People Manager – Maternity Cover Recruitment Pack

Overview

Job Title: People Manager – Maternity Cover

Reporting to: CEO

Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week We are happy to discuss part time and flexible working options

Salary: £36,000-39,000 dependent on experience (pro rata for part time roles)

Contract: Fixed term for up to 7 months

Location: Hybrid – A minimum of 2 days in our Kennington office per week

Benefits: 5% employer pension and 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata for part time roles)

Groundswell is a sector leader in participation, and our culture is built around the fact that over 65% of our staff have lived experience of homelessness or related experience. Our organisation benefits from a huge range of lived and learned experience and skills, and prides itself on ensuring our people and their experience and skills are at the heart of our organisation’s culture, delivery, and development.

Our organisation has grown substantially over the last five years, to a staff team of around 40 people, growing from being London-based to having staff across England, and the worldwide transition from purely office-based to hybrid working for most staff members.

We have been working hard to incorporate Trauma Informed Care Principles and a personcentred approach into our People function, while also building strong administrative practices, and we are looking for the right person to maintain these practices across the coming year in this maternity cover role. There are several projects that we have outlined as priorities for the coming year, including the streamlining and accessibility of our staff resources and the development of effective induction and onboarding practices and resources.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who wants to develop their HR experience in a truly pioneering organisation, where lived experience and participation are key priorities. We’re looking for someone who has a solid grounding in employment legislation and best practice, which they are able to tailor to the circumstances and the individual they are supporting, while maintaining clear communication and effective People operations.

About Groundswell

Our Vision

Our vision is for a society which is fair, inclusive and equal.

We need equitable access to a healthier life and a better future for anyone with experience of homelessness.

Our Mission

Our mission is to bring people together to:

• Amplify voices of people with lived experience to create solutions to homelessness and health inequalities.

• Stand in solidarity and champion their rights, to create positive change.

Our Strategy

We co-produced our strategy with staff and volunteers with experience of homelessness.
We’re proud to have remained true to our values of participation and co-production.

Stronger Voices, Healthier Lives, Better Futures, Greater Together

People with experience of homelessness must inform the solutions – because they understand the problems people face.

At every stage, we will hear, unite and amplify more voices of people with lived experience to speak out. Through participation we will build a stronger, more inclusive community to create change – through our organisation, in services, our sectors and wider society, locally and nationally.

Homelessness is a health emergency.

We will work to end health inequalities for people who have or are experiencing homelessness through advocacy, practical support, information and by influencing people, policy and services.

Everyone deserves a better, more hopeful life and future.

Lived experience of homelessness can lead to barriers that impact people’s life chances.

Recognising the potential in everyone, we will provide more opportunities and support for people with experience of homelessness to progress if, and when, they are ready.

We can’t achieve our goals alone – we are more impactful when we pull together.

We will become more effective and sustainable, building on our culture of relationships, compassion and transparency, and working closely with partners to learn, share and create change.

If you’d like to read our full strategy document, you can find it here.

People Manager Key Responsibilities

Day to-day operations and administration

Provide effective HR administration and support to the organisation and leadership team day-to-day across the employee lifecycle, including the areas of payroll, recruitment, onboarding and offboarding, training and development, employee relations and team wellbeing.

Monitor and maintain organised HR systems, records and documentation, ensuring everything is up to date, GDPR compliant and clearly communicated with staff and Line Managers.

Report regularly on HR metrics, providing reports, analyses and recommendations on HR matters to the SLT and Boards.

Monitor our Policy register and upcoming changes to UK employment law, ensuring policies are updated in line with Trauma Informed Care Principles and best practice, and changes are communicated in an accessible way across the organisation.

Line Manager support

• Be available day to day to answer Line Manager queries and act as a sounding board.

Support Line Managers to deliver a consistent approach to people management and development through sharing advice and guidance in line with our policies and procedures.

Work with external consultant on managing complex employee and volunteer issues, including capability and disciplinary concerns, ensuring action taken is not only in line with our policies and procedures, UK employment law and best practice, but also Trauma Informed Care Principles.

Support and advise on the implementation of any restructures or role changes for developing organisational plans and emerging needs, providing guidance and prompt procedural action, in line with UK employment law and best practice.

Staff support, wellbeing and morale

Support the Groundswell team with any HR queries, ensuring a welcoming and communicative environment.

Ensure all staff work in a healthy and accessible environment, through individual DSE assessments, and supporting staff and Line Managers with implementing tailored workplace adjustments.

Support the Health and Safety leads to develop and implement practices to maintain a safe working environment.

Support the Participation & Progression team to drive workplace wellbeing initiatives through advising, measuring and reporting on any initiatives where needed.

• Oversee the employee engagement agenda through facilitating staff surveys and other routes for feedback, reporting on survey results to the SLT and supporting the implementation of any approved changes as a result of staff feedback.

Culture and Strategy

• Lead on implementing HR action plan, with SLT and heads of department.

