Head of hr and resources jobs

We are looking for a conscientious and skilled coordinator who understands how vital administrative tasks are to a well-functioning, smooth-running organisation. You are a big picture thinker with an eye for detail, someone who can support us in grounding our big ideas in reality, helping to ensure our work is clearly documented, replicable, compliant with relevant legislation, and that it contributes to making a big impact for the social sector. 

You love to collaborate cross-functionally and have a knack for understanding and maintaining the ecosystem of a cohesive and impactful organisation. You’re looking to join a small, friendly, and respectful team with an outsized impact, where your ideas and contributions are valued and where you are trusted to work in a way that suits you.

About DataKind UK

DataKind UK is a small infrastructure charity with a vision of a strong, thriving third sector that embraces data science to become more impactful. Effective data use has the potential to transform an organisation's impact by improving decision-making, maximising operational efficiency, and ensuring service delivery is evidence-based. A lack of access to responsible data science skills and techniques in the third sector means it isn’t having the impact it could.

We provide a variety of free and contracted support services to help third sector organisations achieve their missions, encourage innovation, and improve decision making, problem solving, and practices.

Since 2013, more than 2,200 DataKind UK volunteers have supported over 300 charities—from large organisations like St John Ambulance and Action for Children to local food banks and campaigning charities—helping them better understand their users, evaluate what's working, streamline routine tasks, and ultimately better tackle society's biggest challenges.

You'll be part of a kind and collaborative five-person staff team that works closely with a talented community of volunteer data scientists. This is an exciting and unusual opportunity to shape how the third sector uses data. Join us!

Essential qualities

• Proactive, can-do attitude - if in doubt, we’ll figure it out!
• A highly organised, process-driven problem solver.
• You are aligned with DataKind UK’s core values: curious, responsible, collaborative.
• You are self-directed and goal-oriented, and like working independently or managing without direct authority.
• You thrive in an environment where every day is a bit different, and are happy working flexibly and adaptably. You can switch between big-picture and detail-oriented thinking.
• You are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• You are a collaborative team player, and happy to jump in and help out when and where needed. You care more that good things happen than who gets the credit.

Essential skills

• Personable and skilled at relationship building and communicating with a variety of people - we work in a small, hybrid team, and with a wide variety of volunteers, charity partners, and other stakeholders.
• Skilled at collaborating with/managing people who are not your direct reports (e.g. colleagues, volunteers, trustees).
• Comfortable juggling multiple projects and priorities and making decisions about what to prioritise accordingly.
• Familiarity with digital software - currently we use Google suite for email, diary management and documents; Beacon CRM; Monday for project management; and Slack for team and volunteer communications. You may not have used those exact tools but you are comfortable with learning new tools and processes, to the point where you can clearly document processes and train others.

Desirable

• Experience of working and/or volunteering in the UK charity sector.
• Knowledge of charity governance / legislation.
• An interest in the use of data to support decision making in the third sector.
• Experience of working or collaborating with volunteers.

What we offer

• Working in a small, flexible, hybrid team where you are trusted to manage your time and your projects. If you need to switch your hours one week, or take time out of your working day to go to a dentist appointment, sit an exam, or for your child’s school play, go ahead! We are focused on outputs over time spent at your desk. 
• 5% employer pension contribution.
• 11 days holiday (27 days pro rata).
• Employee Support plan including medical and dental assistance.
• We will provide you with a comprehensive onboarding plan, where we will identify any additional training needs to support you in your role and arrange for training at a time/place/pace that suits you.

Working hours and location 

This is a part-time role (14 hours per week). You can do this across two or more days, depending on your preferred work pattern. Working hours are flexible, but we ask that at least 75% of your working time is within the hours of 10am and 6pm UK time, in order to facilitate team working and real-time collaboration.

This role will ideally be hybrid / London-based. We can currently provide London office space on Mondays (Victoria), Thursdays (Shoreditch) and Fridays (Victoria). (Please note we don’t currently have any other staff members in the office on a Friday.) We will occasionally hold team days in London - you will be given advance notice of these dates. We may be able to offer remote working for an exceptional candidate, but our preference would be for a hybrid schedule with at least one day in the office (Monday or Thursday) per week - please note this could be a shorter day, e.g. 9-3 to accommodate other commitments.

You must have the right to work in the UK.

How to apply

The deadline for receipt of your application is 9am, Monday 23 February. Applications received after this time will not be considered.

Please send us your CV and a cover letter of no more than two single-spaced pages to explain why this role appeals to you and how you meet the experience, skills, and qualities listed above using the STAR (Situation Task Action Result) approach. We would also like to know:

1. What made you decide to apply for this role?
2. How do you stay organised? Again, this can be an example from your work, study or personal life.
3. Can you tell us about a time when you have had to step outside of your comfort zone or usual role, either in a job or an example from your life outside of work? What motivated you to get involved and what was the outcome?

All applications will be anonymised before shortlisting.

A note on use of generative AI

We know a lot of people use generative AI tools like Chat GPT to help them with job applications. We don’t encourage this, but if you do want to use it, we recommend asking it for suggestions on relevant things to include, get it to give you them in bullet points, then write the application yourself. We really want to hear from YOU, the human, in your authentic voice. It helps you to stand out, and helps us figure out if you're really and truly a good fit for the role. We do not use AI to assist us with reviewing and shortlisting applicants.

Equity & Diversity Monitoring

Please consider filling in the Equity & Diversity Monitoring Form linked in the Job Description attachment. This is entirely voluntary and anonymous and will not affect your application in any way.

We are committed to providing equal opportunities for everyone regardless of their background, and welcome applications regardless of age, sex, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, religion/belief, race, nationality, ethnicity, marital status, pregnancy, or disability.

The data you provide will be used to monitor whether we are receiving applications from quality candidates across the whole of society. If there are differences in application rates it will enable action to be taken to ensure that no group is treated unfairly.

We particularly encourage applications from groups which are underrepresented in data science, tech, and/or the third sector, including people of colour and people with disabilities. We can make reasonable adjustments throughout the application process (both with the application and interview) and on the job. If you have particular accessibility needs, please get in touch and let us know any requirements you may have at contact at datakind dot org dot uk.

We will treat the data you provide in your application in accordance with our Privacy Policy.