HR & Operations Manager Amref Health Africa UK Reports to: Head of Finance, Operations & People
Line reports: None
Contract: 6 months, fixed-term: part-time 4 days/28hrs per week
Location: Hybrid – a mix of home working and time in our London (Bermondsey) office
Salary: £51,200 (FTE £64,000) per annum
About Amref Health Africa
Amref Health Africa is the largest Africa-based international health development organisation. We work to bring about lasting health change in Africa.
Headquartered in Nairobi, Amref works in 35 countries to improve access to healthcare and to help create an environment that is conducive to good health. Amref’s programmes focus on: child health and nutrition; communicable and non-communicable diseases; health financing; maternal, newborn health; neglected tropical diseases; sexual and reproductive health and rights; and water and sanitation and hygiene. Our programmes align with our Global Strategy objectives: to increase primary healthcare access for all, and to address the social determinants of health such as access to education, gender, and exposure to the impacts of climate change.
Amref Health Africa UK (Amref UK) is an independent UK-registered NGO that exists to support the programme and policy activities of Amref. With a UK-based Board of Trustees and staff team, our main purpose in the UK is to develop and manage partnerships with UK donors who want to support Amref’s work in Africa. Amref UK’s Strategy 2024–2030 will deliver growth to support the work towards Africa’s health transformation. Guided by our organisational values of Integrity, Quality and Ubuntu, we raise funds by engaging supporters and donors from across the giving spectrum.
About this Role The HR & Operations Manager ensures the organisation has effective people, systems and workplace practices in place. The postholder develops and delivers the HR strategy, manages the full employee lifecycle, and provides expert advice to managers and staff on employment matters, ensuring compliance with UK employment law and best practice.
Key responsibilities include recruitment and onboarding, performance management, learning and development, employee relations, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, HR policy development, salary benchmarking, and maintaining HR systems and records. The role also supports organisational change, manages HR budgets and stakeholder relationships, and works closely with the Senior Management Team and Board of Trustees on governance, strategy, risk management and workforce planning.
In addition, the role oversees day-to-day office operations, including health and safety, facilities management, business continuity planning, IT services, internal communications, insurance arrangements and contractor relationships. The postholder ensures a safe, productive and legally compliant working environment.
The ideal candidate will have significant generalist HR experience, strong knowledge of UK employment law, experience developing HR policies and leading organisational change, and excellent stakeholder management skills. A CIPD qualification (or equivalent experience), strong organisational and communication skills, and a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion are essential. Experience in the charity, humanitarian or international development sector is highly desirable.
Responsibilities
HUMAN RESOURCES
1. Manage all aspects of the employment lifecycle for staff and volunteers including recruitment and selection, employment contracts and variations, onboarding & offboarding, performance management, learning & development, employee relations, health & wellbeing, culture & engagement, and diversity & inclusion, pursuing best practice and ensuring legal compliance.
2. Update and maintain employee files and HRIS ensuring that all administration is kept up to date and legally compliant, working closely with the Finance Team to ensure employee information is kept up to date and payroll instructions are accurate and meet deadlines.
3. Monitor the employment market, undertake formal & informal salary benchmarking and make recommendations to the Board on salary adjustments in line with the Salary Policy.
4. Guide and provide channels for staff feedback and work with the Senior Management Team (SMT) to ensure any actions are followed up on.
5. Keep up to date with HR policies & best practice and implement changes in line with employment law updating the Policies & Procedures Handbook as appropriate.
6. Guide and advise line managers and employees through all HR-related issues and aspects of the employee life cycle in accordance with the consistent application of Amref UK’s policies and procedures and compliance with employment law.
7. Liaise with external legal partners for complex employee relations or visa cases.
8. Manage the annual performance appraisal process, compiling learning and development needs and coordinating learning and development activities for employees.
9. Participate in the Board sub-Committee on Governance and ensure the Committee is aware of any HR and office related issues and bring topics for input as required.
10. Coordinate the recruitment and selection process of Trustees, assisting the Chair and Chief Executive to develop job descriptions, manage prospective applicant enquiries, shortlist candidates, arrange interviews, and oversee the process of onboarding and induction of new Trustees.
11. Manage all HR stakeholder relationships, systems and processes, including those held with Amref’s global HR counterparts, UK Visa & Immigration, employment agencies, BHSF and CintraHR.
12. Manage the HR budget, ensuring optimisation of all expenditure in consultation with the Head of Finance, Operations & People.
13. Support the SMT and the Board in the development and monitoring of Amref UK’s Strategy, Operational Plan and Risk Register.
