Job Introduction
As Senior People Operations Manager – EMEA, you will act as a strategic and operational People & Culture leader, partnering with Directors of Operations and the Regional People Operations Director (APAC, India & EMEA) to deliver high‑quality, compliant and commercially focused people solutions across multiple sites.
You will lead a team of People Operations professionals and work closely with senior stakeholders across operations, finance, risk, and country People teams. The role balances strategic business partnering, matrix leadership, and operational HR excellence in a fast‑paced, client‑facing hospitality environment.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Business Partnering
- Partner with Directors of Operations to align people strategy with business growth, revenue and margin objectives.
- Translate business plans into effective workforce, structural and capability strategies.
- Provide commercially focused, risk‑aware People advice and contribute to regional and global People initiatives.
Matrix Stakeholder Leadership
- Work closely with Country People Teams across EMEA to ensure compliance with local legislation and Compass frameworks.
- Balance client‑specific requirements with standardised country governance.
- Act as an escalation point where client and country People frameworks intersect.
Leadership & Team Management
- Lead, coach and develop a high‑performing People Operations team across EMEA.
- Set clear expectations, build capability and drive consistent, high‑quality People service delivery.
Workforce Planning & Organisational Design
- Lead workforce planning across existing and new business sites.
- Support mobilisations, restructures and organisational design activity.
- Partner with Finance and Operations on labour modelling, headcount management and succession planning.
Employee Relations & Risk Management
- Provide senior‑level guidance on complex employee relations matters across multiple jurisdictions.
- Ensure compliance with employment legislation and collective frameworks.
- Manage high‑risk cases while balancing risk mitigation and positive employee relations.
Talent, Engagement & Culture
- Drive initiatives to strengthen engagement, retention, leadership capability and performance.
- Lead DE&I initiatives aligned to regional and client strategies.
- Support talent development, performance reviews, internal mobility and reward decisions.
Operational HR Excellence
- Ensure accurate, compliant People operations, systems and data integrity.
- Oversee employee lifecycle processes and deliver meaningful workforce insights.
- Lead People projects at regional and corporate level.
About You:
- Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business Management or related field
- 3–7 years’ HR experience in a multi‑site environment across UK&I and Europe
- Strong knowledge of employment and labour law
- Proven experience leading and developing teams
- Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills
- Strong business acumen with financial understanding
- Confident decision‑maker with a calm, measured approach
- High standard of confidentiality and professionalism
Desirable
- CIPD qualification
- Experience working within a matrix or client‑embedded model
- Hospitality, services or operational environment experience
Compass Group reserves the right to enhance the criteria, if necessary, for the purposes of shortlisting.
Some of the benefits we offer:
As well as a competitive salary, we also have a large range of other benefits, such as
- Free meals while at work
- Discounts across the Island of Ireland to save at various restaurants, high street stores, hotels, day out venues, gyms, golf courses and many more
- Flexible working to support work life balance
- Additional Leave Purchase scheme to balance home and work life
- Life assurance cover
- Additional, seasonal and overtime hours available
- Career Pathways to support career progression and/or skills development
- Learning & development programs available for personal and professional development & growth
- Access to wellness programs to promote mental health and wellbeing of our colleagues
- Employee Assistance Program to guide and support our employees
- Exciting internal reward and recognition schemes
And many more..
About Us:
At Compass Ireland, our people are our business. When you join the Compass Group you will be joining a supportive network of incredible individuals, each united by their passion for going the extra mile for the organisations we partner with. We are building a team who care about providing a great customer experience and want to grow and develop as we do. We are dedicated to investing in every colleague joining us and pride ourselves on being an equal opportunity employer; we celebrate diversity and are committed to building an inclusive environment for all our colleagues. We consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.
Please review our Privacy Notice for details on how we maintain protect and why your personal data collected when you apply for a job with Compass Group. We will not retain any CV’s or job applications for longer than necessary.