The British High Commission (BHC) Lusaka is recruiting for a new People and Operations Manager role. This is an exciting and demanding role for an exceptional individual to join our team which covers over 60 staff. The role holder will work closely with various stakeholders across the Mission and in London to ensure we deliver an excellent people offer in support of our Country Business Plan (CBP) and corporate excellence. The ideal candidate will possess excellent management, operational, interpersonal, and organisational skills.

People are at the heart and centre of our ability to deliver our CBP, particularly during a time of fast-paced change across the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) global network. We value our talented and diverse workforce that comprises UK-based (UKB) civil servants and country-based staff (CBS) whose diversity of ideas and experience across all areas of our work bring different ways to think about and take on challenges and opportunities. We are committed to ensuring that we develop, grow, and realise the potential of all our people, and create a great place to work where we can be ourselves and be respected for who we are. These values will be at the core of the work you deliver within the team.

Reporting to the Head of Corporate Services, the role holder will manage the Mission’s people, operations, and service delivery across Corporate Services functions which spans office administration, governance, and IT coordination. The role holder will ensure we are compliant with FCDO policies, has strong contract and budget management, and high-quality, timely services to all departments at post. 

Roles and responsibilities 

1) People Strategy, Governance, Change and HR Management

• Lead on the development, refinement and promotion of the British High Commission (BHC) People Strategy, embedding its principles across Corporate Services and wider Post. Coordinate the work of the People Strategy Group, driving positive sustained progress and developments against the People Survey results year-on-year and that action is informed by evidence and data.
• Manage the People Offer and employer proposition for staff in Zambia, ensuring the BHC remains a competitive and rewarding workplace. Responsibilities include coordinating reviews of Country Based Staff (CBS) terms and conditions, ensuring compliance with Zambian labour law with support from the Honorary Legal Adviser (HLA), and implementing FCDO policy guidance from London.
• Lead on best practice change management, supporting senior leaders to implement good change in support of the FCDO2030 programme. Encourage ways in which the BHC can be change resilient.
• Lead HR-related processes in collaboration with HR Hub and HR in headquarters, including recruitment planning, coordination, onboarding, and inductions.
• Contribute strategic insights and evidence-based recommendations to the Deputy Head of Mission to inform workforce planning, policy updates, and continuous improvement of HR practices across the BHC.
• Lead on workforce planning and recruitment coordination, working with relevant Team Leaders and line managers on taking a holistic approach on our UK based and Country-based staff footprint and resources. Support the Deputy Head of Mission on developing a pipeline and consider the capabilities and requirements needed to maximise delivery against the Country Business Plan. Support post leadership so they have the right tools, data, MI and resources to carry this out effectively.
• Lead on developing and promoting diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing initiatives, ensuring compliance with FCDO HR policies and local labour laws.
• Act as a point of contact for staff engagement activities, supporting talent management and succession planning.
• Lead on the performance development approach for the BHC, supporting leaders and line managers to coach and support their staff in line with best practice. Lead on the annual cycle of performance development activities, supporting the leadership team to drive a high-performance culture. Collate and analyse performance data as part of the bi-annual consistency check exercises and end of year calibration. Deliver performance development workshops.
• Lead on the People and HR workplan and workstreams for the BHC
• Responsible for leading HR and people matters for all UKBS and CBS across the BHC Lusaka Mission (~60 FTE).
• Keep HR professional knowledge up-to date, following trends, ideas and innovations occurring within the HR sphere, to ensure services standards are met and a culture of continuous improvement develops. Demonstrate an agile mindset being comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty and remaining curious on how to drive good practice in the High Commission.
• Line manage People & Operations Officer, ITSO, and Residence Manager. Set clear objectives, provide coaching, and foster a collaborative, inclusive, and customer-focused culture.
• Support on refreshing the governance framework working across the Mission to ensure that meeting structures are well-run and effective

2)  Office Support, and Administration

• Support with coordination function to the BHC’s governance structures, ensuring the Deputy Head of Mission is supported across a range of operational areas covering HR and People, security, crisis, and corporate.
• Oversee administrative services, including office facilities, meeting support, and supplies management. Work to continuously improve services so that they continue to remain relevant, efficient and up to date
• Oversee, regularly update and maintain key office information sources (organogram, phone list, call tree) and ensure compliance with information management standards.

3) IT & Information Management

• Provide oversight of the ITSO function to ensure reliable IT support and compliance with FCDO IM/IT policies.

4) Procurement & Contract Management

• Provide client leadership for outsourced service partners, ensuring that organisational expectations are clearly conveyed and service delivery meets agreed standards.
• Oversee contracts related to office support, and residence services.

5) Finance & Budget

• Oversee operational budgets for office support, and residence; deliver accurate forecasting and monitoring.

6) Compliance and Safeguarding

• Support the Head of Corporate Services in leading compliance activities (procurement pipeline, audits, MAP outcomes).
• Support with Championing safeguarding awareness across teams.

7) Service Levels & Reporting

• Support the Head of Corporate Services with the promotion delivery against Corporate Services Charter, track performance and report quarterly to Operations Committee.

8) Business Continuity & Crisis Readiness

• Support the Head of Corporate Services with business continuity planning and crisis management preparedness.

9) Communications

• Support the Head of Corporate Services on developing and drafting a communications plan for Corporate Services activities and be an active coach for delivering excellent communications to a wide range of stakeholders

10) Leadership

• Deputise for the Head of Corporate Services in their absence and provide leadership on HR and People matters to the Mission

11)  Information Management and Reporting

• Establish a support service to senior leaders by analysing available workforce and HR MI and data and compiling reports that provide reliable information to drive decision making on the BHC’s people matters
• Develop management information (MI) & reporting dashboards and create HR knowledge database (i.e. FAQS, trending topics, terms and conditions of service inventory, labour laws, etc).

The above list is not exhaustive and the jobholder will be required to be flexible and take on other ad hoc tasks as required, including participating in the High Commission’s emergency planning and any response to a crisis.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure) 

Direct line management of Corporate Services team members: 1x AO People and Operations Officer; 1 x AO Residence Manager and 1x AO ITSO (IT Officer)

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Social Sciences or in any related field.
• Highly self motivated and proactive professional, able to work independently with strong ownership and initiative.
• Extensive HR management experience, including international HR exposure and deep understanding of Zambian labour law and HR practices.
• Broad operational expertise across administration, IT coordination, residence management, and multi functional service delivery.
• Strong leadership, people management, and stakeholder engagement capabilities, with proven success in contract and vendor management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, confident in engaging effectively at all organisational levels.
• Skilled in budget management, forecasting, recruitment, onboarding, and performance management.
• Committed to promoting diversity, inclusion, wellbeing, and a positive organisational culture.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret, analyse, and present people data.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).
• Experienced in managing change, coaching teams, and improving processes.
• Discreet, courteous, and trustworthy, with strong attention to detail and respect for confidentiality, especially when handling sensitive personal data.