Head of HR and Corporate Services

Zinc Network; Greater London; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Zinc Network, based in Greater London, is seeking a Head of HR and Corporate Services to lead the people function and oversee the wider Corporate Operations portfolio. You will provide senior HR guidance, ensure policy compliance, and support executives on workforce strategy and governance.

You will drive recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, performance management, and organisational development, ensuring data protection and effective governance across the business.

Responsibilities

• Lead Zinc's HR and people agenda, translating organisational priorities into effective people plans, policies and practices.
• Act as the organisation's senior HR adviser, providing expert guidance to the Director of Group Finance and senior leaders on complex people matters.
• Ensure HR policies, practices and employment arrangements remain compliant with UK employment legislation and briefing senior leadership on implications.
• Ensure effective recruitment and onboarding practices are in place, supporting managers to attract, select and integrate talent into the organisation.
• Identify emerging people risks and use workforce data and insight to inform planning and improvements to employee experience.
• Lead and advise on complex or sensitive employee relations matters, including performance, conduct, capability, grievance and absence.
• Oversee employment contracts and significant variations to terms and conditions, ensuring compliance and governance.
• Lead organisational change processes, including restructuring, consultation and redundancy where required.
• Manage relationships with external employment lawyers and advisers to ensure proper documentation and confidentiality.
• Lead the development and improvement of Zinc's performance management and leadership capability.
• Support succession and workforce planning to ensure critical capabilities and resourcing.
• Oversee reward and benefits framework, benchmarking, pay reviews and governance.
• Oversee HR systems and employee data, ensuring secure record-keeping and retention compliance.
• Provide senior oversight of Zinc's Corporate Operations portfolio and risk management.

Job description

Introducing Zinc Network For over fifteen years, Zinc Network has been helping governments and businesses navigate the world's most complex challenges using communications, technology, and behavioural science. We work on some of the toughest briefs: protecting children online, strengthening democratic resilience, and championing purpose-driven technologies and organisations. Working in partnership with a global network of media outlets, communities, and influencers, we help clients understand complex issues, design and deliver behavioural interventions, create compelling campaigns, activate trusted grassroots networks, and evaluate impact. We're now building Kora - our AI-powered platform that systematises this expertise into scalable technology, enabling clients to work faster, more impactfully, and more cost-effectively. We're looking for people who want to operate at the intersection of geopolitics, security, and technological disruption, and who are committed to building a safer, more secure world.

Role Purpose

The Head of HR and Corporate Services leads Zinc's people function and provides senior oversight of the wider Corporate Operations portfolio, ensuring the organisation has effective people practices, governance and operational infrastructure to support its strategy and workforce. As Zinc's senior HR lead, the role provides expert advice to leaders and managers across the employee lifecycle, ensuring people policies, organisational practices and employee relations are legally compliant, consistent and aligned with organisational needs. The role also provides leadership and oversight across business operations and compliance, working through specialist colleagues and external advisers to ensure risks are effectively managed and appropriate standards are maintained.

Core Responsibilities

• HR Strategy & People Leadership
• Lead Zinc's HR and people agenda, translating organisational priorities into effective people plans, policies and practices.
• Act as the organisation's senior HR adviser, providing expert and pragmatic guidance to the Director of Group Finance, Managing Director and senior leaders on complex people matters.
• Ensure HR policies, practices and employment arrangements remain compliant with UK employment legislation, monitoring forthcoming legislative changes and briefing senior leadership on the implications for Zinc.
• Ensure effective recruitment and onboarding practices are in place, supporting managers to attract, select and integrate talent into the organisation.
• Identify emerging people risks and use workforce data and insight to inform organisational priorities, planning and improvements to employee experience.
• Employee Relations & Employment Practice
• Lead and advise on complex or sensitive employee relations matters
• including performance, conduct, capability, grievance and absence
• providing constructive challenge to managers and ensuring issues are handled fairly and consistently.
• Oversee employment contracts, contractual frameworks and significant variations to terms and conditions, ensuring appropriate legal and organisational standards are maintained.
• Lead or advise on organisational change processes, including restructuring, consultation and redundancy where required.
• Manage relationships with external employment lawyers and specialist advisers, ensuring appropriate documentation, governance and confidentiality are maintained across sensitive matters.
• Performance, Capability & Organisational Development
• Lead the development and continual improvement of Zinc's performance management approach, ensuring clear expectations, meaningful feedback and appropriate accountability across the organisation.
• Identify capability requirements and skills gaps, and develop practical approaches to management and leadership capability that support managers in leading their teams effectively.
• Support succession and workforce planning, ensuring critical organisational capabilities and future resourcing requirements are understood.
• Oversee employee engagement, wellbeing and organisational culture, using feedback and insight to drive improvements that reinforce accountability, inclusion and high performance.
• Reward, Benefits & People Governance
• Provide oversight of Zinc's reward and benefits framework, ensuring arrangements and provider relationships remain appropriate, equitable and effectively governed.
• Support senior leadership in salary benchmarking, pay review and reward decisions, providing HR advice and appropriate market insight.
• Oversee HR systems and employee data, ensuring accurate, secure record-keeping and reporting in line with data protection requirements and organisational retention policies.
• Corporate Operations & Compliance Oversight
• Provide senior oversight of Zinc's wider Corporate Operations portfolio, reviewing significant operational and compliance issues and determining appropriate escalation or response in conjunction with the Director of Gr