How to apply for Director of Global HR Compliance and Operations (UK)

About Vital Strategies

Vital Strategies is a global public health organization that partners with governments to design and implement evidence-based policies to reduce disease and premature death. It operates across seven offices and thirteen EOR arrangements in diverse countries, so HR work directly supports public health programs worldwide. This role is a chance to build compliant, scalable HR systems in a nonprofit international context.

About the role

This director role leads global HR operations, compliance, and employee services across seven offices and thirteen EOR arrangements. You will standardize HR policies while respecting local laws and cultures, oversee global compensation and benefits, manage HRIS and data governance, and handle audits and regulatory reporting. The work is operational and compliance-heavy, with direct impact on how a public health organization hires and manages staff globally.

A typical day

A typical day might involve reviewing HR compliance across multiple countries, coordinating with country leadership on policy updates, and managing HRIS data or audit requests. You could also work on compensation benchmarking, benefits renewals, or supporting an office opening or EOR establishment. The role is remote and global, so early or late calls with different time zones are likely.

Who Vital Strategies is looking for

• 15+ years of progressive HR experience, with significant time spent on global operations and compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
• Has managed HR for a nonprofit or international development organization, including EOR arrangements and donor guideline compliance.
• Experienced in building standardized HR policies and procedures that balance global standards with local legal and cultural requirements.
• Comfortable overseeing global compensation and benefits administration, salary benchmarking, pay reviews, benefits renewals, and vendor coordination.
• Skilled in HRIS administration, data governance, audit coordination, and responding to external audits or investigations.

Tips for this application

• Quantify your global scope: state the number of countries, offices, and EOR arrangements you have supported in past roles.
• Name specific labor laws, donor guidelines (e.g., USAID, CDC, or similar), and regulatory reporting you have handled.
• Describe your experience with HRIS platforms and data governance, including any system implementations or audits you led.
• Highlight any work opening, closing, or establishing offices and EOR arrangements, since this role includes that responsibility.
• Use language from the job description (e.g., standardized HR policies, global compensation, audit coordination) in your resume and cover letter to show direct alignment.

What to cover in your cover letter

Focus on your global HR compliance and operations experience across multiple jurisdictions. Explain how you have balanced global standards with local legal and cultural requirements. Detail your experience with EOR arrangements, donor guidelines, and audit coordination. Show you understand the operational and compliance demands of a nonprofit public health organization with offices in diverse countries.

Research before applying

• Review Vital Strategies' website to understand its public health programs, office locations, and funding sources.
• Research the donor guidelines and regulatory requirements that apply to global public health nonprofits, such as those from major government donors.
• Look into the labor laws and EOR regulations in the countries where Vital Strategies operates to understand the compliance landscape.
• Check LinkedIn for current HR staff at Vital Strategies to understand team structure and global HR operating model.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How you have built and maintained standardized HR policies across multiple countries while respecting local laws and cultures.
• Your approach to managing global compensation and benefits, including salary benchmarking and benefits renewals across locations.
• How you have handled HR compliance with labor laws, donor guidelines, and regulatory reporting in a nonprofit or international development setting.
• Your experience with HRIS administration, data governance, and responding to external audits or investigations.
• How you have supported office openings, closures, or EOR establishment and built relationships with country leadership and HR teams.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Focusing only on domestic HR experience without demonstrating global operations and compliance work across multiple jurisdictions.
• Ignoring the nonprofit or international development context and instead emphasizing corporate HR experience without donor guideline or regulatory reporting exposure.
• Providing vague descriptions of global scope instead of specific numbers of countries, offices, and EOR arrangements managed.