HR and Talent Officer (Bi-lingual) in Haywards Heath

Sightsavers is looking for a bi-lingual HR and Talent Officer (English and French) to work within our HR Operations team.

Salary: £28,992 to £34,108

Location: UK remote - with monthly travel to Haywards Heath, West Sussex

Contract: 12-month fixed‑term contract

Hours: Full‑time with some flexibility around hours worked; mostly home working within the UK.

Responsibilities:

Sightsavers is an international charity working to prevent avoidable blindness, support equality for people with disabilities and advocate for change. We work in more than 30 countries worldwide, focusing on Africa and Asia. We are seeking a bi‑lingual (English and French) HR and Talent Officer to work within our busy HR Operations team and provide advice, guidance and support on all areas of the employee lifecycle from recruitment onwards, engaging with our c. 850 employees and stakeholders to creatively problem‑solve talent, people, contractual and legal issues.

About the role:

This is an exciting role within the team and the postholder will actively engage in the use of our systems, lead on and support multiple HR Operations projects and deliver outcomes to a high standard for our inspirational colleagues located around the world. Typical duties will include:

• Identifying, designing and implementing successful recruitment campaigns that attract a diverse pool of candidates, and all related activities
• Preparing contractual paperwork
• Supporting employee onboarding, lifecycle activities and offboarding via a range of HR systems
• Responding to staff queries relating to the use of a number of HR systems in a constructive and timely manner
• Actively engaging with HRIS software changes
• Completing HR Operations onboarding requirements for new hires, including bilingual inductions and reasonable adjustment signposting
• Leading and delivering knowledge sessions
• Pay and benefits administration in conjunction with the Payroll team
• Working collaboratively as part of a proactive team to provide an effective HR Operations service to stakeholders

This is an involved and varied role. Please read the full job description for further details.

Benefits:

Sightsavers offers a comprehensive benefits package including generous annual leave allowance, pension, cycle‑to‑work scheme, discounted gym memberships and wellness discounts. If you choose to work in or are visiting our collaborative, modern office space, you will find it an easy 20‑minute train journey from Brighton or 45 minutes from London.

Skills and Experience:

About you:

We are looking for a proactive, service‑driven and organised individual with experience in an HR Officer/Advisor and Talent Acquisition environment or within a Shared Services role. To succeed in this role you will also have:

• Proven experience in an HR Officer/Advisor and Talent Acquisition environment or Shared Services role (essential).
• Basic understanding of employment law in any of Sightsavers’ locations.
• Ideally previous HR/recruitment experience within an international or complex organisation.
• Demonstrable planning and prioritisation skills.
• Knowledge of HR and ATS/CRM systems, able to review and contribute to enhancing utilisation of HR databases.
• Intermediate level knowledge of Microsoft 365 products.
• Experience of leading on projects, fostering positive relationships and upskilling stakeholders as required.
• Proactive attitude to change with the ability to recommend improvements to process and practice, leading through to implementation.
• Fluency in French (essential).

Please read the job description for full details of the essential knowledge and skills required for this role.

Next Steps:

To apply for this exciting opportunity, please complete an application. We are particularly interested in learning of your motivations for applying. Please note that there will be an expectation that you can visit our offices in Haywards Heath, West Sussex (RH16 3BW) on a monthly basis. We will be reviewing applications as they are received and plan to schedule interviews in mid‑January. Long‑listed candidates will be asked to complete an assessment including language, problem‑solving and software skills.

We reserve the right to end this advert early or to extend the deadline. As an equal‑opportunity employer, we actively encourage applications from all sections of the community. Sightsavers is a Disability Confident Leader and qualified people with a disability are particularly encouraged to apply. Sightsavers is an employer that does not tolerate any form of harassment and has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. All potential candidates will be subjected to rigorous background checks and controls. In line with its commitment to safe programming and recruitment, Sightsavers participates in the inter‑agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS) administered by the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response. Through collaboration with other MDS members, Sightsavers aims to ensure there are no sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment issues relating to potential new hires and that we can respond systematically to checks from fellow MDS members. This ensures our work is accountable, delivered to a high standard and supports safeguarding across the development and humanitarian fields.