Head, People Operations

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Head, People Operations to join our global team. 

• Job Title: Head, People Operations
• Reports To: Director, People Services
• Work Pattern: Remote with flexible working options available  
• Location: Any approved Save the Children International office location. For a full list of locations that Save the Children International can hire in, please visit: SCI Careers  
• Contract Length: Permanent
• Right to Work: The successful candidate must possess the unrestricted right to work in their current or preferred location for the duration of employment 
• People Management: manager of multiple teams; 13 direct/indirect reports  
• Remit:  Global

Team Purpose 

The People Operations team plays a critical role in delivering an exceptional employee experience across our global workforce. Through the provision of efficient, customer-centric people services, the team manages all transactional HR activities throughout the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, offboarding, contractual changes, and core HR administration. Acting as a key connection point with our payroll team, they ensure the accurate and timely processing of employee data and payroll-related activities. In addition, the team partners with the People Centres of Excellence to implement and operationalise global people strategies, policies, and programmes, ensuring consistency, compliance, and alignment with organisational goals.

Role Purpose

Ensure the delivery of a seamless, customer-focused People Operations service across the full employee lifecycle for our global teams. Oversee the efficient execution of all HR transactional activities, including new starters, leavers, contractual changes, and employee records management. Drive data accuracy and governance across HRIS platforms, maintaining a trusted and reliable source of people data for the organisation. Act as a key point of contact for employees, managers, and local teams, providing expert guidance and directing stakeholders to the appropriate policies, processes, and resources to enable effective resolution of people-related queries and requests.

Principal Accountabilities 

1. Lead the People Operations function to deliver a high-quality people service across our global workforce. Ensure all employee and manager queries, requests, and transactions are managed effectively and resolved within agreed service level agreements (SLAs), driving a positive employee experience.
2. Establish, monitor, and analyse People Operations metrics and KPIs to measure service performance, identify trends, and drive continuous improvement in operational efficiency, service quality, and employee satisfaction.
3. Own the integrity of SCI's people data, ensuring all organisational, employee, and workforce information is accurately maintained within HRIS. Implement and maintain robust data governance frameworks, controls, and processes to safeguard data quality, accuracy, and compliance.
4. Lead the continuous review and enhancement of HR policies, systems, and processes, ensuring they remain fit for purpose, scalable, compliant with local legislation, and aligned to the evolving needs of the organisation.
5. Oversee and approve monthly payroll submissions across all global teams and international employees, ensuring the accuracy of HRIS data, compliance with statutory requirements, and seamless coordination with payroll providers and internal stakeholders.
6. Deliver accurate and insightful people analytics and reporting, including headcount, turnover, absence, recruitment, diversity, and service performance metrics, providing data-driven insights to inform decision-making and workforce planning.
7. Ensure full compliance with employment legislation, GDPR, and internal governance requirements across the UK, Ireland, and other applicable jurisdictions, mitigating risk through robust operational controls and best practice processes.
8. Partner closely with the Reward team to successfully deliver all cyclical reward activities, including annual salary reviews and statutory reporting requirements such as Gender Pay Gap reporting. Support reward analysis and ensure the consistent application of reward policies, frameworks, and practices across the organisation.
9.  Drive operational excellence and continuous improvement initiatives across People Services, leveraging technology, automation, and process optimisation to improve efficiency, reduce risk, and enhance the employee experience.
10.  Lead, develop, and inspire the People Operations team, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, customer service excellence, and continuous learning to ensure the team delivers against organisational objectives.
11. Oversee facilities management and compliance activities for the UK office, ensuring a safe, efficient, and compliant working environment for employees and visitors.

Essential Experience and Skills 

• Extensive experience of establishing and leading diverse HR Operations teams
• Experience of leading HR Operational activity in complex organisations during times of significant change
• Proven experience of re-designing and simplifying key HR Operations processes
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to relate business priorities and strategy to day-to-day activities for the People Operations team
• Proven ability to build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders 
• Ability to prioritise and manage workload during peaks of employee related activity at different times of the year
• Proven excellence in building and motivating a strong team, remotely, with a focus on building a diverse and inclusive team focussed on delivering excellence across all aspects of the role.
• Experienced in managing and motivating subject matter experts in particular Reward and Global Mobility

Education and Qualifications  

Desirable 

• CIPD Member status (or International equivalent). Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) qualification or equivalent

Working at Save the Children International 

Save the Children is the world's leading organisation for children, employing ~25,000 staff. We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first. 

We know that great people make a great organisation, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued. 

The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children, you will be in good company, working with talented, like-minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children's voices are heard at the highest levels, and that we achieve our global strategy, Ambition for Children 2030, and reach every last child. 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities 

DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation. 

We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply. 

Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this. 

Application Information 

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found at SCI Careers. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes. 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment. 
 
Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted should expect to hear from us within 2 weeks of the advert deadline. 

Our Recruitment Process 

• Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter 
• Two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team 
• Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage, or a third stage interview 
• If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, followed by your contract subject to passing background checks 

We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults from abuse. All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures relating to Anti-Harassment, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and DEI and Equal Opportunities. 

Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.