People Operations Regional Lead/Manager (EMEA)

Role Overview

The EMEA People Operations Lead / Manager is a “playercoach” responsible for driving operational excellence, transformation, and scalable HR service delivery across the UK and EU in addition to leading a team.

This role serves as the regional expert for People Operations (POPs), owning execution of end‑to‑end employee lifecycle processes while also leading complex transformation initiatives, including AI and automation, case and knowledge management, regulatory programs (SMCR), and cross‑functional change.

The ideal candidate brings deep hands‑on HR operations experience, thrives in ambiguity, and is comfortable both designing the solution and doing the work. This role partners closely with HR Business Partners (HRBP), functional teams, business groups (Compliance, Legal, Technology), and Global POPs colleagues to deliver consistent, compliant, and data‑driven outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Excellence & Regional Ownership

• Serve as the People Operations subject‑matter expert for the UK and EU, owning regional execution, risk management, and operational consistency.
• Lead and personally execute end‑to‑end employee lifecycle transactions, including onboarding, role changes, extensions, transfers, exits, and special employment scenarios.
• Ensure operational excellence across service delivery, timeliness, accuracy, employee experience, and compliance.
• Act as a senior escalation point for complex or sensitive operational matters.

Case & Knowledge Management

• Own and continuously improve case management processes, including intake models, escalation paths, SLAs, and quality standards.
• Lead knowledge management strategy and execution, ensuring documentation is accurate, accessible, governed, and actively maintained.
• Personally document and update process flows, decision trees, SOPs, and controls, not delegating documentation as an afterthought.

HR Transformation, Automation & Enablement

• Lead and deliver HR transformation initiatives, including process redesign, automation, and digitization across the employee lifecycle.
• Drive adoption of AI‑enabled solutions and workflow automation to reduce manual effort, improve quality, and scale service delivery.
• Partner with Technology teams on enhancements to ServiceNow and supporting tools.

Regulatory & Risk Programs (SMCR)

• Lead and/or execute the UK SMCR HR operations program, including annual cycles, coordination with Compliance and HRBPs, process documentation, and audit readiness.
• Ensure EMEA employment operations are compliant with local regulatory, employment, and controls requirements.
• Maintain defensible documentation and data integrity to support audits and regulatory reviews.

Cross‑Functional Project Delivery

• Deliver complex, cross‑functional projects spanning HR, Compliance, Legal, Finance, Technology, and external vendors.
• Translate regulatory, business, or people requirements into clear operational solutions.
• Manage multiple workstreams simultaneously with strong prioritization and execution discipline.

Data, Insights & Decision Support

• Leverage operational data, metrics, and trends to identify risks, inefficiencies, and improvement opportunities.
• Build and use dashboards, reporting, and analytics to drive decision‑making and influence stakeholders.
• Move the function from activity‑based reporting to outcomes‑based insights.

Player‑Coach Leadership

• Act as a hands‑on contributor and people leader, balancing execution with coaching and development of team members.
• Set a high bar for accountability, quality, and follow‑through.
• Foster a culture of ownership, continuous improvement, and operational rigor.

Required Experience & Capabilities

• 8–12+ years of progressive experience in People Operations or HR Operations, supporting end‑to‑end employee lifecycle activities in a multicountry, regulated environment.
• Demonstrated experience serving as a regional operations lead or expert, with deep exposure to UK and EU employment operations (e.g., running or supporting SMCR or similar regulatory HR programs in the UK).
• Proven experience balancing business‑as‑usual execution and leading HR transformation initiatives, including automation, AI, or large‑scale process redesign.
• Strong hands‑on experience with ServiceNow or equivalent HR platforms.
• Deep knowledge of employee lifecycle operations across the UK and EU.
• Experience designing and running case management and knowledge management frameworks.
• Exceptional execution skills with the ability to manage multiple competing priorities.
• Comfortable operating at both strategic and tactical levels.
• Strong stakeholder management and cross‑functional influencing skills.
• Clear, structured communicator with strong documentation discipline.

Equal Employment Opportunity and Affluent Action Statement

PIMCO recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, national origin, ancestry, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and expression), age, military or veteran status, disability (physical or mental), any factor prohibited by law, and as such affirms in policy and practice to support and promote the concept of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, in accordance with all applicable federal, state, provincial and municipal laws. The company also prohibits discrimination on other basis such as medical condition, or marital status under applicable laws.

Applicants with Disabilities

PIMCO is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. We provide reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities, including veterans, in job application procedures. If you have any difficulty using our online system due to a disability and you would like to request an accommodation, you may contact us at 949‑720‑7744 and leave a message. This is a dedicated line designed exclusively to assist job seekers with disabilities to apply online. Only messages left for this purpose will be considered. A response to your request may take up to two business days.

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