People & Culture Lead

Global Canopy; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - GBP 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A forward-thinking nonprofit organization is seeking a People and Culture Lead to manage HR processes, support leadership, and drive people initiatives. The ideal candidate should have experience in employee lifecycle management and strong knowledge of UK employment law. This hybrid role is important for enhancing workplace culture and ensuring the team thrives, contributing to the organization's mission on sustainability. A salary of £55,000-£60,000 is offered, along with various benefits.

Benefits

Employer pension contribution of 8%

36 days of annual leave

Healthcare cashback plan

Employee Assistance Programme

Discounts and cashback deals

Qualifications

• Significant experience in all aspects of employee lifecycle management.
• Experience working in an advisory capacity with leadership teams.
• Ability to handle sensitive situations confidentially.

Responsibilities

• Manage HR policies, processes and systems.
• Support leaders with coaching and guidance.
• Drive implementation of people initiatives.

Skills

Employee lifecycle management

Coaching and guidance

Strong understanding of UK employment law

Diversity and inclusion

Creativity

Education

CIPD level 5 or equivalent

Job description

Closing date: 23 February 2026, 09:00 GMT

Location: Hybrid (Oxford office)

Hours per week: Full time (37.5 hours)

Vacancy type: Permanent

About Global Canopy

Global Canopy is a data-driven not for profit delivering real transparency and accountability for market impacts on nature and people. Our special focus is on ending deforestation – an essential step in achieving urgent global goals on climate, nature and human rights. We deliver our work by building and maintaining open-data platforms, creating stronger voluntary and compliance frameworks, and accelerating accountability and action in the finance sector with nature-positive guidance to help achieve deforestation-free portfolios.

We work globally, with a focus on both forested regions (particularly across Latin America and South East Asia), and major consumer and financial markets (with a focus on Europe, the US, Singapore and China). We have a distributed team of around 70 people worldwide, with a main office in Oxford (UK). We work via close and deep partnerships, including with institutions like the Stockholm Environment Institute, the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, UNEP Finance Initiative, the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, the Zoological Society of London, and many many others.

About the Role

As People and Culture Lead, reporting to the Director of Execution & Planning, you will be responsible for the development of the People function at Global Canopy. Providing advice and support to the Leadership Team and colleagues across the organisation, you will lead on people and culture initiatives that enable our team to maximise their potential, resulting in greater impact as an organisation.

You will bring excellent relationship-building and influencing skills as well as strong technical expertise to ensure that we can recruit, retain, develop, support and engage the people we rely on to deliver our vital work for forests, nature and human rights. You will manage all aspects of team members’ journey with the organisation, including recruitment, performance and development, employee relations and pay and benefits.

We are looking for someone who leads with empathy and wisdom, putting individuals at the heart of their work.

Responsibilities

Employee lifecycle management

• Be responsible for the creation, maintenance, evolution and operation of all HR policies, processes and systems
• Work closely with the leadership team and internal boards on areas such as recruitment, performance, learning and development, absence, salaries/benefits, job grading and employee engagement
• Ensure the ongoing development of our P&C offering is aligned with our culture

Support & advice to leaders and managers

• Build strong working relationships with the leadership team in order to support them directly
• Provide coaching, guidance and support to managers ensuring that our people are supported to thrive and develop
• Advise on people issues and managing cases, to ensure that processes are followed in line with Global Canopy’s policy, best practice and employment legislation

Support delivery of Global Canopy’s People plan

• Alongside the Director of Execution & Planning, drive the implementation of people initiatives and be responsible for the successful embedding of changes
• Lead on connection and collaboration initiatives to build a cohesive, highly motivated team in line with Global Canopy’s culture and in the context of hybrid working
• Provide reports and maintain KPIs related to our people and present these to senior leaders and trustees

Management

• Line management of People and Recruitment Advisor, supporting them in their management of recruitment for Global Canopy, and providing coaching and mentoring to support their ongoing development
• Manage the relationship with our EOR
• Alongside the Director of Execution & Planning and Operations Coordinator, provide leadership on data protection across the organisation

About You

To be successful in this role, these are the things that will matter the most:

• People-first and positive approach to HR management
• Broad experience of managing human resources work across organisations, with a good understanding of HR procedures and legislation in the UK
• Alignment with our values and our mission, a commitment to collaboration and a passion for developing an organisational culture in which people thrive
• Leading with warmth
• Credibility as both structured and effective as well as emotionally intelligent
• Able to handle difficult situations sensitively and confidentially
• Initiative and ability to manage and prioritise own workload, working to deadlines
• Creativity

Skills and experience:

• Significant experience in all aspects of employee lifecycle management
• CIPD level 5 or equivalent experience
• Strong understanding of UK employment law and best practice
• Experience and expertise to support in the areas of diversity and inclusion, learning and development and employee wellbeing and engagement in a hybrid context
• Experience of working in an advisory capacity with leadership teams and regularly reporting to senior leaders and trustees
• Ability to take a leadership role in change projects
• Experience of working across different departments/functions in a matrixed and international organisation
• Experience of working internationally with employees based outside the UK – and covered by non-UK law
• Experience or understanding of the context for a charity / not for profit organisation

Salary & Benefits

Salary: £55,000- £60,000 full time equivalent. This role sits within Band C on Global Canopy’s remuneration framework.

Nature of contract: Full time or 0.8 FTE. Permanent. This is a hybrid role working from home and our office in Oxford. There is a requirement to attend the office once a week and for other meetings/work as required.

Holidays: 36 days (including bank/public holidays) for discretionary use across the annual leave year. Option to purchase up to an additional 5 days or equivalent of one week’s leave.

Pension: Employer pension contribution of 8%.

Healthcare cashback plan: Covering dental fees, eye-care, wellbeing, physiotherapy, chiropody and much more – for you and any children.

Employee Assistance Programme: Which provides free, confidential advice on personal and legal matters.

Other: Huge range of discounts and cashback deals at gyms, restaurants, holidays, and much more.

How to Apply

To apply for the position, please use this link and submit an up-to date CV and covering letter. The covering letter should explain your motivation for the role, and how your skills and experience fit the person specification. (Please no more than 1 side of A4).

All candidates are asked to complete an anonymous diversity monitoring form when they apply.

The closing date for applications is 23 February at 9am GMT. Early application encouraged. We may close applications early if suitable candidates are identified.

First round interviews are planned for w/c 23 February via video call, and final interviews are planned for w/c 2 March in-person at our Oxford office.

At Global Canopy, we value diversity and inclusion. You can read our diversity statement on our website. We encourage applications from all backgrounds and are committed to having a team with a diverse set of skills, experiences and abilities. Global Canopy works on issues of global deforestation. We are particularly interested in strengthening our team to include those with a background from forest regions such as Latin America and South East Asia. We would welcome applications from people from these regions. Right-to-work in the UK is required.

If you have any questions about the position, then please contact: [e-mail]. Applicant data will be managed in accordance with the candidate privacy policy available on our website.