People & Culture Manager

The People & Culture Manager plays a pivotal role in supporting LightEn's people infrastructure, ensuring our practices, systems, and culture align to create an team member experience that supports our mission and vision. Reporting to the Global People & Culture Catalyst, with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Global COO, this highly relational role combines people operations, project management, and culture building.

Working closely with colleagues across the LightEn team, the People & Culture Manager will serve as a central point of contact in London for people-related initiatives, including recruitment, onboarding and offboarding, policy support, and performance management. The person in this role needs to be a creative problem solver, strong relationship builder, and enthusiastic collaborator who thrives on strengthening systems and processes while supporting a positive and engaged workplace culture.

The successful candidate will bring experience in recruitment, project management, employee engagement, and people operations. They will be a skilled communicator who can translate complex information into clear, actionable recommendations that support thoughtful and informed decision-making. They will approach their work with care, service, and a commitment to LightEn's mission.

This role is ideal for someone who is deeply relational, highly-organised, proactive, detail-oriented, and deeply aligned with LightEn's mission and vision. This role offers an opportunity to join a truly mission-driven team where people can show up as their authentic selves and where service underpins every effort, idea, and interaction.

Overview of Responsibilities

The People & Culture Manager will need to be flexible and adaptable to successfully support the organisation's evolving needs.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Team Member Experience

• Serve as a point of contact for inquiries from the UK team, providing guidance and escalating more complex matters as appropriate.
• Support the People & Culture Catalyst to develop and strengthen people practices, enhance team member experience, and foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, inclusion, and wellbeing.
• Manage key employee lifecycle processes, including onboarding, offboarding, role changes, leave administration, and employee documentation.
• Coordinate performance review cycles and feedback processes that support clarity, accountability, and growth.
• Coordinate and co-create employee engagement and culture-building initiatives that strengthen connection and belonging.
• Support team member growth and development; help vet external facilitators and organise training and learning opportunities.

Recruitment, Onboarding & Offboarding

• Collaborate with hiring managers to develop job descriptions, recruitment approaches, interview processes, and candidate assessments.
• Draft offer letters, employment contracts and other required documents for the COO's review and signature.
• Manage onboarding and offboarding processes, and maintain compliance while ensuring a positive experience for all team members.
• Communicate changes to the Finance team for payroll and benefits purposes.
• Ensure all documentation is signed and filed appropriately to support all employment-related changes.

Project Management

• Track and maintain progress of People & Culture initiatives and organisational priorities through designated project management platforms.
• Prepare, analyse, and present comprehensive and compelling reports and presentations, as needed.
• Draft internal communications, ensuring tone of messaging is values-aligned, and team members receive information timely.
• Support special projects assigned by the Global People & Culture Catalyst and Global COO.

Policy & Compliance Care

• Develop, document, maintain, and continuously improve People & Culture policies, procedures, and practices while supporting effective communication and change management.
• Maintain accurate, secure, and compliant employee records and documentation in accordance with organisational policies and applicable legal requirements.
• Partner with Legal, Finance, and Operations colleagues to ensure compliance with employment regulations and organisational requirements across relevant jurisdictions.
• Lead the review and maintenance of People & Culture policies, employee handbooks, and governance documentation.
• Contribute to organisational risk management efforts by ensuring people-related issues are appropriately identified, documented, and addressed.
• Proactively identify trends and compliance changes that may influence the employee experience and make practical recommendations to the Global People & Culture Catalyst and COO.

Skills & Qualities

• Authentic resonance with LightEn's mission and vision.
• At least 5 years of progressive experience in Human Resources, People & Culture, People Operations, or a related field.
• Extensive recruitment experience and a love for finding the right people in the right roles.
• Experience managing multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Experience managing employee lifecycle processes and people operations from a values-based perspective.
• Experience developing and improving processes, policies, and systems.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and generate actionable insights.
• Experience working with HRIS platforms and project management systems.
• Exceptional organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong working knowledge of employment practices in the UK.

BENEFITS OF THE ROLE

• A competitive salary (commensurate with skills and experience)
• Generous company pension (10% non-contributory)
• Medical insurance, life assurance, 25 days holiday
• Cycle to work and eyecare schemes

LOCATION

LightEn is currently hybrid, with onsite working regularly, based on business needs.

#J-18808-Ljbffr