People Services Specialist - 15 month fixed term contract

Job Title

Department

Overview of Department

The people team develops the capabilities, culture and experiences that create a human and commercial edge for Baillie Gifford. We exist to make the firm the world’s most distinctive place to grow a career, investing in our people with the same long-term conviction as our portfolios and continually reimagining how work is done to outpace the industry.

The team supports the full people lifecycle, including people operations, people partnering, leadership, learning and capability development, attraction and resourcing, organisational culture, reward, wellbeing and the end-to-end people experience.

Through this work, we ensure that people and performance are deeply connected and that our colleagues are equipped to deliver long-term value for clients.

Purpose of Role

Responsibilities

Service delivery and operational expertise 

• Delivers high-quality people services across the employee lifecycle, taking ownership of more complex, sensitive or specialist operational work, queries and cases within the People Services remit 
• Advises on the operational elements of complex people processes and business changes, helping teams design practical, well-controlled approaches and plan effective delivery across processes, data and systems 
• Provides deeper expertise in one or more areas such as payroll, right to work, visas, benefits, organisational data, compliance or regulated processes, applying sound judgement and resolving exceptions 
• Acts as a visible and trusted face of the People team, providing accessible, knowledgeable and human support to colleagues and managers and helping them understand what is happening, what they need to do and what comes next 

Service quality, risk and resilience 

• Ensures people systems, workflows and operational reporting run effectively by investigating and resolving complex or recurring data-quality issues and protecting the integrity of organisational structures, positions, profiles and other critical people data 
• Supports audit, risk and compliance activity by providing evidence, responding to requests, investigating exceptions and addressing control or process weaknesses 
• Coordinates the resolution of more complex operational incidents and service failures, assessing impact, involving the right stakeholders and ensuring lessons are reflected in processes and controls 

Insight and continuous improvement 

• Uses case trends, recurring queries, service data and feedback to identify improvement opportunities and strengthen the colleague experience, processes, controls, workflows, templates and knowledge content 
• Partners with the People Services Lead and People Product Lead to diagnose operational problems, translate needs into clear process or system requirements and support the design and adoption of improved ways of working 

Team development 

• Builds team capability by sharing specialist expertise, coaching others, improving guidance and embedding clear escalation routes, decision-making principles and quality standards 

What success looks like 

• Trusted expertise: Colleagues and managers receive knowledgeable, timely support through complex people processes and have confidence that issues are owned through to resolution.  
• Specialist operational delivery: Complex operational work is delivered accurately, consistently and in line with regulatory, policy and governance requirements.  
• Strong operational control: People data, systems and operational controls are maintained to a high standard, reducing risk and improving service reliability.  
• Continuous improvement: Operational insight is translated into practical improvements that simplify processes, strengthen controls and enhance the colleague experience.  
• Team capability: Specialist knowledge is shared across the team, building capability, consistency and resilience. 

Your knowledge and experience 

• Significant hands-on experience delivering People Services or HR operations across the employee lifecycle, with responsibility for complex, sensitive or specialist operational work. 
• Demonstrable expertise in one or more specialist operational areas such as payroll, benefits, right to work, visas, organisational data, compliance or regulated people processes. 
• Strong judgement and problem-solving skills, with experience interpreting policy and resolving complex or non-standard situations. 
• Experience using HR systems and maintaining high-quality people data, with a strong understanding of governance, controls and accuracy. 
• Proven ability to manage queries and operational work from start to finish, coordinating inputs and communicating clearly with everyone involved. 
• Proven ability to build trusted relationships and provide clear, practical advice to colleagues, managers and stakeholders. 
• Experience identifying and implementing service improvements using operational insight, data and colleague feedback. 
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex information clearly and adapt your approach to different audiences. 

The type of candidate we're looking for 

We’re looking for someone who combines hands-on operational expertise with sound judgement and enjoys solving complex problems. You’ll take ownership of difficult situations from start to finish, providing trusted advice and helping colleagues and managers navigate unfamiliar or sensitive people processes with confidence. You’ll be comfortable moving between detailed operational delivery, urgent problem-solving and longer-term improvement. You’ll naturally look for opportunities to improve how work is done, using operational insight, colleague feedback and data to identify better ways of delivering services. You’ll balance colleague experience with operational efficiency, compliance and risk, understanding the importance of accurate data, well-controlled processes and clear communication. You’ll build strong relationships across the People team, sharing specialist knowledge, coaching others and helping to embed consistent, high-quality ways of working. Calm, curious and pragmatic, you’ll be motivated by delivering an excellent service today while helping to shape even better services for tomorrow. 

Critical skills 

• Systems thinking 
• Improvement mindset 
• Nurture relationships 
• Team working 
• Digital effectiveness (including AI)​

Additional information:

Instead of a cover letter, candidates are asked to submit a CV and short written responses (maximum 300 words each) to the following questions:

• Question 1 – Describe a time when you resolved a complex or sensitive operational issue that required sound judgement and specialist expertise.
• Question 2 – Tell us about a time when you improved a People service, process or operational activity, making it more effective, consistent or reliable.

Closing Date

Should you choose to use AI tools to support your application, we ask that you do this thoughtfully. We encourage you to ensure your application reflects your own voice, experience, and motivations. We value authenticity and want to understand your individual strengths and perspectives.

At Baillie Gifford, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful culture in which each of our colleagues can thrive and develop. We believe that our clients are best served by a diverse workforce with the experiences, ideas and perspectives that this brings.

If you are currently working at Baillie Gifford as an employee or contractor please apply to this job from the firm's Workday internal career site.