Role Description

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.
• 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

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.

Qualifications

• 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

Requirements

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Oversee and approve monthly payroll submissions across all global teams and international employees.
• Deliver accurate and insightful people analytics and reporting, including headcount, turnover, absence, recruitment, diversity, and service performance metrics.
• Ensure full compliance with employment legislation, GDPR, and internal governance requirements across the UK, Ireland, and other applicable jurisdictions.
• Partner closely with the Reward team to successfully deliver all cyclical reward activities.
• Drive operational excellence and continuous improvement initiatives across People Services.
• Lead, develop, and inspire the People Operations team.
• Oversee facilities management and compliance activities for the UK office.

Benefits

• Meaningful and rewarding career
• Collaborative and inclusive environment
• Opportunities for professional development

Company Description

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.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities are core to our vision, values and global strategy.