a regular pattern or on an ad hoc basis, and we will be happy to discuss this further.

At Linklaters

• We offer a truly global work experience and the opportunity to be involved in strategic projects that drive innovation and shape the future of our business

• We belong to a firm that embodies its corporate social, environment and governance responsibility commitments

• We celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion so our people can bring themselves to work

• We advocate speak-up culture to empower our people in sharing their voices and an open-door policy to ensure they are listened to

• We invest in custom-fit career paths for our people in line with their talents and aspirations

• We provide agile working solutions to meet the changing needs of our people and our business

• We are committed to people first relationships based on mutual trust, respect and appreciation

• We support the health and wellbeing of our people, providing a safe space to talk about emotions and mental health with access to expert advice as needed

• We invest in developing leaders of the future who demonstrate emotional intelligence and a passion to discover, coach and develop the talents of others

Technical Skills:

This list of duties and responsibilities above is not exhaustive.  It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for, the performance of this job. As such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.