People Policy Specialist

Manager, People and Culture 

Location: preference for London, possibility for elsewhere in UK with 2 days per week in our London office  

Role: Permanent  

Salary: £50,000 plus 10% employer-contributed pension 

Opportunity Green has fixed salary scales, with the possibility of step increases with strong performance. When hiring we always hire at the bottom of a band and do not enter negotiations with new employees as negotiations have been historically shown to disadvantage women and minorities.  

About us: 

Established in 2021, Opportunity Green is a fast-growing not-for-profit organisation that helps to identify and unlock opportunities to tackle climate change. We build ambitious coalitions, support climate vulnerable countries in international negotiations and find innovative legal pathways to fight climate change. We are now looking for an HR professional to be our go-to person for all employee-related issues as well as support our wider operations, to ensure we have a happy and productive workplace. 

What’s the role?

As Manager, People and Culture you will be involved in some of the most important activities for OG as they relate to our key resource – our people! You will be involved in job design, recruitment, employee relations, performance and talent management, and ensuring our policies and benefits are up to date and communicated well, supporting the team to be the best they can be.  

A secondary focus of the role will be supporting the Chief Operating Officer across other areas of running OG such as governance, systems, and finance that directly affect the ability of our people to work effectively. 

This is a fantastic role for someone who wants to combine their passions for people and climate and is happy to turn their hand to many different tasks. You will therefore need to be a great collaborator and creative thinker who is used to multitasking and responding to situations as they arise. 

About the candidate:

We are looking for a candidate with: 

• An inspirational, empathetic approach to supporting a rapidly growing organization. 

• Passion for stopping climate change and advancing climate justice. 

• Dedication to upholding and embedding Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in all that we do. 

Desirable skills and experience:

We do not expect any candidate to have all skills listed below but rather we look for transferable skills and potential as well as past experience. 

• Proven working experience as a HR Manager or other HR executive 

• Working knowledge of HR systems and databases 

• Ability to architect HR strategy that will help us achieve our organisational mission 

• Experience of working in HR in a European context and / or supporting visa sponsorship 

• CIPD or equivalent qualified, with an in-depth knowledge of employment law and HR best practices 

• People oriented and results driven  

• Active listening skills, negotiation and mediation skills and the ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders   

• Ability to think critically, independently and creatively 

• Effective at building relationships at all levels of the organization 

Diversity and inclusion:

Diversity and inclusion are important principles at OG. We believe that diversity and inclusion make teams stronger and more effective. We are committed to fair and equitable employment practices, and we are striving to ensure that a variety of voices and experiences are included in our organisation. Our commitment to diversity and our parental leave policy are available to view on our website, here. 

We will consider all applicants who meet most or all of the essential competencies regardless of their identity or background. That said, we know that diverse candidates may be reluctant to apply for jobs where they don’t meet 100% of the criteria outlined in the job description. We encourage anyone to apply who can demonstrate the variety of skills and experiences relevant to meeting the requirements of this role.  

We recognise that many diverse experiences and perspectives are not represented in our current workforce, and are seriously underrepresented across the non-profit sector in general, and as such, we particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities, people of colour, people from marginalised backgrounds, and members of the LGBTQIA+ communities. We will use positive action under the Equality Act 2010 to appoint from these groups if two candidates are equally qualified. We also value flexible working and are open to those who would want to work part-time in this role.  

What we offer:

The successful candidate will be offered an annual salary of £50,000 plus 10% employer-contributed pension. Please note that OG has fixed salary scales, with the possibility of step increases with strong performance. When hiring we always hire at the bottom of a band and do not enter negotiations with new employees as negotiations have been historically shown to disadvantage women and minorities. 

We take our team’s well-being and professional development seriously. In addition to a competitive salary, we offer:  

• A commitment to work/life balance, with a 4-day work week at 28 hours 

• A generous holiday entitlement of 20 days holidays per year, plus bank holidays and office closure between Christmas and New Year’s that does not count towards your holiday entitlement (and expectation that you fully disconnect when taking time off) 

• A market-leading pension of 10%  

• A progressive parental leave policy, including 26 weeks paid leave for both parents 

• Lots of flexibility within a hybrid working arrangement, with regular opportunities to come together as a team  

• Support for your professional development as part of Opportunity Green, with a budget to support your learning & development plus opportunities to lead projects, publish content, learn from experts, work directly with policymakers and stakeholders, and take part in conferences and events. 

However, it is important to note that while this role is permanent, employment is always reliant on Opportunity Green continuing to receive philanthropic support from our funders, which we expect every member of the team to play their part in working towards. 

How to apply: 

To minimize the risk of unconscious bias, we ask that applicants remove certain identifying elements from their CVs.If you do not remove these details, we reserve the right to withdraw your application from review.  

• Photos 

• Name – if needed, please use ‘Applicant’ 

• Age 

• Email and/or phone number 

Unfortunately, if you do not already hold the right to work in the UK and/or require sponsorship to continue working in the UK, OG will not be able to consider your application at this time.  

The closing date for applications is March 25th, 9AM UK time.  

What happens next? 

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an online peer interview to discuss their experience and suitability for the role. After this, candidates that are most suitable for the vacancy will be invited for an in-person interview in our London office, for which there may also be a short task. Travel will be reimbursed for non-London-based applicants.  

Online interviews are likely to take place 10th - 15th April and in person interviews 22nd - 25th April, although this could be subject to change.  

We reserve the right to ask for references during the recruitment process.