Head of HR

Nova Ukraine is an international nonprofit delivering strategic humanitarian initiatives in partnership with trusted teams across Ukraine. Since 2014, we’ve directed over $147.9 million toward aid for war-affected communities, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and civil society development. At Nova Ukraine, we turn aid into impact. We strengthen civil society and support high-impact initiatives that change lives — and we’re looking for people ready to make a meaningful impact alongside us.

We are looking for an experienced Country Head of HR (“Директор з персоналу”) who serves as a strategic architect of organizational capacity and "Duty of Care," ensuring Nova Ukraine scales with resilience, safety, and legal integrity during periods of rapid scaling and professionalization. Bridging the gap between high-level strategic objectives and operational excellence, this leader oversees the implementation of EU NGO standards and governs organizational design. By fostering a mission-driven performance culture and ensuring strict adherence to Ukrainian labor laws and EU Directives, the Country Head of HR secures the human capital necessary to execute Nova Ukraine’s 2026–2030 strategic mission.

Why work with us?

Meaningful Impact – Contribute to infrastructure projects that improve community life and resilience.

Professional Growth – Strengthen your skills in procurement, contract management, and cross-functional coordination.

Mission-Driven Work – Play a direct role in supporting recovery and humanitarian projects across Ukraine.

Organizational benefits: membership in the corporate health and life insurance program, psychological support.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead the Human Resources function in Ukraine, serving as a strategic advisor to executive leadership by aligning HR strategy, workforce planning, organizational design, and talent initiatives with Nova Ukraine's mission, long-term objectives, and organizational growth.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and performance management to the team while establishing priorities, strengthening organizational capability, and ensuring the effective delivery of recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, compensation and benefits, personnel administration, and HR operations.
• Govern organizational design, change management, and leadership development initiatives by implementing performance management frameworks, coaching managers on goal setting and employee development, and fostering a high-performance, mission-driven culture.
• Lead talent acquisition for employees and volunteers by optimizing recruitment strategies, employer branding, candidate engagement, onboarding and offboarding processes, and workforce planning across multiple recruitment platforms and international stakeholders.
• Drive Organizational Development (OD) by evolving HR processes to match the organization's growth stages and providing dedicated support for organizational change.
• Champion Employee Engagement & Wellbeing by developing engagement programs, supporting employee wellness, preventing professional burnout, and regularly measuring team engagement and satisfaction.
• Ensure full compliance with Ukrainian labor legislation, statutory requirements, donor expectations, and global organizational policies by leading policy localization, HR governance, personnel documentation, compliance audits, and continuous improvement of HR systems and processes.
• Partner with executive leadership, Global HR, Finance, Marketing, and cross-functional departments to analyze HR metrics, manage HR budgets and training investments, support organizational decision-making with data-driven insights, and advance strategic people initiatives across the organization.

What We’re Looking For:

• Degree in Management, Law, Psychology, Human Resources, or a related field.
• 7+ years of progressive HR and recruitment experience, with at least 5 years in a senior HR leadership role.
• Proven experience in building, developing, or transforming the HR function, managing HR teams, and supporting organizational changes during growth periods.
• Practical experience in developing and implementing modern HR processes, including recruitment, onboarding, Performance Management, L&D, leadership development, employee engagement, and wellbeing programs.
• Deep knowledge of Ukrainian labor legislation and modern HR practices (Organizational Development, Change Management, and Talent Management).
• Ability to combine strategic vision with operational execution, independently implementing changes and building out the HR function.
• Fluent in Ukrainian and English (Advanced/C1 level).

Would be a plus:

• Professional certifications in HR, Change Management, or Organizational Development.
• Experience in international organizations, charitable foundations, or International NGOs (INGOs).
• Experience integrating EU NGO policies and standards.
• Proven success scaling massive volunteer programs.

Work Conditions:

• Hybrid work.
• Official employment with opportunities for long-term collaboration.

We will be happy to receive your CV together with a cover letter and financial expectations and consider your candidacy. Your personal contribution will make a huge difference in achieving our goals and mission. Join us to change the world for the better together.