People Relations Lead, Leeds

Overview

Job Introduction

We are currently seeking an experienced People Relations Lead to oversee our global People Operations department and lead a team of dedicated people relations specialists. This key team leadership role is responsible for ensuring compliance with local labour laws across all regions, fostering a positive and inclusive workplace culture, and delivering a high-quality colleague experience.

The successful candidate will provide expert guidance on the consistent application of people policies and practices, proactively monitor legislative changes, and ensure timely adaptation across the organisation. Acting as a critical liaison between the People Relations team and key stakeholders, you will help navigate complex employee relations issues, maintain essential processes and toolkits, and use data insights to inform decision-making.

This role will support the Head of People Operations with a range of activities, including risk management, budget oversight, audit preparation, and supplier coordination. As a key cultural ambassador, you will champion colleague self-service, a digital-first approach, effective risk management, and manager capability-building.

Collaboration is central to this position, working closely with colleagues across People Services, Talent Acquisition, and People Data Insights to ensure a seamless and impactful people experience throughout the employee lifecycle.

Role Responsibility

As our new People Relations Lead, you will also:

• Manage the People Relations Specialist team and ensure they are delivering best-in-class advice, guidance, coaching and mediation
• Act as the main custodian and technical lead of the people policy & guidance suite which includes all People Relations-related policies, procedures, templates and guidance
• Ensure people policies and procedures are aligned with the organisational culture, values and behaviours and are compliant with local labour laws at all times
• Continuously develop and improve the utilisation of data in the People Relations space including case tracking, trend analysis and hot spot identification to inform business decisions and action planning
• Contribute to the overall MPS member experience ensuring that people policies and guidance are designed to best serve our membership
• Promote a positive colleague experience and champion a community environment which enables the diversity agenda, wellbeing of our colleagues and builds our reputation in the marketplace as an employer of choice

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for: 

• Demonstrated extensive experience working within a high-performing, fast-paced People teams, ideally in a People Operations capacity, with a strong track record of delivering scalable, efficient people solutions.
• Proven ability to build, lead, and develop a high-performing employee relations team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and consistent service delivery across diverse geographies.
• Deep expertise in employee relations, including the end-to-end design, implementation, and maintenance of policies, advisory frameworks, and governance structures that align with best practice and legal compliance.
• Strong experience in planning and prioritising continuous improvement initiatives, using data-driven insights and stakeholder collaboration to optimise processes and enhance the overall people experience.

Package Description

• Up to 15% discretionary annual bonus 

• Annual performance-related pay review 

• 11% pension contribution (3% from you, 8% from us – optional additional matched 3% contributions, e.g. 6% from you, 11% from us) 

• 25 days annual leave plus flexible bank holidays (option to buy/sell additional 5 days) 

• Private Family Medical Cover 

• Career development and progression opportunities  

• A truly flexible hybrid-working arrangement (take a look at below to find out more about how we work) 

• A culture that promotes inclusivity, wellbeing and rewards hard work 

• Car Salary Sacrifice scheme 

• Healthcare cash plan 

• 6x salary death in service 

• A personal GP service enabling you to get a video consultation with a NHS-registered private GP 

• Employee Assistance Programme 

• A range of shopping discounts from major high-street retailers 

About the Company

Medical Protection Society (MPS) is the world’s leading protection organisation
for doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals. We protect and support the professional
interests of almost 300,000 members around the world, in countries as diverse as the United
Kingdom, South Africa and Hong Kong.

Our philosophy is to support safe practice in medicine and dentistry by helping to avert
problems in the first place. We also actively campaign for regulatory and legal reforms that
benefit members and the wider healthcare professions. Membership provides access to
expert advice and support together with the right to request indemnity for complaints or
claims arising from professional practice.

We continue to invest in our team to ensure that we are delivering the best possible
service for members. This was recognised in 2016 when we were awarded an Investors in
People Silver award.