Co-director of People & Operations (People Lead)

This role requires that you are resident and have the right to work in the UK

About the Role

NEON’s People & Operations Hub makes sure all our internal systems run smoothly and that our team is happy, high-performing and cared for. As Co-Director of People & Operations, you will lead on the “People” (HR and culture) side of this Hub – overseeing our people strategy, HR policies, and team development – while your co-director focuses on other operational areas like finance, fundraising and compliance. Together, you’ll ensure NEON is both high impact and a joyful place to work, embodying our values of respect, generosity and solidarity in all internal practices.

In this role you will spearhead projects that support our staff to thrive, from training and development programs to anti-oppression initiatives. You’ll also serve as the go-to person for complex people issues and maintain the systems that keep our internal communications and decision-making transparent. As part of NEON’s senior leadership team, you will help steer the organisation’s strategy, bringing a people-centered, values-led perspective to every discussion.

This is a senior leadership position for an experienced people-operations professional who is passionate about social justice and building healthy organisations. If you’re excited about developing teams and culture in a way that challenges oppressive systems while delivering real-world impact, we’d love to hear from you!

Key Responsibilities

1. Co-Lead the People & Ops Hub: In partnership with your Co-Director, co-manage NEON’s People & Operations Hub – a team of five staff covering fundraising, finance, operations and HR support. You’ll coordinate weekly and quarterly planning, set priorities, and ensure a collaborative, caring and high-performing team culture within the Hub. While your counterpart leads on areas like finance and fundraising, you will support those operational projects as needed (stepping in when required to support on finances, governance, compliance, etc.). In practice, this means working closely with your Co-Director to deliver on the Hub’s strategy and recognising your complementary skill sets to cover the Hub’s wide remit.

2. HR Policy Development & Safeguarding: Develop, update, and implement internal policies so that they are fair, values-driven, and compliant with legal requirements. From everyday HR policies (e.g. parental leave, performance management) to big-picture frameworks (e.g. our anti-oppression strategy), you will ensure our policies not only look good on paper but are actually understood and accessible to staff in practice. In addition, you will serve as NEON’s Organisational Safeguarding Lead, making sure we have the proper safeguarding policies in place for both internal work and public events, and that all staff (and associates/facilitators) receive appropriate training.

3. Leadership Systems & Internal Communication: Create and maintain the systems and frameworks for effective leadership and collaboration across NEON. You will design processes for transparent decision-making, internal information sharing, and knowledge management so that all staff understand how and why decisions are made by the leadership, and can access the information they need. This also involves setting up channels for feedback and dialogue, and fostering a culture where giving constructive feedback and handling conflict can happen in a kind, productive way.

4. Handling Complex People Issues: Act as the escalation point for sensitive or complex HR situations and team culture challenges. In a workplace committed to transforming systems of oppression, conflicts or performance issues can be uniquely challenging. You will support managers and staff to navigate these situations in a way that balances our justice-oriented, compassionate approach with the need for accountability and legal compliance. This could involve spotting performance or capacity issues early and coaching managers on intervening, guiding someone through giving difficult feedback, sitting in on formal performance or conduct meetings, and managing processes like grievances or even transformative justice approaches. When someone’s behavior isn’t aligning with our culture or expectations, you’ll help hold space for tough conversations – “calling in” when possible – to address issues while minimising harm.

5. Staff Development & Learning: Lead NEON’s work on staff training, learning and impact evaluation. This includes coaching managers on best practices, organising all-team trainings (from hard skills like finance to anti-oppression or safeguarding), and developing robust monitoring & evaluation systems to capture our impact. You will run an annual staff development survey to identify needs and make sure our team’s skills (and our overall impact) keep growing year on year. You’ll also plan key all-team learning events (e.g. away days and retreats) that nourish our culture and help our people recharge and connect.

6. Anti-Oppression & Inclusion Strategy: Lead the development and implementation of NEON’s organisation-wide anti-oppression strategy. You will champion anti-oppression in all aspects of our work – from internal policies to the design of external events – ensuring that this lens is front and centre. This involves supporting staff and managers to embed anti-oppression principles in their own projects (bringing in external experts for support when needed). For example, you might work with the operations team to carry out accessibility improvements, ensure line managers are equipped to support neurodivergent staff, or review program content to make sure it’s anti-oppressive by design. (“When we talk about oppression, we mean connected systems like racism, ableism, sexism that dominate our world – and collective liberation from these systems is deeply embedded in how we approach our work.”)

