"184389 – HR Team Leader (Maternity Cover)"

HR Team Leader

Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences

Grade 7: £39,424 - £47,779 per annum

Fixed-term contract until the end of May 2027, in the first instance.

The role:

The Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) is seeking an experienced and highly motivated HR Team Leader to support the effective delivery of HR services across our large and diverse department.

Reporting to HR Manager, you will oversee the HR operations and recruitment function, ensuring the department continues to receive a high‑quality, timely and professional HR service. You will work closely with colleagues across our sites—including the Botnar Institute for Musculoskeletal Sciences and the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology—and play an important role in supporting staff throughout the employee lifecycle.

This role provides a rewarding opportunity to further develop your HR expertise within a complex higher‑education and research environment. We welcome applications from staff currently in the University who would be interested in undertaking the role as a secondment.

The role is based within NDORMS with flexibility to work from home for up to 40% of time once established in post.

About you:

You will oversee the day‑to‑day work of the HR team, ensuring the smooth running of recruitment, onboarding, contract administration, and operational HR processes across NDORMS. You will bring a strong background in HR, alongside excellent communication, organisational and leadership skills. You will be confident in providing HR advice within a complex environment and able to support a team to deliver a high‑quality service.

You will be able to demonstrate significant experience working in an HR role with line management responsibility, including a proven ability to recruit, manage, develop, and motivate a team, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture. You will be qualified to CIPD graduate level, be working towards this qualification, or have equivalent relevant experience.

What We Offer

As an employer, we genuinely care about our employees’ wellbeing and this is reflected in the range of benefits that we offer including:

• An excellent contributory pension scheme
• 38 days annual leave
• A comprehensive range of childcare services
• Family leave schemes
• Cycle loan scheme
• Discounted bus travel and Season Ticket travel loans
• Membership to a variety of social and sports clubs

How to apply:

The University of Oxford is committed to equality and valuing diversity. All applicants will be judged on merit, according to the selection criteria.

Applications for this vacancy should be made online and must include a CV and a supporting statement explaining how you meet the selection criteria, using examples of your skills and experience.

The closing date for applications is 12.00 noon on Monday, 16 February 2026. Please quote reference 184389 in all correspondence. Interviews will be held on Thursday 19 February 2026.

184389 HR Team Leader-job description.pdf