IT & OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
1. Oversee the smooth day-to-day running of the office, ensuring a clean, safe and productive environment for all users.
2. Oversee employee safety and welfare in the workplace, ensuring all staff receive appropriate training and instruction to work safely and liaising with the landlord (Canopi) on all Health & Safety and premises matters on behalf of Amref UK
3. Support the SMT to ensure Business Continuity Planning and risk assessments are carried out, kept up to date and arising actions implemented.
4. Support line managers to create a safe and compliant workspace for home-based working.
5. Manage all office and operations stakeholder relationships, including global Amref HQICT and Operations colleagues, contractors, service providers and the landlord.
6. In conjunction with the Head of Finance, Operations & People, oversee the implementation of contracts between Amref UK and third parties, ensuring template documents are fit for purpose and legally compliant.
7. Manage the relationship with Amref UK’s outsourced IT support provider (QlicIT) to ensure effective and efficient running of the organisation’s IT systems.
8. Manage the Operations and IT budgets, ensuring optimisation of all expenditure in consultation with the Head of Finance, Operations & People.
9. In conjunction with the SMT, Brand & Communications Manager and the Executive Assistant, implement appropriate internal communication structures, policies and systems to allow all internal teams to share information that enhances organisational productivity and effectiveness.
10. Work with the Finance, Operations & People team to ensure appropriate insurance coverage is in place for the organisation.
Person Specification
ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS AND KNOWLEDGE
▪ CIPD qualification (Level 5/7) or equivalent professional experience with evidence of continuous professional development.
▪ Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
▪ Good understanding of Health & Safety legislation and compliance requirements.
▪ Knowledge of HR information systems, performance management, employee relations and organisational development.
▪ Understanding of UK charity governance requirements and experience working with or supporting Boards and Committees.
▪ Commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion and employee wellbeing.
▪ Alignment with the organisation's mission, values and culture.
ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE
▪ Standalone management of the full employee lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, performance management, learning and development, employee relations and offboarding.
▪ Developing, implementing and reviewing HR policies, procedures and strategies.
▪ Providing HR guidance and support to managers and employees at all levels.
▪ Supporting organisational change and continuous improvement initiatives.
▪ Managing complex employee relations issues, including disciplinary, grievance and redundancy processes.
▪ Overseeing office operations, health and safety, facilities and business continuity processes.
▪ Managing external stakeholders, suppliers and service providers.
▪ Managing budgets and monitoring expenditure.
▪ Contributing to organisational planning, risk management and governance activities.
▪ Working within the charity, not-for-profit, humanitarian or international development sector is desirable.
ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
▪ Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
▪ Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills with the ability to build effective relationships across all levels.
▪ Ability to influence, advise and support senior leaders and managers.
▪ Strong organisational, planning and prioritisation skills with excellent attention to detail.
▪ Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within a small team environment.
▪ Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with sound judgement and discretion.
▪ Proficient in Microsoft 365 applications and HR Information Systems.
▪ Ability to manage multiple priorities and adapt to changing organisational needs.
▪ High level of professionalism, integrity and confidentiality.
▪ Cultural awareness and the ability to work effectively with colleagues and stakeholders in diverse international environments.
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
▪ Collaborative and approachable.
▪ Proactive and solutions-focused.
▪ Resilient and adaptable.
▪ Committed to continuous improvement and learning.
▪ Passionate about supporting people and enabling organisational success.
▪ Strong commitment to inclusion, fairness and employee engagement.
Benefits of Working at Amref UK ▪ Amref UK is a Living Wage and Disability Confident employer
▪ Generous pension scheme with employer contribution of 7.5%
▪ Flexible working opportunities
▪ Enhanced parental leave, personal celebration day and volunteering leave policies
▪ 25 days annual holiday allowance, rising to 27 after 2 years’ service, plus bank holidays and 3 additional days at Christmas
▪ Season ticket loan and Cycle-to-work schemes
▪ Staff benefits and Employee Assistance Programme through BHSF Connect
▪ Tickets for Good membership
▪ Support for continuous professional development
Notes for Applicants
Unfortunately Amref UK is not able to support UK work permit sponsorship for this role, so all candidates
must already hold UK Right to Work status.
While AI may be used to help you to research our organisation and prepare for our recruitment process,
your application should represent your skills and personal experiences accurately and authentically. AI must
not be used to produce responses given during an interview.
Amref UK champions diversity, equity and inclusion in every aspect of our work. We appoint our staff on
merit, respecting and valuing the wide range of ways in which they can demonstrate the potential,
experience and skills we seek.
If you have additional access needs, require support with your application, or if you have any questions
about the role, please email HR@amrefuk.org with “HR & Ops Manager” in the subject line.