People & Operations Manager

Purpose of this role

This role is the main point of contact for staff for all people & operations support. It is crucial in providing the systems and support that NEON staff rely on to do their best work by:

• owning NEON people and operations policies and ensuring they are understood and applied consistently and equitably across the organisation;
• guiding staff through people processes;
• overseeing the smooth running of operations systems across the organisation.

What you’ll be doing:

1. Lead the full lifecycle of NEON staff, including recruitment, contracts, onboarding, ongoing management, and offboarding, while overseeing and supporting the Ops Assistant to run these processes. Lead on reviewing and improving people processes and ensure anti-oppression is embedded within them.
2. Manage HR systems and records, including contracts, payroll inputs, leave, training, appraisals, probations and policy implementation, ensuring processes are accurate, well maintained and completed on time by line managers.
3. Act as first point of contact for HR queries, taking ownership of NEON’s policies, processes, culture and employee relations. Advise staff and line managers on policies, accommodations, and support needs, conduct relevant HR meetings and escalate to the Director of Ops and People when appropriate.
4. Manage monthly payroll, submitting updates to the outsourced provider, checking accuracy of pension and other deductions, implementing pay increases and paperwork, and addressing staff payroll queries or signposting them to financial guidance.
5. Line manage the Operations Assistant to a high standard using the full spectrum of management tools and approaches e.g. mentoring, coaching, challenge and feedback using the feedback guidelines, more formal performance processes. Empowering them to thrive at NEON and perform their role excellently.
6. Oversee day-to-day operational support functions delivered through the Ops Assistant, including IT and systems, GDPR processes, office and facilities coordination, health and safety, staff event logistics and board logistics, ensuring tasks are completed on time and to a high standard, following NEON’s values.
7. Support the Director of Ops and People in developing and updating people policies, procedures, and practices, staying across emerging trends, and embedding a caring, anti-oppressive culture through organisational development projects such as internal comms, team guides, manuals, and frameworks.
8. Maintain core organisational administration, including Companies House filings, insurance renewals, subscriptions, and shared organisational inboxes.
9. Participate or lead on Operations projects as agreed, (e.g. HR systems, data protection, health and safety), with clear scope and prioritisation.
10. Actively lead on the enhancement of the Ops Peer Support Network’s community of practice as part of implementing the network strategy.
11. Play an active part in the whole NEON team, contributing to organisation-wide plans

Who you are:

• HR & people ops experience: You’ve worked in HR or people operations before and are confident managing the full employee lifecycle — recruitment, contracts, onboarding, performance, leave, payroll coordination and offboarding. You can hold these processes end-to-end and keep them accurate, consistent and compliant, whilst ensuring they align with the values and ways of working.
• Operational systems & improvements: You’ve held responsibility for systems like HR platforms, shared drives, IT tools or project management software. You’re confident in improving how things work and embedding changes so they actually stick and work for people.
• Strong organisation & reliability: You’re highly organised, detail-focused and someone who gets things done. You can manage multiple recurring processes (like payroll cycles, HR records and compliance tasks) and keep everything on track without things slipping.
• Line management experience: You’re a skilled and confident line manager, and able to support with feedback, development and performance. You know how to balance care with clarity and accountability.
• First point of contact for HR & ops support: You’re comfortable being a go-to person for staff questions on HR, people and operations. Supporting staff and managers with clear, practical guidance and handling sensitive issues with care, confidence and professionalism.
• Working knowledge of compliance areas: Good understanding of core compliance areas such as UK employment practice, data protection and health and safety. You know how to apply these in a proportionate, practical way that fits a small organisation.
• Self-directed and collaborative: You’re able to manage your own workload and priorities, whilst working naturally across teams, actively building relationships, sharing responsibility, and making sure work is joined up rather than siloed. You’re comfortable holding your own while staying deeply connected to the wider organisation and what others need from you.
• Proven understanding of anti-oppression work and commitment to tackling all institutional forms of oppression, bigotry and exclusion
• An affinity with NEON’s aims, objectives and organisational values of solidarity, generosity and respect.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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

There are no formal education requirements for this role. As long as you can show us you have the skills we don’t mind where you got them from! Also important to us is your potential to learn and grow in the role so even if you don’t have 100% of the skills listed we want to hear from you. If you have any questions about the role and whether or not you are a good fit please email jobs@neweconomyorganisers.org to have a chat.

How to apply

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

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

Dates:

Application deadline: Sunday 20th July 2026, 11.59pm

Interview dates: First round of interviews (online): Mon 3rd - Weds 5th August 2026, second round of interviews (in person): Thursday 13th August 2026

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