7. Senior Leadership & Strategy: Play an active role in NEON’s senior leadership team (the Directors Group). Along with directors of our other teams (Movement Building and Communications) and the Executive Director, you will help steer NEON’s overall direction and strategy. In these meetings you’ll bring a people-and-operations perspective – raising any insights you have on team morale, capacity or trends, and ensuring organisational decisions always consider their impact on staff. You’ll also take the time to understand the work of other teams (Movement Building, Comms, etc.) so you can contribute meaningfully to organisation-wide planning. Additionally, you may coach or support other senior leaders in developing their management skills (for example, helping a program director navigate a team challenge). Externally, you will represent NEON in operational peer networks or other movement-building forums as appropriate – sharing our practices and learning from others in the field.

8. Operational Excellence & Attention to Detail: Ensure a high level of attention to detail in all operational processes and outputs coming from the People & Ops Hub. This means keeping an eye on the “small” but important things – making sure contracts and HR paperwork are correct, recruitment processes are consistent and unbiased, budgets and financial decisions are sound, and compliance requirements are met. You’ll cultivate a mindset of thoroughness and accountability on the team so that nothing falls through the cracks.

(Note: We know no one can do all of these things perfectly at all times. You will be supported by your Co-Director and the wider team – we work collaboratively, share tasks, and have each other’s backs.)

A Day in the Life – Co-Director of People & Operations

No two days look the same, but most start with checking in with your Co-Director – maybe to set priorities for the week, or chat through a complex HR issue that’s cropped up. Together, you steer the People & Ops Hub, supporting a small, skilled team juggling everything from finance and fundraising to systems, culture and care.

You spend part of the day coaching a manager on how to handle a performance conversation well, then reviewing an updated parental leave policy to make sure it’s practical and values-led, or planning an all-team session on impact and learning. There’s always a balance to strike between longer-term projects and more responsive needs - someone might flag a tricky team dynamic, a safeguarding query, or need advice on inclusive recruitment. You’re a sounding board, but also a decision maker.

Later, you join the Directors Group – NEON’s leadership team – where you help shape big picture strategy and bring a people focused perspective to organisational decisions - as well as sharing feedback that you’ve gathered from the wider team. Finally, you have a meeting with a project team to help them think through how to embed anti-oppression principles into some content they’re developing, before heading off to represent NEON on a panel on Building Resilient Organisations.

It’s a role that mixes structure with flexibility, and strategy with hands-on problem-solving. You’ll have a lot of autonomy, space to lead, and a team that really values reflection, care and doing things well – together.

About You – Key Skills and Experience

We’re looking for a values-driven leader who can bring solid HR and people-management skills, along with a passion for anti-oppression and justice. The ideal candidate will have many of the following skills and experiences:

