Head of HR Services, HR Systems and Workforce Information
Job summary
Are you an experienced HR leader who is passionate about people and providing excellent service?
We have an exciting opportunity to join our HR leadership team, leading a diverse and important portfolio encompassing HR Services, (payroll, temporary staffing), HR systems and Workforce Information (including right to work).
We are looking for a rounded HR services leader. Significant experience of leading and managing payroll services will be important. You will understand payroll governance, outsourced payroll provision, complex pay issues and service improvement, and recognise the very real impact that getting pay right has on our colleagues.
You will also provide leadership across HR Systems and Workforce Information, ensuring our systems are effective and support the needs of the organisation, while ensuring accurate and trusted workforce information supports reporting, workforce planning and decision-making. You will also oversee key workforce compliance information, including right-to-work status.
This is also an exciting time for workforce technology. As the NHS prepares for NHS PeoplePortal, the future NHS workforce solution. You will have a key leadership role in preparing MKUH for this significant transformation and supporting its successful implementation across the Trust.
If you are a values-driven HR services leader with a passion for people, improvement and transformation, we would love to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
You will provide leadership across a varied portfolio of services, working collaboratively across HR and the wider Trust.
You will:
- Lead and develop HR Services, delivering responsive, consistent support to colleagues and managers.
- Provide leadership of payroll, working closely with our external provider to maintain strong controls and service standards to drive improvement.
- Lead temporary staffing, supporting effective deployment of bank and agency workers.
- Lead the development of HR systems, including ESR and e-Rostering, maximising technology, automation and opportunities for improvement.
- Lead Workforce Information, ensuring trusted workforce data supports decision-making, planning, reporting and workforce compliance, including right-to-work.
- Support the Trust's transition to NHS PeoplePortal, helping deliver successful implementation and sustainable change.
- Develop and support our teams, creating a culture where colleagues feel valued, involved and encouraged to improve.
About us
Milton Keynes University Hospital, in proud partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital committed to advancing patient care through cutting-edge research and education. With a "Good" rating from the CQC and significant investment underway, this is an exciting time to join our team and grow your career.
As a medium sized general hospital, we provide a full range of general medical and surgical services, including a busy Emergency Department, Maternity, and Paediatrics. As the population of our city and surrounding areas continues to grow rapidly, we are expanding and enhancing our facilities to meet rising demand and improve access to care for all our communities.
We are also proud to offer a growing portfolio of specialist services. In January 2025 we opened our state-of-the-art Radiotherapy Centre, bringing advanced cancer treatment closer to home. Our services also include neonatology, specialist surgical care, and a wide range of diagnostics, supported by the new Community Diagnostic Centre at Whitehouse Health Centre. We have just opened the Oak Wards - a new ward block featuring two 24-bed wards.
Further investment is underway, including the recently approved Women and Children's Centre, set to open by 2030.
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For further information about Milton Keynes please visit - Visit Milton Keynes
Job description
Job responsibilities
Lead and develop the HR Services function, ensuring the effective delivery of payroll preparation and liaison, temporary staffing and first-line HR helpdesk services, with a focus on accuracy, efficiency, quality and a positive staff and manager experience.
Lead the implementation and development of HR Systems to ensure maximum benefits are derived from systems, and robust service provision is provided Trust wide. This will include improvements to systems; improving optimisation and usage to improve data quality and decision making, which is pivotal to the delivery of the Trust People strategy and NHS People plan priorities.
To lead the Information Team, ensuring real time information is available and full interoperability between systems is provided.
Please refer to the Job Description for further details
Interview 28 October 2026
Please note that we are not able to offer sponsorship for this role.
'We care We communicate We collaborate We contribute'
Person Specification
Milton Keynes Hospital Standards
- Involve you as part of the team and work together
Qualifications and knowledge
- Educated to Master's degree level or equivalent
- E-Rostering training qualification or equivalent on the job experience
- ESR training qualification or equivalent on the job experience.
- Management qualification or equivalent on the job experience.
- CIPD qualification (studying towards) or equivalent.
- PRINCE2 or similar project management qualification
Experience
- Extensive experience of leading and managing payroll services, including outsourced payroll provision, payroll governance, complex pay issues and service improvement
- Extensive experience of planning, managing and delivering complex projects
- Extensive experience of implementing ESR & e-Rostering systems.
- Extensive experience of managing HR teams in a healthcare environment
- Experience of workforce/roster planning
- Experience of HR change/transformation projects
- Experience of working within a project and change management environment.
- Experience of delivering projects within a healthcare setting environment
- Experience of Risk Management.
- Experience in the building and management of relationships with customers, stakeholders and suppliers
Skills
- In depth knowledge of e-rostering & ESR systems
- In-depth knowledge of payroll services, including payroll governance, controls, statutory requirements and the management of complex payroll issues
- Able to promote and facilitate change
- Ability to problem solve and articulate findings in report format
- In depth knowledge in the practical application of project management methodologies
Communication
- Able to establish collaborative working relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders
- Ability to discuss and explain technical issues to non-technical staff
- Able to monitor and appraise individual and organisational performance
- Knowledge and understanding of Information Governance
- Ability to engage and influence at a senior level.
Specific requirements
- Ability to work to deadlines within budget
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details
Employer name
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address
HR Services (Dept)
Milton Keynes
MK6 5LD
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.mkuh.nhs.uk/working-at-mkuh