Head of People - Part-Time Maternity Cover

Job title: Head of People Part Time Maternity Cover

Location: London, Hybrid (1-2 days per week in office)

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract, Part-Time (0.7 FTE)

Salary: £70,000 - £85,000 FTE equivalent (£49,000- 59,500 pro rated salary or £350 day rate )

Start: Must be able to start from October 2025

About us

We are a climate analytics nonprofit established in 2021. We provide system modelling data, software and analysis to support energy transition planning and decision-making. We are currently grant-funded by the Quadrature Climate Foundation, Google.org, Sequoia Climate Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, European Climate Foundation, among others. Our data, software and analysis is used by analysts in or working with government agencies, asset owners, operators, utilities, banks, and institutions.

At TransitionZero, we are building a culture that matches the urgency and complexity of the energy transition. We believe exceptional outcomes come from teams that are diverse in perspective, bold in thinking and united by purpose. Our goal is to be the most impactful nonprofit in our field by combining technical excellence with humility, discipline and a focus on real world relevance. We work across geographies, sectors and disciplines, fostering collaboration and valuing different ways of thinking as essential to solving complex challenges.

Inclusivity is not just a commitment, it is a necessity. We foster a culture of ownership, resilience and curiosity, where learning is continuous and excellence is expected. Our people are at the heart of everything we do, and we aim to offer an environment where you can do the most meaningful work of your career, surrounded by a team that values integrity, transparency and long term impact. If you share our mission to accelerate a zero carbon future and thrive in fast moving, high trust settings, we would love to hear from you.

At TransitionZero, we understand that diversity is an essential component of a successful team, whether that be diverse ways of thinking, personal or professional backgrounds and skills. We aim to be the most talented nonprofit in our vertical, spearheading innovative data solutions through our culture of inclusivity and adaptability. Now we are looking for an experienced strategic Head of People to provide 14 months of maternity cover and further progress and develop our People function and strategy.

Our people are our greatest asset, and the diverse experience, skills and perspectives individuals bring to our organisation are the driving force of our success. We will therefore consider all qualified applicants in the recruitment process as we welcome all the unique qualities and experiences that make you, you.

About the role

We're looking for an experienced strategic People leader to support TransitionZero through a period of maternity cover. This will be a 14 month role allowing for a handover and onboarding period in October before our Head of People begins their maternity leave. You will cover all strategic People and HR projects and manage a junior People and Talent associate to ensure the function runs seamlessly.

Responsibilities

Working closely with the newly created (and still forming) C-Suite, reporting to the COO. You will play a key role in evolving the people strategy and further aligning it with overarching business objectives, paying close attention to line manager enablement and ensuring our culture is one that is intentional and consistent throughout the organisation

Working closely with the newly created (and still forming) C-Suite, reporting to the COO. You will play a key role in evolving the people strategy and further aligning it with overarching business objectives, paying close attention to line manager enablement and ensuring our culture is one that is intentional and consistent throughout the organisation

Compensation and benefits management

• Leading on our bi-annaul salary benchmarking process, which must be completed by 31 January ‘26 including drafting a robust methodology to guide this process
• Overseeing our annual compensation review process in April (in tandem with our Biannual performance review), working closely with the COO
• Preparing monthly payroll and communicating monthly People updates and anticipated changes and hires to Finance

Performance management

• Oversee and manage our recently launched biannual performance management and monthly progression check-ins to ensure these drive high performance, including making changes and improvements based on feedback and observations
• Advising managers on performance management challenges

Employee lifecycle

• Oversee the hiring process and contribute to the decision of whether to use external recruiters or manage the hiring internally (the day-to-day will be conducted by the People & Talent Associate)
• Oversee onboarding to ensure the lessons learnt during the hiring process are factored into ongoing development (the day-to-day will be conducted by the People & Talent Associate)
• Develop and implement initiatives to develop, train, motivate and retain our employees
• Oversee and manage the Employee engagement survey, interpreting and presenting results and guiding response actions with the senior leadership team
• Oversee the offboarding of employees.

People strategy

• Use data analytics to provide strategic insights and recommendations for organisation design and talent-related decisions alongside metrics to measure the effectiveness of People strategies
• Providing strategic input into workforce planning, including organisation design and succession
• Continue to embed and improve our feedback mechanisms, ensuring our culture is one that has feedback at its core across all levels
• Advise and upskill managers on areas such as performance, feedback, and leadership capability, as well as providing guidance on any HR policy and procedures as needed
• Advise leadership and managers on employee relations and complex people issues
• Drive initiatives around company culture and employee engagement in close collaboration with the CEO and senior leadership team

Compliance

• Regularly reviewing our People-related policies and proposing improvements
• Overseeing compliance with relevant laws
• Liaising with our Employer of Record (EOR) for our non-UK based employees

About you

While we are a growing tech startup, we are also a non-profit, so a high level of adaptability and willingness to approach challenges with creativity and curiosity is essential. You are a seasoned senior People leader (Head of People or equivalent) with strategic HR and People experience in a start-up environment.

Skills and Experience

• In-depth knowledge of employment law and HR best practices
• Able to oversee hiring and TA, including being hands on when required
• Familiar and confident owning and overseeing an HRIS
• Excellent active listening, negotiation and presentation skills
• Ability to implement strategy along with leadership
• Ability to work autonomously and be hands-on
• Strong project management and organisational skills, able to keep a lot of balls in the air
• Capability to develop and deliver people plans that support organisational strategy
• Data savvy and understands how data can be used to drive decision making
• High attention to detail
• Experienced with running performance management process and software
• A motivational and strong line manager, able to mentor and grow junior team members

Essential

• Experienced in advising and working closely with founders and senior leadership teams
• Familiar with start-up and growing businesses and the dynamic needs of hybrid working
• Able to work autonomously and work closely with (managing and mentoring) a junior team member

Beneficial

• Experience with Personio
• Experience with Leapsome
• Experience in a non-profit or company in the energy systems or energy systems modelling space

Studies have shown that some people from marginalised or underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to a role unless they meet all of the hiring guidelines or qualifications. Whoever you are, even if you don't meet all of the criteria, if you can demonstrate a variety of skills and experience relevant to this role, we encourage you to apply as you might just be the candidate we hire! At TransitionZero, we're looking for people who are genuinely passionate about what they do, and we welcome all people, regardless of their background.

If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to the application or hiring process that may better facilitate your participation, please contact our People Team (people@transitionzero.org) for an informal chat. We will make every effort to respond to your request for assistance as soon as possible.

Salary and Benefits

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Enhanced competitive pension scheme
• 25 days annual leave (excluding UK public holidays) and an additional discretionary days such as our winter closure
• 20 days annual allowance to work from anywhere in the world
• Hybrid working and core working hours model
• Allowance to set up your home office
• Annual budget and dedicated leave time for relevant training courses
• Enhanced gender-neutral parental leave (16 weeks fully paid)
• Private healthcare following successful completion of the probation period
• Yearly offsites

As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate based on any protected attribute. Our commitment is to provide equal opportunities, an inclusive work environment, and fairness to everyone.