Head of People Operations

Job Title: Head of People Ops

Reports to: Vice President of People & IT (US)

Direct Reports: 3

Location: London

About Us: 

Kooth is a fast-growing, mission-driven organization transforming access to digital mental health support across the UK and the US. Listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: KOO), our mission is to create welcoming, accessible spaces for personalized mental health care that empower young people to thrive.

Grounded in an early-intervention model, we support young people aged 10–25 to build resilience, access timely care, and lead fulfilling lives. We are more than a digital service—we are part of a movement toward more inclusive, evidence-informed mental health care.

In the UK, Kooth works alongside the NHS and is the country’s largest digital mental health platform for young people, built on more than one million hours of professional support delivered to youth across the country.

In the US, we bring our mission to life through Soluna, California’s first statewide digital behavioral health service for 13–25-year-olds. Soluna removes barriers to care by providing nearly immediate access to one-to-one coaching, Care Navigation, peer support, and self-guided tools that help young people build resilience and find meaningful support when they need it most.

Our culture is rooted in our values: Alongside You, Flexible, Compassionate, Committed, and Safe. These values guide how we support young people, collaborate with one another, and build solutions that meet individuals and communities where they are.

At Kooth, you will be part of something bigger than yourself—meaningful work with measurable impact.

Learn more about Kooth and Soluna.

What We’re Looking For: 

The Head of People Operations will lead and continuously evolve the People Operations function across the UK and US, building consistent, efficient, and compliant practices that support Kooth’s people and enable the organization to scale effectively. This role will shape a seamless and supportive employee experience, use people data and insights to strengthen business performance, and oversee the systems, processes, and operational foundations that help our teams do their best work. 

How You’ll Make an Impact: 

People Operations Strategy

• Develop and deliver the People Operations strategy, ensuring it supports business objectives, growth and employee experience across the UK and US. 
• Set the priorities, operating model and service standards for the People Operations function. 

System Management, Optimisation, & Continuous Improvement

• Own the HRIS (Rippling) and key People systems across the UK and US, acting as the subject matter expert. 
• Continuously improve user experience and adoption of HR systems by automating processes, simplifying workflows, integrating systems, increasing self-service, and using AI where it adds value. 
• Manage relationships with system vendors and implementation partners, including contracts, service levels and budgets, ensuring value for money. 

Payroll and Total Rewards Administration

• Own end-to-end payroll accuracy, timeliness, and compliance across UK and US, including third-party payroll providers/vendors and annual tax documents.
• Oversee benefits administration including assessing plan design, managing  broker/vendor relationships and renewals for both UK and US plans.
• Coordinate employee communications and education around benefits.
• Partner with Finance to administer variable compensation plans. 

Team Leadership & Capability Building 

• Lead, develop and inspire a team of three People Operations Generalists supporting employees across the UK and US.
• Build a high-performing team through clear objectives, coaching, feedback and development.
• Create a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Ensure the team has the skills and resources to meet changing business needs and deliver an excellent employee experience.

People Data, Governance & Compliance 

• Ensure accurate, well-governed People data across HR systems through effective controls and audit processes.
• Ensure compliance with UK and US employment legislation, GDPR and US data privacy, and internal governance requirements.
• Provide people analytics and reporting that support business decisions and workforce planning.
• Develop reporting standards and dashboards that provide timely, accurate insights for business leaders.

Health and Safety 

• Lead health and safety across the UK and US, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and a safe working environment.
• Partner with stakeholders to identify and manage health and safety risks, promoting continuous improvement and a positive safety culture.
• Oversee the investigation and resolution of health and safety incidents, ensuring appropriate reporting and compliance.

Requirements

What You’ll Bring: 

• Proven experience leading a People Operations function and developing high-performing teams.
• Experience supporting employees and leaders across both the UK and US, with the ability to work effectively across teams and time zones.
• Strong experience owning and managing HR systems, including HRIS implementations, automation, and continuous process improvement.
• Strong knowledge of UK and US employment law, regulatory requirements, data governance, and payroll controls.
• Experience using automation and AI to simplify processes, improve efficiency, and reduce manual work.
• Strong people data and reporting capability, with experience identifying and communicating trends across areas such as attrition, absence, performance, and engagement.
• Experience designing, reviewing, or managing employee benefits and reward programmes using relevant market data.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear, practical guidance.
• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Strong project management, strategic thinking, and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage competing demands.
• High levels of adaptability, flexibility, resilience, and attention to detail.
• CIPD or SHRM accreditation is required.
• Experience working with Rippling is highly preferred.

Benefits

What You’ll Get:

Compensation: The base salary for this role is up to £70,000 per annum. We are committed to transparency and value our candidates’ time, which is why we include salary information in all our job postings. Final compensation will be based on a range of factors, including your experience, qualifications, skills, and overall alignment with the role.

Kooth offers a competitive base salary and comprehensive benefits including:

• Generous Annual Leave: Enjoy 28 days of annual leave, in addition to public holidays, providing you ample time to recharge and spend quality moments with your loved ones.
• Professional Development: Benefit from our yearly professional training programmes, tailored to your career aspirations and designed to enhance your skills and knowledge.
• Financial Security: Secure your financial future with our pension contributions and annual company share option awards, giving you a stake in the success of the company.
• Health and Well-being: Prioritize your health and well-being with our comprehensive AXA Health Insurance and access to an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). The EAP offers 24/7 telephone mental health support and access to GP consultations, ensuring your mental and physical health are taken care of.
• Life Assurance: Gain peace of mind knowing that you're covered with life assurance, providing up to four times your annual salary to your loved ones in the unfortunate event of your passing.
• Flexible Working: Embrace the flexibility of remote working, allowing you to create a work-life balance that suits your needs and maximizes your productivity.
• Lifestyle Benefits: Participate in the Cycle to Work Scheme, promoting a healthy and eco-friendly lifestyle, and take advantage of our Incapacity Income Protection to safeguard your financial stability in case of unforeseen circumstances.

At Kooth, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace that values and embraces the unique contributions of every individual. We believe in equal opportunities for all, regardless of race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression or sexual orientation.

Our dedication to creating a fair and unbiased environment is reflected in all aspects of our recruitment, hiring, and employment practices. We strive to provide a work environment that is free from discrimination, where every employee is treated with respect and dignity.

Request for Reasonable Adjustments:

We are dedicated to providing reasonable adjustments to applicants and employees with disabilities or individuals who require accommodations to participate in the application process, interviews, or job-related tasks. If you require any reasonable adjustments to ensure your equal participation in our recruitment process, please inform our Human Resources team.

Your openness will allow us to work together to provide appropriate accommodations and ensure a fair and accessible application and employment experience for everyone.

Kooth plc is committed to our responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults . We are committed to recruiting candidates who share this commitment to safeguarding, and therefore we apply robust recruitment and selection procedures to ensure that the people selected are right for the job, and that all candidates are appropriately screened prior to appointment. This will include a DBS check.