People Engagement and Development Partner

People Engagement
and Development Partner

Now is an exciting time to Mercy Ships UK.
With a growing supporter base, a talented
staff team and ambitious targets to reach over
the next five years, we are looking for a talented
People Engagement and Development Partner
to join our team.

Mercy Ships is a faith-based charity, bringing safe
surgery to people in Africa who have limited access
to healthcare and little or no money to pay for it. For
over 40 years, Mercy Ships has visited more than 55
developing nations. We are passionate to serve those
in need and to leave a lasting impact for the future by
working alongside governments, supporting health
systems and delivering training within the countries we
visit. Our volunteer crew represent our organisation
onboard our two ships through excellence and
diligence. Sixteen Mercy Ships offices around the world
collaborate on fundraising, recruitment and public
relations.

Mercy Ships UK

The UK currently raises circa £9 million a year to
support Mercy Ships’ operations, benefiting from a
diverse base of committed funders and partners.
As well as providing financial resources for surgeries,
healthcare, education and local partnerships, the UK
identifies over 400 professional volunteers
with medical, maritime and many other skills to
crew the world’s largest charitable hospital ships

‘Africa Mercy’ and ‘Global Mercy’, – bringing immediate
relief to thousands of individuals and leaving a
sustainable legacy of hope and healing
in every nation we visit.

Values

Mercy Ships was founded by Don and Deyon Stephens
in 1978, committed Christians with a vision to follow the
model of Jesus, who inspires action and guides us to
imitate God’s heart for those marginalised by poverty
and disease. Mercy Ships is a diverse community
made of people from all walks of life, practically
demonstrating love, integrity and excellence to make a
lasting impact.  While not all of our staff are practising
Christians, they all align with and respect the Christian
values that underpin Mercy Ships’ work.

Approximately 90% of the population in sub-Saharan
Africa lacks access to safe and affordable surgical care.
On average, there are only 1.8 beds per 1,000 people,
and nearly 40% of healthcare settings lack hygiene
infrastructure.  The need for Mercy Ships is clear – we
strive to provide safe and equitable healthcare for those
who need it most.

Shelley Pigott,
Executive Director, Mercy Ships UK

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Our Mission

Mercy Ships follows the 2,000 year-old model
of Jesus, bringing hope and healing to the
world’s forgotten poor.

Our Vision

Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to transform
individuals and partner with nations.

Our Values
Following the model of Jesus, we seek to:
    Love God

    Love and serve others

      Be people of integrity

      Strive for excellence in all we say and do

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Impact

Since 1978, Mercy Ships has brought hope and healing
to more than 2.88 million people through free,
life-changing healthcare and training. Our volunteer
professionals have performed over 122,000 surgical
procedures and provided more than 556,900 dental
procedures to those in desperate need. Alongside
this, we have trained more than 55,500 local
professionals in their area of expertise, equipping
them to go on and impact over 252,000 others within
their own communities.

Our commitment extends beyond the hospital
ship—we have completed over 1,110 community
development projects, including the reconstruction
of schools, clinics, orphanages, water wells, and
agricultural programmes. These initiatives ensure
sustainable transformation by strengthening local
infrastructure and skills for the future.

Today, we have proudly served across more than
55 of the world’s poorest nations, with two
remarkable hospital ships:

   The Global Mercy: the world’s largest civilian
hospital ship, featuring 6 state-of-the-art operating
theatres, 199 patient beds, the capacity for 640 crew,
and a gross tonnage of 37,856.

   The Africa Mercy: with 5 fully equipped operating
theatres, 85 patient beds, space for 470 crew, and a
gross tonnage of 16,572.

Together, these ships represent a unique and powerful
force for good, bringing hope, healing, and lasting
change to those who need it most.

Our work
Mariama’s story

Mariama is a lively and healthy baby, but a severe facial
cleft strained her joyful smile. This facial cleft affected
7-month-old Mariama’s lip and nose, making it difficult
for her to eat and causing her parents to worry about
their child’s future.

