Head of Human Resources

Our Mission

We are a community of learners determined to make the world - or our corner of it- a better, kinder place. We reflect our values in everything we do so that we make the most of opportunities and challenges in a spirit of enthusiastic inquiry.

Our Vision

We help every student turn learning into action, creating opportunities for students to stretch themselves further and achieve more than they believe possible.

General Description

The Head of Human Resources (HR) serves as a visible, trusted, and approachable leader responsible for shaping and leading the implementation of ISZL’s people strategy (approx. 320 employees) in support of the school’s mission and strategic priorities.

As a member of the Operations Leadership Team, the Head of HR reports directly to the Director of Operations and manages the full employee lifecycle, enabling ISZL to attract, develop, support, and retain exceptional people. The Head of HR will build trusted partnerships with the Director, Deputy Director, Senior Leadership Team, and school leaders, providing strategic HR advice and progressively strengthening leadership capability across the organisation while fostering a culture of trust, belonging, well-being, accountability, and continuous improvement.

The Head of HR will lead the HR team (three team members), and take full accountability for the departmental budget and annual salary processes. Additionally, the Head of HR will support our international talent hiring as an integral part of ISZL's HR strategy by coordinating comprehensive onboarding, relocation support, and faculty integration initiatives to ensure a welcoming and high-performing environment.

This is a 100% position, with some flexibility to work from home. The Head of HR is expected to maintain a hands-on leadership style and, where required, support operational HR activities to ensure an effective and collaborative HR function.

The Head of HR is expected to balance strategic leadership with operational excellence, ensuring that HR remains a trusted partner to school leaders and a responsive, high-quality service for all employees.

This role is intended to contribute not only to effective HR systems and legal compliance but also to strengthening ISZL’s culture, building effective leadership partnerships, and supporting a positive employee experience throughout the employee lifecycle.

The Head of Human Resources will provide strategic and operational leadership in the following areas:

School Culture & Community

• Mission & Values: Act as a guardian of the school’s mission and values, ensuring they are reflected in all HR practices, policies, and daily interactions
• Diversity & Inclusion: Foster a welcoming, inclusive, and psychologically safe workplace culture that celebrates our international diversity and supports staff well-being
• Community Integration: Design and support initiatives that strengthen collaboration between faculty and administrative staff, fostering a unified One School culture
• People & Culture: Lead initiatives that strengthen employee engagement, wellbeing, belonging, and the overall employee experience across the stages of the employee lifecycle.
  
  

Leadership Responsibilities

• Institutional Alignment: Foster strong collaboration across the school, ensuring HR provides high-quality support to both educational and operational teams while advancing the school’s mission and strategic priorities
• Service Mindset: Champion a proactive, solutions-oriented service culture within the HR team, acting as a positive change agent and role model
• Team Leadership: Lead, motivate, and continuously develop the HR team by setting clear expectations, providing meaningful feedback, and supporting professional growth
• Governance: Attend Board and Board committee meetings as required, providing professional HR advice, reports, and recommendations.
• Strategic Collaboration: Contribute as an active member of the Operations Leadership Team and collaborate effectively across departments to support whole-school priorities.
• External Networks: Collaborate with external consultants, legal counsel, relocation agencies, and insurance brokers, as well as key stakeholders, including Cantonal and Community authorities
• Data, Insights & AI: Further develop meaningful HR reporting, benchmarking, and workforce analytics, continuously improving data quality and reporting capabilities to support. evidence-informed decision-making. Support the responsible adoption of AI-enabled solutions within Operations, with a particular focus on Human Resources processes and services.
• Local and Regional Expertise: Collaborate with key local and regional contacts and authorities to ensure all Human Resources and People Management matters align with relevant local and Swiss regulations and common best practices for international companies operating within the Swiss Regulatory Framework

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• Strategic Advisor: Provide objective, confidential, and independent advice to leaders and employees on complex personnel matters, promoting consistency, fairness, and professional integrity
  
  

