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Head of HR

Employer
ZSL
Location
London NW1
Salary
£61,561 - £66,908 per annum (Inclusive of London Weighting) plus benefits
Closing date
3 Jun 2019

ZSL is seeking a highly credible and collaborative individual, who will provide operational leadership to the HR team in the UK (across two sites London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo) and oversee HR support for 9 overseas country offices, ensuring a high quality HR service is provided across all areas of the Society’s activities.

Position: Head of HR
Contract: Full-Time / Permanent
Salary: £61,561 - £66,908 per annum (Inclusive of London Weighting) plus benefits
Location: ZSL London Zoo – NW1

About Us: 
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a charity founded in 1826, is a world-renowned centre of excellence for conservation science and applied conservation. ZSL’s mission is to promote and achieve the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. This is realised by carrying out field conservation and research in over 50 countries across the globe and through education and awareness-raising at our two zoos, ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, inspiring people to take conservation action.

Job Overview: 
Reporting directly to the HR Director and managing a team of 12 people, this critical role will take responsibility for developing and delivering efficient HR processes including recruitment, business partnering, rewards and HR systems, and employee engagement and will be influential in supporting the personal development of the team. In collaboration with the Head of Organisational Development and Training  you will play a key role in supporting the HR Director with the ongoing development and implementation of the Society’s People and Culture strategy and ensuring it is aligned to the new ZSL strategy and implemented across all areas of the business.

The Head of HR will also work collaboratively with staff nationally and internationally with support from the Director of HR. This will include partnering with all parts of ZSL (Science, Conservation and Policy and Zoos and Engagement) and providing exceptional leadership support, reporting, monitoring and communications systems to ensure a high-quality service is upheld across the society.

This senior management role requires a confident, resilient and proactive individual who has gravitas and is capable of making operational decisions on a global scale and can think strategically. We are a team with great ambition that continuously seeks to improve our approach and are keen to meet candidates with previous experience or are currently operating as a Head of HR and hold extensive experience working with a range of stakeholders including lawyers, executive committees, trustees and council members. The successful candidate will also possess exceptional people and project-management skills, and be able to plan and keep track of multiple projects while constantly evaluating the business environment for opportunities and threats.

This is a fantastic and exciting opportunity for the successful candidate to take on a senior post within an established international organisation. You must be genuinely excited by the prospect of joining a world leading conservation charity such as ZSL. We have built such a strong reputation as a team internally and externally that in 2017 we won 3 external HR Excellence Awards including the prestigious Gold Award and were highly commended for the Best Learning and Development Strategy.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

  • Working with the HR Director, develop and deliver the HR department’s vision, strategy and plan.
  • Lead on the delivery of strategic information and business analysis; production of budgets and reports.
  • Under the guidance of the HR Director lead and oversee priority change projects.
  • Work with the Head of Organisational Development & Training to lead and manage organisational, cultural and behavioural change programmes.
  • Develop communication strategies to promote change with staff and unions, collaborating and consulting where appropriate.
  • Work alongside the team on overseas compliance and equity on in country terms and conditions, policies, pay, job descriptions and succession planning.
  • Work with the Reward & HR Systems Manager to develop, implement and review HR reward and system processes in line with organisational needs.
  • Deputise for the HR Director in key stakeholder meetings if required.

Person Specification

  • Chartered CIPD qualified, ideally FCIPD.
  • Significant experience in developing and delivering effective employee engagement strategies.
  • Proven experience working successfully at strategic level including developing high-level business plans in a business partnering structure, ideally within an internationally focused organisation.
  • Proven experience of developing and implementing equality and diversity initiatives.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
  • Extensive experience of managing employee relations casework.
  • Strong project management skills, able to oversee multiple projects and prioritise as necessary.
  • Exceptional understanding of relevant employment law and recent case law outcomes.
  • Extensive experience leading cross functional teams and implementing HR strategy globally.
  • Current or previous people management experience (>10) is essential as is the ability to work with a wide range of people from different cultures.
  • A solution-focused approach and the ability to make objective decisions under pressure will make you a success in this role.

Please note: This is a full-time (37.5 hours per week), permanent position reporting to the HR Director. The post will be based at ZSL’s head office in Regents Park however, will require the post holder to travel to Whipsnade Zoo and may occasionally require travel to our overseas offices. Having a "can do attitude", solution-focused approach and the ability to make objective decisions under pressure will make you a success in this role.

Benefit Package: This role offers a competitive salary plus a comprehensive benefits package including 25 days holiday, stakeholder pension where the employer minimum contribution is 7%, complimentary zoo tickets and more.

Closing date for applications: Midnight (23:59) Monday 19th May 2019.

To Apply and for More Information:

If you would like to find out more about this position, please click the apply button to be directed to our website where you can complete your application.

We are committed to the principle of equal opportunities in employment.

The Zoological Society of London is a charity registered in England and Wales: no. 208728.

No agencies please.

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