Senior People Operations Specialist at Definelycareers

ABOUT THE ROLE We’re a ~100+ person, UK-headquartered, with employees across the UK, US and the rest of the world. Following our Series B fundraise of $30m last year, we need rock-solid people operations, employment compliance, and lifecycle management, without over-engineering or slowing the business down. This role owns the engine room of People: contracts, onboarding/offboarding, policy execution, employment process support, and day-to-day operational excellence. It is a delivery-heavy, high-trust role with real autonomy. WHAT YOU’LL DO: 1. PEOPLE OPERATIONS & EMPLOYEE LIFECYCLE (CORE) - Own end-to-end employee lifecycle operations: - Offer → contract → onboarding → changes → offboarding - Maintain accurate employee data across systems (UK & US) - Manage leaver processes, documentation, and exit logistics - Ensure People processes run cleanly, consistently, and on time 2. EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS & COMPLIANCE - Draft and issue employment contracts, amendments, and letters using approved templates (UK & US) - Coordinate with CLSO on: - Employment queries - ER processes - Policy updates - Maintain contract and policies - Maintain Employee Handbook on Notion - Ensure compliance with: - UK employment law - US employment basics (with counsel support) - Data protection (GDPR-aligned handling) You are not expected to be a lawyer, but you must be confident working with legal frameworks and advisors. 3. ONBOARDING, OFFBOARDING & MOBILITY - Run seamless onboarding across time zones - Partner with Talent to ensure handover from offer → day one - Manage equipment, system access coordination, and first-week setup - Support visa and right-to-work processes (with vendors/counsel) - Own offboarding experience and risk-clean exits 4. MANAGER & ER PROCESS SUPPORT - Support VP People with: - Disciplinary processes - Performance improvement processes - Absence management - Prepare documentation, timelines, and records - Ensure processes are fair, compliant, and well-documented 5. POLICY & PROCESS OWNERSHIP - Maintain People policies and handbooks - Implement updates based on legal changes or business needs - Turn “what we do in practice” into clear, usable processes - Keep things pragmatic — no policy theatre 6. CROSS-FUNCTIONAL OPERATIONS - Partner with Finance on: - Starters/leavers payroll inputs - Benefits administration - Act as People Ops point of contact for COO and leadership - Help reduce operational load on founders and execs 7. UK OFFICE COORDINATION (LIGHT-TOUCH) While we operate from a serviced office, this role will act as the internal point of coordination for the UK office to ensure it runs smoothly and supports our teams effectively. This includes: - Liaising with the serviced office provider on: - Access issues - Meeting room needs - General office logistics - Acting as the People team contact for UK office-related queries - Coordinating desk planning or attendance needs (where required) - Ensuring the office setup supports onboarding and collaboration 8. PEOPLE EVENTS & ENGAGEMENT SUPPORT The People Operations Manager will support the VP People with the planning and coordination of company and People-led events, ensuring they are well-organised and operationally smooth. This includes: - Supporting logistics for: - Company offsites - Team days - Training sessions - People initiatives and workshops - Managing vendors, bookings, and schedules - Helping turn ideas into executable plans - Acting as a delivery partner, not the sole owner of engagement strategy WHAT YOU’LL BRING: - 4–7 years in People Operations / HR Ops in a scale up environment - Strong UK employment experience - Exposure to US employment processes (direct or via counsel) - Experience in a fast-growing tech or scale-up environment SKILLS & BEHAVIOURS - Exceptionally organised and detail-oriented - Exercises sound judgement in ambiguous situations and knows when to escalate - Confident working with sensitive and confidential matters - Comfortable saying “this is a risk” and explaining why - Practical, not precious - Calm under pressure; not easily flustered - Takes pride in delivery and operational excellence WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU: - 💰 Competitive salary + bonus - 📈 Share options - 🎉 Quarterly team socials & annual company offsite - 🏡 Hybrid working with three days a week in the office for collaboration, with flexibility to support individual circumstances including working parents - 🌍 1 month “work from anywhere” - 🏖️ 25 days holiday + bank holidays - 🎂 Take your birthday off - 📚 £750 annual learning & development budget - 🩺 Private healthcare (incl. dental & optical) - 👶 Enhanced parental leave - 🚲 Additional perks: Cycle to Work, Workplace Nursery salary sacrifice scheme, and top-quality equipment ABOUT DEFINELY Definely is revolutionising how legal professionals access and understand information in complex documents. Our LegalTech solutions integrate directly into legal workflows, enabling teams to draft, review, and interpret contracts more efficiently, without breaking focus. We’re proud to be recognised among the Top 25 in Deloitte’s UK Technology Fast 50 and backed by Revaia, Microsoft, Google, and Octopus Ventures. Trusted by top firms like A&O Shearman, Dentons, KPMG, and Barclays, we’re building tools that empower legal teams to work smarter and reduce risk. At Definely, you’ll be part of a mission-driven, collaborative, and ambitious team committed to innovation and growth. DATA PRIVACY NOTICE ‍By submitting your application, you agree that DEFEYENE LEGAL SOLUTIONS LIMITED ('Definely') may collect, process, and store your personal data as part of our recruitment process. We will use the information you provide to assess your qualifications for the role you are applying for and to communicate with you regarding your application.Your personal data will be stored for up to 12 months, after which it will be securely deleted unless we have another lawful basis to retain it. You have the right to access, correct, or request the deletion of your data at any time.For more details on how we handle your personal data and your rights, please send us an email to [Upgrade to PRO to see contact] and we will send your our privacy policy. ‍ If you have any concerns about how your data is being processed, please do not hesitate to contact us.