Since paediatric services capable of treating baby
Mariama’s condition were not available near the family,
local doctors directed her father to Senegal’s capital city
in hopes of finding help.

It was there that he heard about a hospital ship capable
of providing healing for his little girl.

Soon after, Mariama received an operation onboard
the Africa Mercy that repaired her cleft lip. After surgery,
Mariama and her family stayed at the HOPE Centre,
where her mother learned how to make nutritional baby
formula and learned about the importance of nutrition
for her child. Now, Mariama is home with her family,
happy and healthy!

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History of
Mercy Ships

Founded in 1978 by Don and
Deyon Stephens, Mercy Ships
has worked in more than 55
countries, providing services
valued at more than £1.3 billion.

By improving healthcare delivery in
every country visited, Mercy Ships
is working to eradicate the diseases
of poverty. Mercy Ships follows the
model of Jesus by “bringing hope
and healing to the forgotten poor”,
helping people of any faith or none.

Mercy Ships delivers a customised
five-year partnership model with
every country it is invited to support.
Relationships are built with the
national government and ministry
of health, so that the specific needs
of each country are met; we work to
strengthen the country’s healthcare
systems and drive policy change.

The aim is to tackle the root causes
of the problems rather than just the
consequences.

Mercy Ships UK (a key member of
the Mercy Ships global partnership)
was founded in 1996. We run the
two largest charity hospital ships in
the world: the Global Mercy and the
Africa Mercy.

Behaviours

We put beneficiaries first

Our performance impacts lives, so we
strive for the very best results.

We are open to challenge

We challenge current norms, ideate,
create and develop.

We expect the best

We consistently seek the best in
and for others.

Together in everything

We are a relationally-driven team.

Effective interaction

We communicate with clarity
and purpose.

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Role Description

Main Workbase: 12 Meadway Court, Stevenage SG1 2EF

Hours of Work: Full-time

Contract: Permanent

Line Manager: Executive Director

Salary: £45,000-£52,000 (DOE)

Line Management Responsibility : None

Benefits:

    25 days annual leave + bank holidays, increasing + 1 day

with each year of service, up to 30 days annual leave

    Up to 7% Employer pension contribution

    Access to a personal Learning & Development budget
of £1,000 per year (pro rata), supporting professional
growth and skills development

    Travel and training loans

    Free parking onsite

Overall focus
Relationships, culture, wellbeing, manager support,
team dynamics, Learning and Development, values,
engagement

Purpose of the Role
To play a critical role in cultivating a healthy,
values-aligned culture within Mercy Ships UK.
By consulting with the Leadership Team and partnering
with managers the role will embed strong people
practices, engagement, learning and performance
frameworks, while working alongside the
HR Consultant on governance, policy and complex
employment matters.

Key Responsibilities

1. People, Management & Leadership Support
(People facing)
  Provide day-to-day people management support to
  managers and ELT, including performance, absence,
  well-being, capability, and general employment
  matters.
  Hold regular check-ins with all managers to provide
  proactive HR support and identify emerging issues

early (such as performance, wellbeing,
conflict, morale).

  Support managers with HR processes such as

1-2-1 frameworks, maternity and family leave, exit
interviews, disciplinaries, investigations, staff
conflict and probation reviews.

  Managing routine employee relations matters and

referring complex, high-risk or legally sensitive cases
to the HR Consultant in line with agreed governance

  boundaries.

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2. Culture, Values & Behaviours
  Contribute to cross-departmental HR and culture
  projects, ensuring consistency and good practice.
  Champion organisational values, behaviours and

strength-based approaches across all teams,

  Reinforce values during team gatherings, key moments
in the year and in alignment with organisational activity.

  Facilitating StrengthsFinder insights, sharing at team
  meetings, and bringing them into daily practice.
  Support staff in understanding and engaging positively
  with the organisation’s Christian faith identity in an

inclusive, respectful way.

  Attending Teams meetings periodically to share cultural
  messages or insights.
  Working with the Head of Brand and Communications
  on managing internal communications to the staff team

for engagement and culture alignment.