General Responsibilities

• Human Resources Systems: Lead the ongoing development of HR systems and processes that enable an efficient, data-informed, and people-centred employee experience
• Compliance & Controls: Establish, maintain, continuously improve, and supervise HR compliance controls and procedures to ensure operational and data integrity
• Budget Ownership: In close collaboration with the Head of Finance and the Director of Operations, prepare and manage the annual HR operating and capital budgets, monitoring expenditure and ensuring responsible stewardship of resources
• Compensation & Benefits: Manage the annual salary review and promotion process, and oversee relationships with external providers for social security, pension, insurance, and employee benefits
• Onboarding & International Relocation: Lead the onboarding journey for new employees, including active participation in the annual Introduction Week, and oversee relocation support, housing, and local registration for international hires in partnership with external relocation agencies
• Employee Relations & Employment Law: Lead employee relations and employment law matters in collaboration with school leadership and external legal counsel, ensuring fair, consistent, and legally compliant practices
• Strategy & Improvement: Support the development and implementation of ISZL’s people strategy, identifying opportunities to strengthen HR services, improve operational effectiveness, and enhance the employee experience
• Policy Management: Develop, implement, and regularly review HR policies and employee handbooks to ensure compliance with Swiss labour law and organisational best practice
• Talent Acquisition: Oversee, optimise, and help shape the school's overarching recruitment strategy and employer branding, providing high-level guidance to the corresponding hiring manager/team.
• Safeguarding: Ensure all recruitment, onboarding, and employment practices are fully aligned with ISZL’s safeguarding commitments, policies, and internationally recognised best practice
  
  

Required And Preferred Qualifications

• Leadership Excellence: Proven leadership and people skills, including experience in leading teams during times of significant change
• HR Expertise and Experience: In-depth knowledge of strategic human resources management, talent acquisition, performance management, and HR operations, along with significant progressive experience in Human Resources leadership roles
• Swiss Legal Knowledge: Strong understanding of Swiss labour law, local social security frameworks, and cantonal regulations regarding international employment
• Education & Credentials: Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Labour Law, or a Federal Diploma of Higher Education in HR (e.g., HR-Leiter/in, HR-Fachmann/-frau), ideally with continuing education in organisational development or equivalent
• Financial Acumen: Experience in coordinating budgetary processes, workforce planning, and compensation analysis
• Cultural Fit: Strong business acumen and outstanding service ethos and mindset with a thorough understanding of working in an international, socially-responsible, service-oriented organisation
• Interpersonal Strength: Integrity in all actions and communications, with the ability to collaborate with various different personalities and groups of people at the same time in a very dynamic environment
• Growth Mindset: Natural curiosity and willingness to continuously learn, improve, and keep abreast of new HR developments as the norm
• Languages: Fluent in German and English (written and spoken) and fully comfortable leading HR and legal discussions in both languages (English and German).
• International & Local Perspective: Experience working within an international, multicultural, or educational environment is highly desirable. Candidates with strong Swiss HR leadership experience who demonstrate the capability and motivation to develop expertise in the international school context are encouraged to apply
  
  

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What We Offer

• Generous holiday entitlement (5 weeks + 1 week during end of the year holidays)
• Paid insurance benefits (accident insurance + long-term sickness)
• Generous pension fund contributions
• Professional development opportunities
• Tuition discount
• Social events
• Flexibility
• A modern, dynamic and collaborative work environment
• Open communication
• Short decision making processes
  
  

Key ISZL Reference Documents

• Guiding Statements
• Professional Standards
• Teaching Standards
• Learning Principles
• Inclusion Policy
• Visit the Employment section of ISZL’s website for more information
  
  

ISZL is an equal-opportunity employer

As such, ISZL agrees to support, respect, and seek inclusion with regard to the safety and care of all community members, including potential members looking to join our school. This includes but is not limited to: age; disabilities; ethnicity; gender; gender expression; gender identity; health needs; languages spoken; marital status; mental health; national origin; political affiliation; race; religion; sex; sexual orientation, and any additional characteristic protected under Swiss law.

ISZL endeavours to understand and protect the civil and human rights of all individuals, striving to maintain a high level of multicultural awareness and knowledge about all applicable laws and statutes related to non-discrimination and inclusion.

Child Protection

ISZL is committed to the use of the International Task Force on Child Protection screening and assessment practices for schools for all hiring processes. ISZL takes very seriously its responsibility for safeguarding our students against abuse and neglect. All staff and other adults associated with ISZL are expected to share this commitment and to immediately report any concerns regarding a student’s safety or well-being.

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