HR Shared Services / Operations Manager

About Columbia Threadneedle Investments

Working at Columbia Threadneedle Investments you'll find growth and career opportunities across all of our businesses.

We're intentionally built to help you succeed. Our reach is expansive with a global team of 2,300 people working together. Our capability is diverse with more than 550 investment professionals sharing global perspectives across all major asset classes and markets. Our clients have access to a broad array of investment strategies, and we have the capability to create bespoke solutions matched to clients' specific requirements. Our unwavering focus on our clients and strong financial foundation connects each of our enterprise businesses — Ameriprise Financial, Columbia Threadneedle Investments and RiverSource Insurance and Annuities.

Job Description

Where you’ll fit in & what our team goals are…

You will lead a team of HR specialists delivering high-quality, compliant HR services across EMEA & APAC. The team (4 in London, 1 in Munich) operates within a global shared services model, acting as a Tier 3 function supporting employee lifecycle activities including onboarding, offboarding, contractual changes, leave of absence, and employee relations.

Your role is responsible for ensuring effective service delivery through Workday (HRIS) and ServiceNow (case management system), managing escalations, monitor case risk and driving continuous improvement. The role also leads regional HR projects, supporting process harmonisation and inclusion initiatives, system enhancements, and operational excellence.

How you'll spend your time...

• Leading, coaching, and developing the EMEA & APAC HR Specialist team

• Managing delivery of employee lifecycle processes: onboarding and offboarding, contractual changes, leave of absence administration and employee relations case support

• Overseeing HR service delivery within a Shared Services / HR Service Center model, ensuring alignment to tiered support (Tier 1–2)

• Managing HR cases end-to-end using ServiceNow, including escalations, SLAs, and case quality

• Acting as an escalation point for complex and sensitive employee cases

• Ensuring accurate processing and data integrity in Workday

• Monitoring case volumes, trends, and performance metrics, driving improvements and case deflection

• Leading and delivering HR projects and process improvements, including system enhancements and process harmonisation

• Partnering with HR Business Partners, Employee Relations, Payroll, Benefits, HRIS, and other stakeholders

• Ensuring compliance with local employment requirements across EMEA and APAC

• Driving continuous improvement, standardisation, and automation of HR processes

To be successful in this role you will have...

• Experience leading an HR Operations or HR Service Center team within a shared services model

• Proven experience working in a case management environment managing case lifecycle, SLAs, and escalations

• Strong knowledge of HR operational processes, including onboarding, offboarding, contractual changes, leave of absence, and employee relations support

• Strong working knowledge of Workday (or similar HRIS)

• Proven experience leading projects, process improvements, or HR transformation initiatives

• Ability to manage high-volume, case-driven workloads while maintaining quality and compliance

• Strong stakeholder management skills across a matrixed, international environment

• Excellent problem-solving, organisational, and decision-making skills

• High attention to detail, with a strong focus on data accuracy and governance

If you also had this, it would be great...

• Experience working across EMEA and/or APAC, with an understanding of multi-country complexity

• Experience with ServiceNow (or similar advanced case management platforms)

• Experience supporting HR technology improvements or system integrations

• HR qualification (e.g., CIPD, SHRM)

• Experience working in financial services

In-Office Collaboration

We are a client-centric, relationship-based business. Working together, in-person, is foundational to how we achieve results. By fostering a culture of face-to-face collaboration, idea sharing, productivity and personal connection, we deliver for our stakeholders — clients, advisors, employees and shareholders. Our employees work in the office at least four (4) days per week, with flexibility to work from home one (1) day per week. Some roles may require additional in-office time or different in-office expectations, and specific requirements will be discussed during the hiring process.
 

Full timePermanentHuman Capital

Columbia Threadneedle is a people business, and we recognise that our success is due to our talented people, who bring diversity of thought, complementary skills and capabilities. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and performance-based culture where everyone can belong, grow, contribute and realise their potential.

We appreciate that work-life balance is an important factor for many when considering their next move so please discuss any flexible working requirements directly with your recruiter.

Columbia Threadneedle Investments is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to racial or ethnic background, religion or belief, sex or gender, nationality, genetic information, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, marital status, pregnancy or maternity or any other basis prohibited by law.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for individuals with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to aid your participation in the application or interview process, speak to your recruiter to discuss how we can support you.