Head of HR

Who we are  

Launched at the UN Secretary General’s Climate Summit in 2019 and with more than $50m in unrestricted funds raised to date, the Clean Air Fund is a global philanthropic initiative that works to achieve clean air for all.   

The Clean Air Fund makes grants to reduce air pollution – to monitor the state of the air, to develop policies for clean energy and transport, to mobilise the public and to run campaigns. It is well resourced and scaling fast; funded by a growing partnership of leading foundations with interests across health, climate, children and mobility. It brings these and other organisations together to identify and create best practice, to share learnings and connect people, and ensure solutions are rapidly scaled up and replicated around the world.   

90% of the world’s population – approximately 6.8 billion people – live in places where the air they breathe is damaging their health. Outdoor air pollution is responsible for 4.2 million deaths worldwide – more than from malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS combined. The causes of climate change are often the same as the causes of air pollution, so tackling air pollution will not just save lives, but can also inject urgency into the climate change agenda. Improving air quality is a win for our planet, as well as its population.  

We believe in a world where everyone breathes clean air.  

We are a new organisation that is clear on what we offer and what we expect from everyone in the team.   

We offer the opportunity to be at the heart of efforts to reduce air pollution across the globe, working with an exceptionally high calibre team.  You would be part of shaping a growing and ambitious organisation, benefitting from our support and commitment to your learning and career development.   

In turn everyone who works with us is expected to share our values – collaborative, dynamic and evidence-informed - and to do their utmost to deliver our strategic objectives according to their role. As we are growing rapidly, comfort with almost continuous change is vital as is the desire to learn, improve and grow with the organisation.    

Further information is available on our website https://www.cleanairfund.org/  

Job Description  

Main purpose of the role  

To work closely with CAF’s director and manager teams to facilitate all aspects of effective people  management, help maintain CAF’s healthy organisational culture and make the charity a great place to work. We are a matrix-managed organisation with international growth plans.  

This role reports into the Director of Finance and Operations. Initially there is no direct line management responsibility, but the Executive Assistant offers support and, at times, the Head of HR will draw on the support of Analysts in the Programmes and Communications teams for particular projects. It is anticipated that there will be an HR Assistant role to report into this post in due course.  

Position Responsibilities  

Facilitate effective people management  

• Culture and Values champion. Act as CAF’s lead culture and values champion and work with the SLT (Senior Leadership Team) to help positively build CAF’s organisational culture  
• HR Policies and Admin. Own HR policies and procedures and ensure they are compliant with latest Employment Law and Board approval as required. Ensure HR admin/recording/reporting is up to date. Own the relationship with the external employment law advisors. 
• HR business partner support. Provide pro-active support and advice to line managers and employees including people planning, performance management, grievance and disciplinaries if necessary. Be a trusted sounding board for managers and employees.  
• HR Projects. Provide ad hoc HR support to Clean Air Fund teams or grantees as required and contribute appropriately to internal improvement projects.  
• HR Reporting. Develop and deliver regular team, SLT and Board level reporting as required. This will include numerical and qualitative analysis on all HR topics such as progress with recruitment, performance management, learning and development, feedback from employee and 360 surveys and more.  

Recruitment  

•  Recruit great people. Work with hiring managers to support recruitment – including role research, drafting job descriptions, sifting CVs, liaising with agencies, advertising, interviews, job offers and references, contracting and references and induction. 
• High quality recruitment system. Develop and establish our Employer Brand. Enhance CAF’s recruitment and induction processes and ensure they are fit for purpose, implemented and that recruitment is delivered on time and budget.  

Learning and development  

• Performance management. Lead CAF’s semi-annual performance review cycle including the 360 feedback and employee satisfaction surveys. Ensure lessons learnt, themes are captured, and actions are implemented.  
• Learning and development. Co-ordinate CAF’s L&D arrangements including analysing and identifying needs, supporting individuals with their development planning and the sourcing and management of suppliers and of the budget.  
• Team Away days. Contribute to the planning and delivery of the twice-yearly team days. 

People resourcing and planning  

• Time allocation. Input into the process and effective co-ordination of matrix management time allocation system.  
• Freelancer management. Develop and own a database of consultants and freelancers.  Manage the administration, including all contracting requirements, relating to use of experts, consultants and freelancers.  
• Planning and budgeting. Support the SLT with budget and forecasting cycles including help with team succession planning and headcount planning.  

Qualifications and experience 

Essential 

• HR work experience in SMEs undergoing rapid change and growth 
• Experience as a trusted HR business partner by senior managers and/or directors 
• Experience of setting up and running HR systems and processes independently 
• Experience of advising and dealing with performance management issues in partnership with line managers, independently of an HR line manager.   
• HR Manager experience working with a self-motivated, post-graduate qualified workforce   
• Experience of selecting, negotiating and managing HR supplier relationships such as recruitment agencies, trainers, employment lawyers etc 
• Experience of quickly building and having trusted relationships at all levels within an organisation, and of managing the confidentiality conflicts that arise. 
• Fluency in English 
• IT proficiency (most specifically in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint). 
• Up to date UK Employment law knowledge 
• Chartered MCIPD or Chartered FCIPD or MBA in HR Management, or non-UK equivalent  

Desirable 

• Interest in environmental and/or social change  
• HR experience working in a matrix working environment  
• Experience of delivering HR within an internationally based organisation  
• Experience working in a not for profit organisation 

Character 

• A do-er, able to work at pace and respond to opportunities 
• Happy to work autonomously and with an instinctive pragmatic and problem-solving approach 
• Supremely organised, great attention to detail and thorough  
• Collaborative with strong interpersonal skills, quick to build relationships 
• Resilient and with strong influencing skills 
• Motivated by delivering quality for the team, and championing improvements 
• Inquisitive, and able to think critically, objectively  
• Excellent communication skills - both written and verbal 
• Trustworthy and able to act with discretion and diplomacy

Further information  

• Based in London, with the opportunity to work from home 
• Market competitive salary and benefits  
• 0.6 FTE is preferred, with some flexibility to increase this to match candidate’s requirements    

Applications close:  Thursday 29th October 2020. Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis. 

Interviews: Interviews will be held virtually in the w/c 9th November. Final interviews will take place, where possible and appropriate, in Central London in the w/c 16th November.  

If you would like to apply for this exciting role, please include a cover letter with your CV and email your application to  hr@cleanairfund.org.  Your cover letter must include details relating to your eligibility to work in the UK. Please include in the subject line of your email the job you are applying for. If you have any questions regarding the application process, please email hr@cleanairfund.org 

Protecting your personal data is of the utmost importance to Clean Air Fund and we take this responsibility very seriously. Any information obtained is held and processed in accordance with the relevant data protection legislation. The data you provide us with is securely stored for the purposes of considering your suitability for the role you have expressed interest in.