HR Service Lead Advisor - Time & Leave

The People Operations Center of Excellence aims to enable People Operations Services at scale, simplify and standardize processes, improve data quality and consistency, and deliver seamless employee experience across Microsoft. The People Operations Team provides centralized HR support, handling employee inquiries, managing HR transactions, and leveraging digital and AI solutions to enhance service delivery.

Within this model, the EMEA Time and Leave team manages end-to-end time and leaves related processes across multiple countries and regulatory environments. The team ensures compliant, accurate, and timely execution of time tracking and absence related activities, including complex and sensitive leave scenarios, payroll inputs, documentation, internal system maintenance, external reporting and stakeholder coordination. The team drives consistency and data accuracy across services, ensures adherence to compliance standards, and continuously seeks opportunities to improve processes, scalability, and overall service delivery.

As a HR Service Lead (EMEA Time and Leave), you will perform transactions for the EMEA region. You will identify areas for automation, AI support and simplification of processes to drive scalable solutions and improve operational efficiency. You will manage escalations and provide consultation on complex and sensitive cases, supporting advisors in resolving issues in compliance with local legislation and Microsoft global policies while identifying optimal solutions within available tools and system functionalities.

You will contribute to the design and delivery of changes by developing communication materials related to changes in a customer support system during the implementation of HR programs and evangelize them to relevant stakeholders. You will build rapport and consensus with partners and stakeholders to align operational processes and support the implementation of improvements based on established strategies and action plans.

You will ensure operational compliance with policies, laws, and regulations across the EMEA region, while maintaining up-to-date process documentation, desktop procedures, and knowledge base content. This role requires a consultation mindset, strong problem-solving capability, and a programmatic approach to drive consistency, data accuracy, and continuous process improvement.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees, we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Customer & Case Management

• Deliver HR services and execute transactions for Time & Leave processes across EMEA, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and alignment with internal policies, local legislation, and compliance requirements.

• Manage complex and escalated employee lifecycle cases end-to-end, including sensitive leave scenarios, acting as a subject matter expert and ensuring resolution within defined SLAs.

• Provide consultation and guidance to advisors, managers, and employees on Time & Leave processes, policies, and system functionalities.

• Triage and route inquiries to appropriate teams (e.g., HR Consulting, Payroll, Benefits, Engineering) where required, ensuring seamless case resolution and employee experience.

Escalations & Advisory Support

• Act as a primary escalation point for complex or high-risk cases, supporting resolution through expertise in local legislation and Microsoft global policies.

• Partner with HR Consulting and other stakeholders to resolve sensitive cases, ensuring compliant, consistent, and employee-centric outcomes.

• Identify recurring issues and recommend scalable solutions to reduce future escalations and improve service delivery.

Process Management & Continuous Improvement

• Own and drive continuous improvement of Time & Leave processes by identifying opportunities for simplification, standardization, and automation.

• Leverage data insights, KPIs, and operational feedback to identify improvement areas and drive efficiency, scalability, and enhanced employee experience.

• Support the design, testing, and implementation of new processes, tools, and solutions aligned with global strategy and regional requirements.

• Partner with engineering and product teams to resolve system issues and enhance tool capabilities.

Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Build strong partnerships with internal stakeholders (HR Consulting, Payroll, Benefits, Engineering) to align on process execution and improvements.

• Collaborate across regions and teams to ensure consistent application of Time & Leave processes and policies.

• Contribute to change management activities by developing communication materials and supporting the rollout of process or system updates.

Compliance, Quality & Data Accuracy

• Ensure adherence to local labor laws, global policies, and internal controls in all process activities.

• Proactively identify and mitigate compliance risks within Time & Leave processes.

• Drive consistency, quality, and data accuracy across systems, reporting, and operational outputs.

Documentation & Knowledge Management

• Maintain and continuously improve process documentation, desk-top procedures (DTPs), and knowledge base articles, ensuring they are accurate, up-to-date, and accessible.

• Act as a subject matter expert and support knowledge sharing, onboarding, and training within the team.

Performance & Operational Excellence 

• Monitor operational performance metrics (e.g., volume, resolution times, quality, CSAT) to track service effectiveness and identify improvement opportunities

• Drive initiatives to improve speed, quality, and overall service delivery while reducing manual effort through automation and AI solutions.

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in human resources (HR), Business Administration, Operations, or related field AND experience in HR operations, HR services, or a related field.

• Experience managing HR transactional processes in a shared services or multinational environment.

• Good understanding of compliance requirements, with the ability to identify relevant local labor laws and global policies in operational processes.

Preferred:

• Experience of managing Managed Services partnerships 
• Experience from "Benefits & Employee Time & Leave " areas of a HR services centre.