Legal PA

SubSea Craft Limited; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent humanitarian organization is looking for an Operations Manager to oversee compliance and risk management within their international development projects. The role involves maintaining key operational policies, budgeting, and leading improvements in operational efficiency while ensuring adherence to standards. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in programme management, particularly with FCDO-funded initiatives and must have the right to work in the UK. The position offers hybrid working conditions with a minimum of three office attendance days per week.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in multi-stakeholder programme or operations management.
• Substantial experience with FCDO-funded programmes or UK Government contracts highly desirable.
• Background in compliance, risk management, and audit readiness.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to Head Contract management and implementation.
• Oversee development and improvement of operational policies and SOPs.
• Quality-assure budgeting, forecasting, and management reporting.
• Champion learning and development by identifying skills gaps.

Skills

Multi-stakeholder programme management

Compliance and risk management

Strong communication skills

Critical thinking and analysis

Education

Experience in international development or humanitarian contexts

Knowledge of FCDO-funded programmes

Job description

The Humanitarian and Stabilisation Operations Team (HSOT), contracted by Palladium to deliver the Humanitarian Emergency Response Operations and Stabilisation (HEROS) programme, provides operational and advisory support to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and UK Government partners across more than 130 countries. The role forms part of the Operations team reporting to the Deputy Director-Strategy and Operations. The post will focus on strengthening operational compliance, risk management and programme assurance while driving practical transformation and innovation across HSOT. The post-holder will lead discrete change initiatives that improve value for money (VfM), audit readiness and operational efficiency, embedding best practice. This is a fixed‑term employment post covering for maternity leave until 15 December. The post holder will line‑manage the Finance Manager and Senior Operations Programme Manager, Programme Management & Delivery.

General Responsibilities

• Contribute to Head Contract management and implementation by maintaining awareness of key terms and obligations; support updates to contractual documents and amendments.
• Oversee development, maintenance and improvement of HSOT operational policies and SOPs, ensuring teams understand and follow required processes.
• Coordinate elements of transition and exit planning in partnership with the Senior Operations PM and Coordination Cell, ensuring obligations are communicated, compliance audited and reported.
• Embed KPI refresh and dashboard improvements so operational data fairly and transparently reflects capacity, performance and impact.

Financial Management & Assurance

• Quality‑assure budgeting, forecasting and management reporting in collaboration with the Finance Manager and Senior Leadership, ensuring accuracy, completeness and timeliness.
• Support audit readiness and implementation of audit recommendations to enhance financial controls and compliance with Palladium policies and FCDO requirements.
• Promote application of budget flexibilities and VfM strategies through data‑driven analysis and scenario planning; ensure appropriate communication to client contract managers.
• Oversee quarterly reviews of project budget utilisation including explanations of under/overspend and projections of future risks in these areas.

Human Resources

• Champion learning & development by identifying skills gaps and proposing targeted training or coaching to strengthen operational and compliance capability.
• Support resourcing practices against strategic priorities and operational needs; collaborate with HR on recruitment workflows and onboarding for project teams.
• Act as an escalation point for issue resolution related to operational processes, working constructively with the Operations Team Leader and HR Manager.

Legal & Regulatory Compliance

• Embed and maintain compliance with GDPR legislation and ISO27001 standards through practical SOPs and routine checks.
• Support VAT compliance assurance by aligning SOPs with agreed application; assist with training for managers overseeing VAT determination across the programme.
• Ensure risk activities comply with UK laws, FCDO regulations and Palladium policies; maintain appropriate documentation and evidence for audit.

Procurement & Subcontractor Management

• Strengthen processes for head‑contract procurement of goods and services outside of SCT; uphold Palladium policies, regulatory requirements and client guidelines.
• Support maintenance of subcontractor agreements and embed supplier management practices to ensure delivery of VfM and programme needs through the life of the contract.
• Partner with SCT to clarify division of responsibilities that enhances operational efficiency, accountability and responsiveness.

Risk & Compliance Tracking

• Lead implementation and continuous improvement of HSOT risk management processes, including a practical audit schedule for key workflows.
• Own internal risks tied to commercial, contractual and financial workflows with cascaded responsibilities in place; monitor mitigations and report issues early.
• Develop metrics and dashboards to track compliance status, audit outcomes and corrective actions; brief HSOT leadership and client contract managers on progress.

Data & Knowledge Management

• Gather and curate accurate capacity, cost and performance data to inform decision‑making and support fair, transparent assessments.
• Improve knowledge management practices so policies, SOPs and guidance are easy to find, current and consistently applied across teams.

Collaboration & Ways of Working

• Work constructively with colleagues to achieve shared goals; share knowledge, support others and contribute to a positive, inclusive team culture.
• Be open to feedback and willing to adapt to meet team needs; act with integrity, reliability and respect in all interactions.
• Represent Palladium positively in all professional settings; take ownership of tasks and deliver to agreed standards and deadlines.

Other Duties

• Contribute to HEROS contract monthly, quarterly and annual reporting on specialist portfolio areas and support results‑based reporting as requested.
• Support business transition and exit planning: play a pivotal role in adapting to system upgrades and organisational changes, ensuring the workforce is aligned with future business needs.

Hybrid working: minimum attendance of three days in the office, in line with Palladium policy.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in multi‑stakeholder programme or operations management within international development or humanitarian contexts.
• Substantial experience with FCDO‑funded programmes or UK Government contracts (highly desirable).
• Background in compliance, risk management, audit readiness and reporting; practical knowledge of budgeting, cash‑flow regulation, balance sheets and P&L monitoring.
• Experience developing and implementing policies and procedures; proven ability to drive operational efficiencies through technology and process improvements.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills; proven ability to build excellent working relationships internally and externally.
• Goal‑oriented with excellent critical thinking, analysis, planning and organisational aptitude; proven ability to manage varied, demanding and rapidly changing workloads.
• Candidates must have the Right to work in the UK as Palladium does not sponsor for work visas. The closing date for the advert is 23 December.