• Leadership & Management: At least 5 years’ experience in a leadership role, with proven ability to lead a team toward a vision, delegate effectively, and cultivate a positive, high-performance team culture. (You should have experience in both line management of individuals and managing teams or projects.)
• Staff Development & Learning: Experience designing and implementing staff development initiatives, such as training programs, coaching, or monitoring & evaluation processes to drive organisational learning. You know how to assess skill gaps and create programs that help people grow.
• HR Expertise & Policy Design: Strong knowledge of HR best practices and employment law (e.g. UK employment regulations), with hands-on experience developing and implementing workplace policies and processes. You ensure that policies are not only legally compliant but also truly aligned with organisational values of fairness and inclusion.
• Safeguarding: A thorough understanding of safeguarding principles and best practices – including both traditional approaches and more transformative or “radical” models of safeguarding – and the ability to apply them in an organisational context. (For example, you’re confident ensuring the safety and wellbeing of staff and participants at events, and handling any sensitive issues that arise, in line with our policies.)
• Handling Complex HR & Culture Issues: A track record of navigating challenging performance, conduct, or culture issues in a compassionate yet effective way. You can address situations where politics, identity, and legal considerations intersect, ensuring outcomes that are both equitable and compliant. In practice, this means you’re comfortable handling difficult conversations and interventions – from managing underperformance or misconduct, to mediating conflicts – with discretion and fairness.
• Conflict Resolution & Coaching: You see conflict or tough feedback as an opportunity for growth, and you know how to facilitate resolution while mitigating harm. You’re skilled at mediating between people and can “hold space” for hard conversations, helping others move forward. Moreover, you excel at coaching and developing others: you bring out the best in people through support and challenge, empowering colleagues to grow in their roles.
• Internal Communication Systems: Demonstrated experience setting up or improving internal communication and information-sharing systems. You know how to ensure that staff across all levels are kept in the loop about leadership decisions, understand the “why” behind those decisions, and have avenues to ask questions or provide input. In other words, you excel at making an organisation’s internal workings transparent and well-understood by everyone.
• Anti-Oppression: Deep personal commitment to anti-oppression practice and building inclusive spaces. You’ve done the work on this, and you are confident in supporting others on this journey. You have experience leading initiatives to drive anti-oppression strategies in an organisation, and you’re always looking to challenge structural oppression (racism, sexism, ableism, classism, etc.) in how we work.
• People Person & Facilitator: A genuine “people person” – you build and maintain relationships with ease and care deeply about those around you. Colleagues would likely describe you as a great listener and someone who makes others feel heard and supported. You’re also a skilled facilitator, comfortable designing and guiding workshops, meetings or events (for example, leading an all-team away day or a training session) in a way that is inclusive and engaging for everyone.
• Strategic & Analytical Thinking: Strong strategic thinking skills – you can spot patterns and dynamics in team culture or organisational processes, identify root causes of problems, and come up with thoughtful solutions. You’re not afraid to ask “big picture” questions and use data or feedback to inform decisions.
• Flexible and Organised Work Style: Ability to balance longer-term projects with responsive day-to-day tasks. You stay self-motivated and organised, whether you’re pushing forward a months-long project or handling an urgent issue that pops up this week. You can manage your time and energy effectively to meet deadlines without burning out.
• Collaboration & Self-Direction: A collaborative team player who loves working with others across the organisation, but also someone who can work independently and take initiative. You can coordinate with colleagues on joint efforts and also dive into solo tasks confidently – and in both cases, you “get things done” without needing much hand-holding.
• Continuous Learning & Emotional Intelligence: High emotional intelligence and self-awareness. You seek out feedback and are open to change based on what you learn. You are committed to continuously learning and growing – in fact, you enjoy it – and you foster that same learning mindset in teams you work with. You give constructive feedback to others and receive feedback gracefully.
• Comfort with Numbers and Operations: While your primary focus is people and culture, you are comfortable with budgets and basic finance oversight. You’re not “afraid of numbers” – you can understand a balance sheet or funding report well enough to supervise those areas (even though dedicated staff handle the day-to-day finances). You also don’t shy away from operational details in general, whether it’s reviewing a contract or using an HR database – you’re detail-oriented and quick to learn new systems.

We know that people from certain backgrounds and identities are often excluded in progressive movements and we’re committed to doing what we can to correct this. So:

• we particularly welcome applications from marginalised groups, especially people of colour and other ethnic minorities, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Disabled people and those who identify as working class or have done so in the past
• we know the work goes way beyond "diversity", it's about making the space inclusive too. So we are continuously working on that at NEON. So far this includes tangible things like a flexible work policy so people have genuine flexibility around where and when they work and a 28 hour week as standard; a gender-neutral parenting/leave policy, an anti-oppression strategy which is held at senior level given how important it is to the organisation. It also includes the day-to-day work of creating psychological safety for everyone at NEON and celebrating the wisdom of black, indigenous, queer, Disabled and other cultures in the way we work and behave.

About us

NEON is a not-for-profit organisation committed to accelerating social movements. We work across a wide range of progressive issues including climate, housing, healthcare, and migration and we support over 1,000 organisers across the UK working towards political, environmental, and social justice. Our theory of change is rooted in understanding both the strategies, stories, and structures required to sustain a movement. Short term, this results in improved movement infrastructure, skills, and connections; long term, it leads to robust relationships and movement alliances capable of systemic change.

We also aim to demonstrate that a better world is possible through experimenting internally with our culture and policies. We want to build a workplace centred on joy, care and justice and are ambitious about what an alternative could look like. We currently have 20 staff.

To build a culture and community that lasts, we organise around three values:

• Solidarity - we’re here to change the system and that requires working together across issues and sectors that aren’t normally in the same room. This means placing anti-oppression at the heart of our work and building the power of people most often affected by injustice to change the leadership of our movements
• Generosity is about sharing our time, resources and learning with one another as we support each other’s work. It means being open and honest with one another, especially when we hit problems, and thinking creatively about how we positively build from there
• Respect is the bottom line for all relationships in NEON. It means being respectful of different backgrounds and life experiences and giving space for all voices to be heard. This often means listening more than we talk and being open to changing ourselves as a result of what we hear.

How to apply

We don’t want to make this process too complicated so please complete this application form and send this and a completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring form to jobs@neweconomyorganisers.org.

Dates:

Application deadline: Sunday 21st September 2025, 11:59pm

Interview dates:

• 1st interviews scheduled for 14th / 15th October (online)
• 2nd interviews scheduled for 21st/ 22nd October (in person)

If you have any questions about the role or NEON in general, you can reach out to us via email on jobs@neweconomyorganisers.org, and we’ll direct you to the right person in the team.

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