Director of People and Culture

Purpose of the role

As we enter our next strategic phase, we are seeking an inspirational and experienced Director of People and Culture to lead the development of our people, governance and safeguarding strategies, to strengthen organisational culture, and to ensure the highest standards of governance across the charity.

The Director of People and Culture will provide visionary leadership for organisational strategy across the globe, people and culture strategy, organisational culture, and governance and safeguarding frameworks. This role will champion inclusion, wellbeing, and high-performance culture while ensuring strong governance, compliance, and risk management across the organisation’s activities. The role is a key member of the Executive Leadership Team and a trusted advisor to the CEO and Board of Trustees (Council).

The postholder will also play a critical role in supporting and advising the People Committee, a sub-committee of Council and one of ZSL’s most senior governance forums, providing expert oversight of people, culture, reward, inclusion, and workforce-related risk.

The Director of People and Culture will have executive responsibility for ZSL’s People, Governance, Health and Safety and Safeguarding Teams.

• Work with CEO and Chair to build governance capability across all levels of the organisations including induction, development and ongoing learning, to ensure high standards of stewardship, effective challenge, and confidence in operating within a complex international NGO environment.
• Lead the development and execution of a long‑term people strategy, aligned to ZSL’s mission and strategic goals. Provide expert guidance and strategic advice on a wide range of issues including employee relations, strategic workforce planning, organisational design, culture and change.
• Act as a strategic partner to the CEO, executive leadership team, Chair of Council and wider Council on all people related and cultural matters and governance.
• Act as the organisation’s senior safeguarding lead, ensuring safeguarding is embedded into strategy, decision‑making and organisational culture.
• Demonstrate visible leadership, modelling organisational values and fostering a collaborative, inclusive and supportive working environment.
• Manage and oversee the People Team, Governance Team and Safeguarding Team budgets and resources; ensure effective deployment of people‑systems, tools and technologies to support an insightful, efficient and responsive service.

• Provide strategic oversight of the People Teams including employee experience, reward and systems, organisational development, business partnering and advisory services, talent acquisition, succession planning and volunteering.
• Champion a culture of inclusion, equity, diversity and belonging, embedding best practice across policy, process and behaviours.
• Develop and design change management strategies that support ZSL as it implements its strategy and organisational plans and seeks to create and maintain its’ organisational capability.
• Partner with the CEO and senior leaders to translate business need into people‑solutions, governance and safeguarding solutions, enabling the organisation to adapt, grow and respond to changing demands in the INGO and UK conservation sector.
• Lead cross‑organisational initiatives including People & Culture Steering Group and People Committee and other key governance forums that drive employee engagement and inclusive culture.
• Lead on the development, management and reporting of a strong impact framework for People and Safeguarding that has clear measures and targets that support the three ZSL strategic priorities for ZSL, ensuring plans, objectives, KPIs and metrics are in place to continually drive impact performance for ZSL.
• Strategically lead ZSL’s partnership with Trade Unions and provide senior guidance on industrial relations, working in partnership with the CFO on pay negotiations. Advising the People Committee to ensure fair, competitive and values‑aligned reward practices are in place.
• Ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is fully championed…