HR Manager Ukraine

• Lead the transition to employment and the HR set-up: Together with the Country Director and the external legal firm, lead the transfer of current consultants to employment contracts under Ukrainian law, including closure of consultancy agreements, employment contracts and annexes, job descriptions and position titles aligned with the National Classifier of Occupations, and onboarding into employment. Implement and then maintain the tools prepared by the legal firm (employee file and onboarding checklists, HR compliance calendar, legal risk register, document retention matrix).
• Manage HR administration and personnel records under Ukrainian law: Prepare and maintain HR orders (hiring, transfer, leave, termination), the staffing table, timesheets, the annual leave schedule, personnel files and electronic employment records. Submit employment notifications to the State Tax Service before the start of work, process sick leave and other statutory leave through the Pension Fund of Ukraine portal, and keep HR
  records in line with document retention, confidentiality and personal data protection requirements (Law of Ukraine “On Personal Data Protection” and War Child’s data protection policy).
• Oversee military registration and reservation: Act as the internal person responsible for military registration of staff. Coordinate and quality-check the external provider (the legal firm) that maintains military records, ensure staff data and changes reach the provider on time, and coordinate reservation (deferment) of eligible employees where the Representative Office qualifies.
• Develop HR policies and ensure compliance: Adapt War Child’s global policies to Ukrainian law with the legal firm and develop the required local documents (e.g. Internal Labour Regulations). Roll them out, train managers and staff, and keep them up to date with legal changes, including those introduced under martial law. Coordinate HR audit and donor requirements and act as the main point of contact for external legal advice on HR matters.
• Lead recruitment, selection and onboarding: Coordinate recruitment for new and vacant positions, including JDs, vacancy texts, advertising, screening and shortlisting. Advise on interview questions and assessments and take part in interviews. Oversee safer recruitment, background checks and Misconduct Disclosure Scheme references within the limits of Ukrainian law, job offers and onboarding, ensuring fair and transparent processes aligned with safeguarding, integrity and donor requirements.
• Coordinate payroll inputs and employee benefits: Provide timely and accurate HR inputs to Finance for payroll and social security (new hires, changes, leave, sick leave, terminations). Manage staff insurance and maintain oversight of benefits, allowances and additional days off provided under War Child policy.
• Coordinate occupational health, safety and duty of care: Ensure that occupational health and safety obligations are met (OHS documentation, safety briefings, workplace risk assessment, medical checks where required) through the external OHS provider, acting as its internal focal point. Work with the security focal point on duty of care for staff travelling to high-risk areas, air-raid procedures and documentation when staff are unable to work for safety reasons.
• Advise managers and staff and manage employee relations: Act as an HR business partner to managers and senior leadership. Advise on employment terms, working time, absence, salary scales and performance. Guide disciplinary, grievance and termination processes in line with Ukrainian law and War Child policy, and support mediation and resolution of workplace conflict.
• Support performance, learning, wellbeing and inclusion: Help managers implement the performance-management cycle and learning and development plans. Develop initiatives that support staff wellbeing and a healthy working environment in a high-stress context, with attention to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Lead HR planning, data and reporting: Lead annual HR planning, objectives and budget in line with country and organisational HR strategies. Maintain HR information systems and data, provide accurate HR reports and analysis to leadership, and contribute to regional and global HR initiatives.
• Each staff member is responsible for contributing to creating a culture committed to our mission, vision, internal safeguarding standards, JEDI ((Social) Justice Equity Diversity Inclusion) principles and the CHS (Core Humanitarian Standard) framework and are expected to actively promote this in their work.
• These duties provide a framework for the role and should not be regarded as a definitive list. Other reasonable duties may be required consistent with the grade of the role.

• In the first 12 months, complete the transition of current consultants to employment (planned from January 2027, to be confirmed) and prepare the HR framework for the planned growth of the team to approximately 13–14 positions in 2027.
• Act as the key HR liaison with Ukrainian authorities (State Tax Service, Pension Fund of Ukraine, Territorial Recruitment Centres, State Labour Service) within the agreed authority and power of attorney.
• Take part in Ukraine humanitarian HR coordination forums, share learning and keep up to date with changes in Ukrainian labour law.
• Supervise and develop the HR Officer, if this position is included in the approved Ukraine structure.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their CV and cover letter in English through our career's website no later than 30/10/2026.

• Only applications received via our website are processed.
• If we appoint a suitable candidate before the given closing date, we reserve the right to remove the vacancy from our website before that date. In such a case, any responses received after that time are not processed.
• It could be that during our selection process the closing date for the vacancy is extended. If so, and you have not yet heard from us, your application will remain active.