3. Recruitment & Onboarding
  Partner with hiring managers to deliver value-aligned

recruitment processes, ensuring an excellent candidate
experience and compliance with agreed frameworks.
  Supporting hiring managers with interview experiences.
  Ensuring candidates experience a values-aligned

recruitment journey.

  Design, build and maintain a strong, consistent

induction process, incorporating global context,
  organisational mission, faith identity orientation and

future aspirations.

  Drop into manager 1-2-1s and conduct onboarding
  meetings as needed to ensure new staff are

settling well.

4. Policy, Frameworks & HR Infrastructure
  Promote consistent application of policies and people

frameworks, ensuring managers understand and apply
them effectively.

  Design and implement a clear, fair probation process
including structured reviews and documentation.
  Review the appraisal process (midyear and end of

year), including purpose, questions, documentation,
implementation and training for managers.

  Ensure accurate and timely communication of people

changes to payroll, maintaining compliance with agreed
internal processes.

5. Learning, Development & Talent Growth
  Lead the organisation’s learning and development
approach, ensuring opportunities are accessible,
relevant and aligned with organisational needs.

  Share available courses and development options with
staff proactively (without “spoon feeding”), enabling
self-driven development journeys.

  Support managers to embed value-based development,
      strengths-based leadership and personal growth

conversations.

  Drop into team meetings occasionally to share updates,

values refreshers or development opportunities.

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Person Specification

Attribute

Essential

Desirable

Education/
qualification

   Demonstrable literacy and numeracy skills

    CIPD Level 5 (or equivalent

equivalent to GCSE level.

experience).

   Additional relevant qualifications

in administration, HR,
or customer service.

    Experience in the charity or

international development sector.

    Familiarity with BrightHR or

equivalent HR systems.

    Experience in values-based or
strengths-based development.

    Experience delivering culture,

wellbeing or change programmes.

Proven
experience

    Experience in HR generalist or people-
focused roles with strong advisory
capabilities.

Skills and
abilities

    Confident supporting managers through a

broad range of employment matters.

   Strong understanding of UK employment

law and charity-sector HR dynamics.

   Excellent relationship-building, coaching

and communication skills.

   Experience designing and implementing

people processes (recruitment,
onboarding, performance, etc).

   Ability to handle sensitive situations with

diplomacy, care and confidentiality.

   Strong organisational and administrative

skills with attention to detail.

Personal
qualities

    Honesty, integrity and a passion to

serve others.

   An eye for detail

    A good awareness and passion
for development work within
sub-Saharan Africa.

   Creative and innovative, with a passion

for driving brand awareness.

   Self-starter / self-motivated

   Calm and professional under pressure

   Adaptable and positive approach

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Person Specification

The Postholder:

    This role has an Occupational Requirement for the post holder to be a practicing

Christian in accordance with Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010

    Oversees staff engagement activities and makes recommendations to the Executive Team.

   Provides first-line People-related advisory support.

   Coaches managers on people matters.

   Leads engagement and development initiatives.

The HR Consultant:

    Leads governance, legal risk, policy drafting and complex employee relations.

   Advises Executive Leadership Team and Board on legal compliance.

   Oversees pay, benchmarking and compliance frameworks

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Equal opportunities

Mercy Ships UK is an equal opportunities employer.
We welcome applications from all individuals and
value diversity in our workforce.

DBS check

Candidates will be asked to declare any ‘unspent
convictions.’ Further information can be found here.

Eligible roles may require a Disclosure Barring Service
(DBS) check.

How to apply
to join us in transforming lives:

Please send a CV and cover letter detailing your

relevant experience and why you want to work for

Mercy Ships to:

careers@mercyships.org.uk

Salary : £45,000-£52,000 (DOE)

Don’t delay applying as we screen applications on
receipt and reserve the right to close early.

Hope.
Healing.
Transforming Lives.

Registered Charity No: 1053055. Registered Charity in Scotland No. SC039743.

Company No: 3147724 (England and Wales)