Role

As the Director of People Operations, you will be a strategic People leader at Luminate.  You will head our People Operations (Human Resources) function across our global team, directly contributing to our mission.  As part of the Operations leadership team, you will work closely with the Chief Operating Officer (COO) as a trusted advisor – helping to develop and implement People Operations strategies and initiatives (i.e. workforce planning, job levelling, travel management, and compensation and benefits), with a strong focus on legal compliance.

In this role, you will set People Operations priorities that align with our organisational goals, oversee performance management, and advise leadership on important people-related decisions.

The position requires a hands-on and self-motivated HR professional who thrives in a dynamic environment. You should be comfortable managing multiple projects at once and ensuring different operational efforts remain coordinated. You will also represent the People team in cross-organisation forums, highlighting the importance of this role in both big-picture strategy and day-to-day operational success.

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Key Accountabilities & Responsibilities

(Percentages indicate approximate allocation of effort)

Strategy and Leadership (20%):

-      Act as a strategic advisor to the COO, on continuously improving People Operations policies, processes, and practices.

-      Collaborate with leadership to assess workforce development needs and establish strategies that meet our organisational goals and reflect our core values.

-      Ensure Luminate adheres to all employment laws and regulations by guiding managers and staff on compliance and minimising risk.

-      Stay up-to-date on HR and organisational development trends and best practices.  You will engage with peers across The Omidyar Group (TOG) to share insights and learn from each other.

-      Proactively advise the Executive Team regarding significant People matters.

People Operations (Core Focus - 60%):

-      Serve as Luminate’s lead HR professional, overseeing all People Operations policies, programmes and practices.

-      Manage employee relations and coach managers and staff on HR best practices.

-      Establish annual People Operations priorities and budgets; regularly monitor budget performance; and define and track key HR metrics.

-      Develop and update People Operations policies and processes to ensure efficient operations.

-      Implement HR best practices to create a healthy and inclusive workplace.

-      Advisor to line managers ensuring they are well-informed, trained and supported in managing their teams and delivery a positive employee experience.

-      Oversee full-cycle recruitment, as well as onboarding and offboarding processes for employees.

-      Oversee the administration of global employee benefits, compensation and leave programs.

-      Continuously assess and improve our performance management process to ensure it facilitates ongoing, constructive feedback.

-      Implement performance improvement plans as needed and ensure consistency across the organisation.

Team management, development and support (15%):

-      Develop and retain high-performing People Operations team by supporting their career growth, increasing responsibilities, and ensuring strong performance.

-      Ensure effective communication from the People team to the rest of the organisation, being mindful of organisational hierarchies (power dynamics) and staying aligned with our values.

-      Foster a collaborative, aligned, and joyful work environment.

Compliance, Travel & Risk (5%):

-      Ensure People policies and procedures are clearly communicated to staff, and provide relevant training and support as needed.

-      Oversee the maintenance of employee records and ensure compliance with statutory requirements, labour laws and internal policies.

-      Develop and maintain HR policies, handbooks, and required compliance and ethics training.

-      Oversee budgets related to travel and staff safety/risk, and manage relationships with vendors (travel agencies, risk management providers etc.).

-      Regularly review and update our duty of care, employee safeguarding, travel safety processes, and communicate any changes broadly across the organisation.

While this job description reflects the ideal scope of the role, responsibilities may evolve in line with structural needs, always remaining aligned with the core purpose of the position.

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Day-To-Day Responsibilities

A typical week might include:

-      People management support: Meeting with team leadership to align on performance and engagement topics, team capacity, and staff wellbeing.

-      Strategic planning: Meeting with the COO and Operations team leadership to understand their work, draft global operations priorities, and explore alignment with People team activities.

-      Due diligence and compliance coordination: Working with Finance and Legal colleagues to review documents such as policies, contracts, and global payroll, ensuring all requirements are met.

-      Process administration: Oversee periodic process reviews (and conduct them directly when needed) to analyse data, surface learnings and make recommendations.

-      Flexibility is key to this role – some days might be taken up by emergency responses (e.g. traveller safety or security issue affecting staff).

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Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

Essential

-      Proven relevant experience as a senior HR professional, with a track record of aligning HR best practices to our values.

-      Highly approachable and culturally sensitive.

-      Demonstrated ability to build respectful relationships across diverse groups and to engage collaborative problem-solving.

-      Extensive experience collaborating across a complex organisation and with external partner organisations.

-      Experience using both quantitative and qualitative data to inform decision-making, highlighting trade-offs, presenting options, and proposing recommendations.

-      Excellent communication skills with an ability to engage a wide range of audiences and build trust across all levels.

-      Advanced knowledge of strategic planning principles and processes, including strategy development, performance assessment, and resource allocation.

-      Deep knowledge of team management principles and best practices, including knowledge of how to simultaneously manage teams across multiple geographies.

-      Strong analytical skills to assess proposals, budgets, and organisational capacity.

-      Skilled at using technology and other resources for remote/virtual work and culture strengthening.

-      Strong organisational and project management skills; able to manage multiple priorities effectively.

-      High integrity, good judgement, and commitment to accountability.

Desirable

-      Experience in philanthropic or international organisations.

-      Familiarity with Human Resource Management Systems (BambooHR preferred)

-      CIPD or SHRM certification would be an advantage.

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Mental Models/Leadership Competencies We Value

The following mental models will enable high performance in this role:

-      Adaptation over rigidity: You remain agile and responsive, adjusting course as you learn rather than clinging to rigid plans or processes.

-      Cultural stewardship: You act as a custodian of our culture, nurturing a high-trust, inclusive environment and modelling the values and behaviours that enable sustainable change.

-      Power-awareness: You understand how organisational structures, biases, and everyday behaviours (including your own) can entrench systemic inequities, and you work to shift these dynamics toward greater equity and inclusion.

-      Enablement over control: You provide guidance, tools, and support that empower others to excel, positioning People as a partner to the business rather than a gatekeeper of rules.

-      Practical systems thinking: You see the organisation as an interconnected system of people, processes, and structures, focusing on high-value interventions that create positive ripple effects across the organisation.‍

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How yout create change: leverage points

-      Lead and coordinate development of an organisation-wide people strategy aligned to the new operating model.  Ensure our structures, capabilities, and practices remain agile and support our business goals.

-      Design and embed frameworks, tools, and processes for talent management, performance management, and change management.  Make our people practices more adaptive, inclusive, and aligned with our values.

-      Coach and enable leaders and teams to navigate change, building their capacity to adapt.  Foster a resilient, learning-oriented organisation.

-      Introduce innovative HR and organisational development practices from outside the organisation, and guide effective adoption across Luminate.

-      Champion our values and an inclusive culture by amplifying employee voice.  Ensure that strategic decisions at all levels are human-centred and consider employee well-being.

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Reporting & Relationships

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Manages: Coordinator - Talent; Manager - Global Compensation & Benefits

Works closely with: Operations team peers; Finance; Legal; Risk; IT; and organisational leadership (managers).

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Travel & Working Conditions

-      Based in the Washington, DC or London, UK area. May work from hub office or remotely.

-      Occasional international travel for global team meetings (2-4 times per year).

-      Flexible working arrangements supported, with occasional irregular hours to accommodate cross-time zone meetings.

-      Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

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Diversity, Equity and Inlcusion Statement

Luminate is an inclusive employer.  We welcome applications from all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We actively seek diversity and champion equity and inclusion in all aspects of our work, and provide reasonable accommodations for candidates and employees with disabilities or additional needs.