People & Culture Lead (1-year Fixed Term Contract) (21 Hours Per Week)

Are you an experienced and proactive HR professional with a strong understanding of UK employment law and a passion for supporting people? We are seeking a confident and capable People & Culture Lead, providing high-quality advice and guidance to managers and employees across a wide range of HR matters. You’ll play a key role in shaping our HR function and contributing to a positive and inclusive working culture.

•                     Fixed term (1 year) 21 hours per week

•                     Hybrid working - available with 60% home working.

•                     Starting salary: £34,880 FTE (pro rata £20,928) per annum (depending on experience) with a generous pension contribution: up to 10 per cent employer contribution on annual salary.

•                     CMS offers 36 days of annual leave pro rata (including bank holidays) as well as enhanced paid sickness, maternity, paternity and adoption leave.

•                     CMS supports the mental wellbeing of its employees and offers a generous rewards and wellbeing package, including:

                  access to 24/7 employee assistance programme with qualified counsellors

                  regular wellbeing coffee mornings

                  support on menopause for women

                  up to three volunteer days a year

                  up to three family emergency leave days a year

                  retreats and resources for prayer life

We welcome applications from everyone. We particularly welcome applications from individuals from minority groups as they are currently underrepresented within our organisation. All appointments are made on merit of skill, experience and potential as set out in the job description and person specification.

The organisation you’ll be joining

Church Mission Society is comprised of people who are passionate about mission and fired up about helping people follow Jesus. For over 200 years CMS has been at the forefront of global mission, living out the gospel of Jesus, seeing lives changed and communities transformed. If you join CMS, you will find an organisation that has been reinvigorated with a fresh vision to make disciples of Jesus among people at the edges, both in the UK and around the world.

Your role

The new People and Culture Lead will be working closely with the Head of People and Culture to ensure recruitment, onboarding, employee reward, employment relations, learning and development and projects serve the long-term goals of CMS.

You are responsible for delivering professional HR service that supports that necessary operations, vision and strategy. This applies specifically to UK contracted staff (some of whom work overseas) and providing support for volunteers (including CMS Trustees) and consultants.

What you’ll need to succeed

The People and Culture Lead role (1-year, fixed term contract, 3 days per week) will require CIPD Level 5 accreditation and you will have proven HR experience at a Business Partner or Officer level which includes experience in recruitment, employee relations, policy and ideally Payroll.  You will have a good understanding of UK employment law and best HR practice.

It is also a requirement for this post holder to be a committed and practising Christian as well as committed to CMS’s values and aims.

Further details can be found in the job description and person specification available to download on the CMS website.

Our commitment to you

Our core values of being pioneering, relational, faithful and evangelistic are integral to everything we do, and we work hard to ensure that every member of staff is valued, supported and encouraged to continually learn and develop their skills.

We are committed to the safeguarding and protection of the people we serve, our partners, our volunteers, and our staff. We believe that every child or adult we come into contact with has the right to be protected from all forms of harm and abuse. Our recruitment and selection processes are in line with our Safeguarding Policy and the SCHR Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, which CMS is a member of as part of our commitment to safeguarding.  

Closing date

We must get your application by midnight on Sunday 18 January 2026

Interviews are planned to be held on Tuesday 27 January 2026 in CMS House, Oxford.

To apply

Please send your application form and CV via our website or by post to HR Team, Church Mission Society, Watlington Road, Oxford OX4 6BZ.  CVs will only be considered when sent with a completed Application Form, which is available to download from our website.

Candidates for all UK roles must already be eligible to work in the UK, with a valid visa and work permit if required.

As a member of the Inter-agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, CMS has committed to systematically check with previous employers from the last five years for any ‘SEAH’ (Sexual Exploitation, Abuse or Harassment) issues relating to all potential new hires.