• Continue to implement and embed inclusive and accessible approaches across all areas of HR, with a view to continually improving diversity, accessibility and the employee, volunteer and job applicant experience.

Support and facilitate the work of the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) Working Group to support the prioritisation and implementation of the EDIB Action Plan across the organisation.

Use HR data and analysis to understand Groundswell’s current position with regard to EDIB measures, and to hold Groundswell accountable to the progress of our EDIB Action Plan.

• Provide training and support to staff, volunteers and Line Managers around creating a respectful workplace.

As part of Groundswell’s approach, implement strategies to support people with lived experience to contribute to decision-making across the charity.

General

Use networks and seek out opportunities to learn best practice and remain on top of new approaches in areas of HR, trauma-informed working, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, and staff wellbeing.

• Take a lead on HR compliance issues sourcing expert advice and support as needed.

• Work alongside the Head of Volunteering, Wellbeing & Progression to ensure that volunteers are considered across all areas of HR that will affect them.

Advise on remuneration policies and staff salaries in reference to external benchmarks and sector comparisons.

• Inform risk and safety management processes and reviews around staffing and HR related matters.

Ensure a smooth handover and transition to the returning People Manager following maternity leave.

Groundswell responsibilities and the Groundswellian Way

• Act in line with our code of conduct, the Groundswellian Way, in all interactions with colleagues and third parties in the course of work. The Groundswellian Way states:

o We want a safe, friendly and respectful working environment

o We want to encourage transparent communication to ensure everyone knows what is expected of themselves and the organisation

o We want everyone to feel valued and celebrate our individual strengths

o We want to promote diversity, equity and fairness in all we do

o We want to encourage collaboration and working together

Person Specification

We welcome all applicants and value transferable skills gained through employment, volunteering and life experience.

If you are excited about this role but don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply. Your unique experience and perspective could be exactly what we’re looking for.

Essential

Experience working across multiples areas of a HR/People function

Experience working with HR systems and databases, and a passion for administrative excellence

• Passion for compassionate leadership and person-centred HR practices

Experience advising and supporting Line Managers with HR-related processes and situations

• Strong logistical skills and an understanding of basic maths

• A good understanding of UK employment law, including any upcoming changes

• CIPD Level 5 or equivalent qualification or experience

Desirable

• A strong understanding of how HR data can be used to inform decisions and actions

Experience creating informative, accessible reports or guides and delivering training or presentations to groups of people

• A passion for EDIB and experience progressing EDIB practices in any areas of work

Understanding or experience working with Trauma Informed Care Principles

Experience supporting complex employee relations situations, as well as organisation restructures or changes

• Lived experience of homelessness or social exclusion

Why join Groundswell?

Key Benefits

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata for part time roles)

5% employer pension

• Flexible working options, including hybrid and part-time arrangements

Reflective practice or Clinical Supervision with a trained therapist for all team members

Culture

Support - Regular guidance, support and the opportunity to reflect on your work through regular one to ones with your Line Manager

• Teamwork - Regular opportunities to contribute to and learn from the wider Groundswell team

• Strategic input - Opportunities to input into Groundswell’s strategic direction

• Voice – The ability to input into working practices that impact you, and to know where to turn if any problems arise.

Application and Interview Process

Please let us know if you would like to request any accommodations or adjustments throughout the application and interview process. We will be very happy to support these wherever possible to give all applicants the best opportunity to showcase their skills and experience.

We encourage our candidates to draw from their personal and professional experiences, skills, knowledge and passion for our work in their applications, as we believe this will be the best representation of why you are the right fit for the role. While we acknowledge that Generative AI can be a useful tool when used selectively, we do not believe it can replace the authenticity that each individual can bring to their application. Therefore, we ask you to consider carefully any use of Generative AI throughout the application process.

1. Application

To apply, please submit your CV along with a cover letter using our application form. The cover letter should explain:

How you meet each of the areas outlined in the person specification above

Why you are interested in doing this job at Groundswell.

You can find a guide to writing your cover letter here, which includes some tips and general guidance.

The application form includes an optional section for you to complete our Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form. Completing this form is voluntary. The information provided will be kept confidential and will be used to help us understand the diversity of our job applicants so that we can hold ourselves accountable and continue to improve in relation to our Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Policy. None of the information you provide will be linked to your application or viewed by the interview panel prior to the completion of the recruitment process, and the information provided will have no bearing on the outcome of the recruitment process.

The deadline for applications is June 19th 2026 If you have any questions about the role or the application process, please contact us at jobs@groundswell.org.uk.

2. Interviews

Interviews will be held on June 24th / 25th.

We are a small charity with limited resources and are unable to give individualised feedback on unsuccessful applications before the interview stage.

3. Pre-employment checks

The job offer for the successful candidate will be subject to a reference check.

Many thanks for taking the time to look into this role – it is an exciting opportunity, and we hope you will consider applying.

If you would like to discuss this role before applying then please contact us at jobs@groundswell.org.uk and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

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