People Operations Lead
9fin · London · hybrid
About 9fin
9fin is the AI platform powering global debt markets — the world’s largest asset class at over $145 trillion.
Debt markets are vast, global, and mission-critical, yet still run on fragmented data, PDFs, and manual workflows. 9fin replaces this broken infrastructure with a single platform that centralises proprietary credit data, deep analysis, and high-value workflows across global markets.
Today, 9fin powers teams at 300+ blue-chip institutions worldwide, including global banks, asset managers, private equity firms, law firms, and advisors. The business is scaling at exceptional speed, with rapid expansion in the US and best-in-class retention driven by deep workflow adoption.
We’re at a defining inflection point. With proven product-market fit and strong, global market pull, 9fin is accelerating toward becoming the category-defining platform for debt markets worldwide.
The role
We're looking for a People Operations Lead to be the operational owner of how People Ops runs in the UK. You'll be the senior specialist responsible for compliance, policy, process design and the strategic projects that keep our operating model working as we scale.
This is a senior individual contributor role, not a people manager. You'll report to the People Operations Manager and partner closely with our London Workplace Manager, and with Talent, People Partners, Legal and Finance. You'll have real ownership over how the UK people function runs day to day, and you'll set the standard for operational excellence across the team.
What you'll own
- Operational excellence in the UK: Own the day-to-day running of People Operations for our UK population. Set the bar for accuracy, timeliness and employee experience across the full lifecycle - joiners, leavers, changes, probation, right-to-work, background screening, leave and absence.
- Compliance & audit-readiness: Keep 9fin compliant with UK employment law, statutory requirements and internal audit standards. Maintain audit-ready records, run periodic control checks, and flag risks early. Partner with Legal to interpret and apply changes in employment law.
- Policy & handbook: Own the UK employee handbook and the policy set behind it. Draft, revise and roll out policies with clarity, consistency and a real point of view - so managers and employees always know what "good" looks like.
- Strategic project leadership: Lead one or two of the biggest People Ops projects each cycle end-to-end - scoping, stakeholder alignment, delivery, measurement. Think benefits redesign, payroll consolidation and relocation strategy.
- Workflows & automations: Design and build the workflows and automations that reduce manual work across the lifecycle. Identify what should be templated, what should be automated, and what should be redesigned entirely. Ship the improved version.
- Complex casework: Working closely with the People Partners, handling the trickiest UK people situations - complex leave, contract variations, sensitive investigations support - with strong judgment on risk, employee experience and commercial context.
- People data & insight: Build the reporting and dashboards leadership actually uses. Present operational recommendations backed by data to the People Operations Manager and wider business.
- Workplace partnership: Partner closely with the London Workplace Manager on the moments where People Ops and the office intersect - joiner day one experience, offboarding logistics, hybrid working, in-office events, benefits that touch the physical office.
- Budget partnership: Support the People Operations Manager on UK sub-team budget - scoping future spend, analysing current spend, articulating ROI, and making recommendations.
What you'll bring
- 5+ years in People Operations / HR Operations in a scaling company, with meaningful ownership of both process design and hands-on delivery.
- Deep working knowledge of UK employment law and compliance - you're the person others check with before making a call.
- Strong track record of writing and rolling out policies that hold up in practice.
- Demonstrated ability to lead People Ops projects end-to-end - scoping, stakeholder alignment, delivery, measurement.
- Comfort designing workflows and automations that meaningfully reduce manual work.
- Exceptional attention to detail. You catch the thing others miss, and you build systems that catch it next time.
- Comfortable being the "go-to" person: briefs seniors, unblocks peers, and represents the People function credibly in cross-functional forums.
- Bias to build: you would rather design the process than inherit one.
Nice to have
- Prior experience at a scaling fintech, capital markets business, or high-growth B2B SaaS.
- Familiarity with SOC 2 / ISO People-related controls and audit prep.
- Experience building automations across the People Tech stack, including the HRIS.
What success looks like in your first 12 months
- UK operations run predictably and to a high standard, with clean handoffs across Payroll, IT and Workplace.
- Compliance is demonstrably audit-ready; the handbook and policy set are current, well-drafted, and used.
- At least two major strategic project shipped end-to-end.
- Workflows and automations have visibly reduced manual work across the lifecycle.
- You have a strong, well-defined partnership with the London Workplace Manager - the London employee experience shows it.
- You're the person the business escalates the hard UK people-ops questions to - and the answers hold up.
OUR BENEFITS
We’re a scaling start up, and we enjoy sharing our success, when the company succeeds, we always reinvest that in our people. We also offer huge amounts of responsibility, an abundance of opportunity for growth and a platform to truly excel.
Financial & Insurance
- Competitive Salary (our salary bands are benchmarked at the top end of the market)
- Equity options
- Pension (your minimum contributions are 4% with 9fin matching up to 7%)
- Private Medical Insurance
- Paid sick leave with Income Protection for long periods of illness
- Group Life Assurance
- Season Ticket Loan & Cycle to Work schemes
Time off
- 25 holiday days per year
- Local public holidays (with the ability to exchange them for alternative days)
- Work abroad for up to 3 months a year
- 1 month paid sabbatical after 5 years of service
- Enhanced parental leave & flexible working arrangements available
Growth & Culture
- Professional learning and development budget
- Quarterly team socials
- Summer and Winter company social events
Location
9fin is a hybrid company, and the office is a regular part of how we work. From January 2027, all employees will work from their designated 9fin office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Some teams may be asked to be in the office more often, where the nature of their work calls for it. For the rest of the week, you may work from wherever works best for you and your team
9fin is an equal opportunities employer
At 9fin we are dedicated to building and promoting a fair and inclusive workplace where everyone can reach their full potential and truly belong. We recognize that building diverse teams enables a more creative and productive environment. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly align with the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might just be who we’re looking for — either for this role, or perhaps another.