Head of People Operations - Simprints

We're looking for a hands-on Head of People Operations who loves making things work well, every single day. The foundations are already here: our HR systems, policies, and core processes are in place. What they need now is someone who'll sharpen them, make them consistent across every country we operate in, and keep them running smoothly as we grow.

This isn't a pure strategy role. You'll spend most of your time close to the work: advising managers on tricky employee relations cases, checking that a contract in Kenya meets local law, fixing the onboarding step that keeps tripping people up, and finding ways AI can take the admin off everyone's plate. You'll also own our yearly company offsite, from the agenda to the moment you open it on day one.

Equally vital, you will champion and embody our company culture. You will safeguard our core values, model them in daily interactions, and comfortably lead challenging discussions when expectations aren't met. Acting as a trusted advocate for employees with leadership, you will champion their interests while thoughtfully balancing staff needs, corporate values, and business priorities.

Job Details

• Reporting To: Chief Operating Officer
• Grade: M7 (Head of)
• Location: Remote in United Kingdom (but open to GMT +/- 3 hours time zone if you have UK HR Experience)
• Compensation: £60,000 - £70,000 GBP (adjusted to a local benchmark if you are based outside of the UK)
• Contract Structure: Permanent

Key Responsibilities

• Culture carrier: Protect and live our culture and values every day, and hold others to them too. Run engagement surveys, turn the results into specific actions, and follow through, keeping our culture strong across a remote-first, multi-country team.
• Employee relations: Act as the go-to person for managers and staff regarding grievances, disciplinary matters, performance concerns, absences, and exits. Handle cases fairly, document them properly, and close them out, knowing when to bring in local counsel.
• Multi-country compliance: Ensure contracts, handbooks, and policies comply with employment law in each country where we hire, whether through our own entities or an Employer of Record (EoR). Track legal changes, keep country-specific terms up to date, and flag risk early. Ensure people are classified correctly (permanent, fixed-term, project-funded, consultant, or contractor) as projects start and end.
• Refining systems and processes: Audit, spot gaps, and tighten existing processes: onboarding, offboarding, probation, performance reviews, leave, and contract changes.
• Using AI to work smarter: Find practical ways AI can save time and improve quality across the people function (e.g., drafting letters/policies, answering routine questions, cleaning HR data, or summarizing surveys) and roll them out safely with clear data privacy guidance.
• People operations and HR data: Own the accuracy of our HRIS and people data, support payroll and benefits administration across countries, and produce clean, reliable reporting for the leadership team.
• Annual company offsite: Lead the yearly offsite end-to-end: shaping the agenda with the leadership team, managing the venue, travel, visas, budget, and logistics, and hosting the sessions on the day.
• Supporting managers: Coach managers through the people side of their jobs and provide simple tools, templates, and training so they can handle more on their own.
• Clear, warm communication: Write clearly, explain policy in plain language, and handle difficult conversations with empathy and directness.

What Success Looks Like

• First 3 months: Review every core people process and policy, meet each manager and most of the company, and share a prioritized list of fixes with the leadership team.
• By 6 months: Refine, document, and own top-priority processes. Ensure open employee relations cases are handled consistently, and managers and employees feel supported.
• By 9 months: Launch at least two AI-supported workflows that save the team measurable time, with safety guidance in place.
• By 12 months: Deliver a highly-rated annual offsite, and establish a reputation with managers that HR is fast, clear, and easy to work with.

Requirements

• Solid HR generalist experience: 7+ years in HR, with at least 2 years leading the people function or a significant part of it, including managing a small team (you will lead 3 direct reports here).
• Employee relations know-how: Proven experience handling a wide range of ER cases yourself, from the first conversation to the final outcome, remaining confident, calm, and fair under pressure.
• Labour law across multiple countries: Experience with UK employment law, plus at least one other jurisdiction. Understanding of how contracts, notice periods, leave, and termination rules differ, and familiarity with Employer of Record (EoR) models.
• Project-based business experience: Understanding of how people work in organizations funded by projects or grants, including managing contract renewals and endings when funding changes.
• Process builder with an eye for detail: Ability to turn messy or inconsistent processes into simple, reliable workflows.
• Comfort with HR systems and AI tools: Confidence using an HRIS and experimenting with AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Copilot to optimize workflows.
• Event planning experience: Experience planning and running in-person events, ideally a company offsite or retreat for 50+ people, including agenda design, logistics, budget, and facilitation.
• Travel flexibility: Comfortable traveling occasionally to our sites in Africa.

Nice to Have

• Experience working in Africa: Supporting teams or employing people in African countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, with an understanding of local labor law, payroll, and cultural context.
• Global health or NGO background: Experience working in a mission-driven organization.
• HR Qualification: CIPD Level 5 or above, or an equivalent HR qualification.
• UK-based: While fully remote, a UK base is ideal.

Benefits

• Genuine Impact: Work directly with partners and users to deliver technology that impacts millions of lives globally.
• An Incredible, Diverse Team: Join an externally recognized "Great Place to Work" and "Best Workplace for Women."
• Mutual Flex: Autonomy and trust-based flexible working hours to balance life's essentials and peak productivity times.
• Ultimate Work-Life Balance: Striking a healthy balance between professional and personal life, backed by semi-annual productivity assessments.
• Professional Development: Generous professional development budget ("Eduprints") for training, coaching, and access to global experts through the GLG network.