Joana Peres
HR Operations Advisor @Cognita Schools
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WORK HISTORY
HR Operations Advisor @Cognita Schools
Supporting 10 schools and 1,300+ employees across a decentralised, multi-country structure.• Designed and embedded a structured 360° leadership assessment framework for senior roles, strengthening development discussions and succession preparation.• Led end-to-end payroll and time & attendance operating model transformation, from needs analysis and provider selection to service design, rule configuration and governance alignment.• Redesigned absence management ownership, building manager capability and clarifying accountability while rebuilding HR data foundations to enable reliable KPI reporting and cross-site performance visibility.• Own and annually update the Safer Recruitment policy for Spain & Italy, integrating safeguarding requirements into operational processes and translating audit findings into school-level action plans.• Partner with school leaders and HR teams to strengthen manager accountability and align leadership practices with regional standards.• Support post-acquisition integration of newly acquired schools, aligning local HR practices with regional payroll, safeguarding and operating models.
EDUCATION
University of Rome Tor Vergata
Bachelor's degree, Economics
Faculdade de Ciências Humanas - Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Postgraduate Degree, Communication Studies with a specialization in Organization, Communication and Leadership
FEP U. Porto – Economics and Management
Bachelor's degree, Economics
ABOUT JOANA PERES
I build leadership capability in organisations that are scaling or evolving.My work centres on translating strategy into leadership practice: designing structured development processes, integrating 360° feedback and validated emotional intelligence assessments, and embedding accountability structures that strengthen performance in decentralised environments.Alongside leadership development, I bring experience in operating model and governance transformation across multi-site organisations, including payroll redesign, absence management restructuring, and rebuilding HR data foundations to enable reliable KPIs and better decision-making.With a background in HR, I operate at the intersection of behavioural capability, systems design and organisational effectiveness. I’m particularly interested in how leadership development connects to governance, data insight and long-term performance.I work with validated diagnostics, including EQ-i 2.0® and EQ 360®, and facilitate development using Everything DiSC® and The Five Behaviors® frameworks.Based in London, I’m focused on growing within leadership development and organisational capability roles in scaling environments, contributing at stretch while learning from experienced People leaders.
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