Strategy & Operations - People Lead

Strategy & Operations - People Lead

Location: London, UK, near London Bridge. Hybrid (3-4 in-person days a week).

Compensation: Total compensation for this role starts at £100k in cash and equity

Visa Sponsorship: Available for the right candidate

Start Date: As soon as possible

Summary

Deducta is a fast-growing startup serving some of the world's largest and most recognizable companies. We are well funded and actively solving the most pressing business challenges in the modern enterprise.

We are looking for a Strategy & Operations - People Lead to build the systems that let Deducta hire, develop, and retain exceptional people as we scale. Reporting to the Chief of Staff, you will own how we hire, onboard, train, and evaluate our team, and turn a fast-growing startup's people needs into processes that run well without constant founder attention. This is a strategy and operations role with a people focus, and a path to leading Deducta's people function as the company grows.

About Deducta

Deducta is a data intelligence platform for global enterprises. We deliver unprecedented clarity into mission-critical data for the world's largest and most complex enterprises, starting with spend data. We are the leading edge for major business transformations. Our partners use Deducta to deliver results that matter, orders of magnitude faster.

The Role

As Strategy & Operations - People Lead, you will own Deducta's people function end to end. Reporting to the Chief of Staff, you will set the hiring strategy and run the hiring engine with our recruiter, build out our performance, onboarding, and training processes, and be the go-to partner for leaders on people questions. We plan to grow the team substantially over the next year, and you will make sure every hire is well chosen, well onboarded, and set up to do their best work.

This is a hands-on role in a fast-moving environment. You will need the structured problem solving to design a process from a blank page, the analytical rigor to build a hiring plan or compensation benchmark that leaders trust, the judgment to handle sensitive people matters with discretion, and the drive to execute without waiting for perfect inputs.

What you will do:

• Own the hiring strategy: build and maintain the hiring plan with the leadership team, define each role and its interview process, and make sure every search has a clear profile and timeline

• Run the hiring engine day to day: work closely with our recruiters (who will eventually report to you) and external agencies, own Ashby, and keep pipelines moving and candidates well looked after

• Build out the performance process: run our quarterly review cycles, then design the next layer, including peer feedback, a leveling framework, and the link to compensation and promotion

• Design onboarding and training: create an onboarding program that gets every new joiner productive quickly, and build the training that helps the team keep growing

• Own compensation and HR operations: benchmark pay and equity, administer equity grants, maintain HR policies and compliance, and manage payroll and benefits providers

• Partner with leaders and shape culture: advise managers on people issues, run engagement surveys such as our eNPS pulse, and organize team events and offsites

Success in this role means:

• Hiring is a well-oiled machine: roles are filled on plan with strong hires, and candidates have a great experience whether or not they join

• The performance process is fully built out, with clear expectations, consistent reviews, and a direct link to compensation and promotion

• Onboarding is fully built out, so every new joiner knows what good looks like and contributes from their first weeks

Who We Are Looking For

We are looking for a former management consultant who wants to build a career in people and operations. You will have at least two years at a top-tier consulting firm, up to Senior Consultant level or equivalent. A traditional HR background is not required: we care most about how you think, structure problems, and execute. Startup or in-house experience is a strong plus, and some exposure to that environment is ideal.

You might be the right fit if you have:

• Top-tier consulting experience: at least two years at MBB or a Tier 2 strategy firm (such as Oliver Wyman, L.E.K., or OC&C), up to Senior Consultant level or equivalent

• Structured problem solving: you can take an ambiguous problem, such as how to hire ten people in a quarter, and turn it into a clear plan with owners and milestones

• Interest in people leadership: you want to build a career leading a people function and care about helping others do their best work

• Strong execution: you follow through on details, keep many workstreams moving at once, and build processes that run without you

• Judgment and discretion: you handle confidential matters with care and earn the trust of leaders and individual contributors alike

• Nice to have: startup or in-house experience, exposure to recruiting, performance management, or HR operations, and familiarity with tools like Ashby

You will thrive in our environment if:

• You embrace the principles of freedom and responsibility, and are comfortable taking calculated risks

• You thrive under ambiguity with high levels of ownership

• You demonstrate exceptional hospitality to prospects, clients, and teammates as a default

• You value candor and feedback, and deliver it thoughtfully and thoroughly

• You are genuinely excited by the possibilities of applied AI and the opportunity to build a high-performing team

As an early team member, you will help shape our culture, our processes, and our trajectory. We are growing quickly, and this role will evolve with us. You will be part of a team of exceptional people building something category-defining.

Hiring Process

1. Intro call

2. Background interview

3. Technical interview

4. Final interview