Human Resources Manager

The primary function of the Emergency Response HR Manager will be deploying to provide effective HR support for our Country and Regional Offices managing an emergency response. The deployment will typically take place at the onset of emergencies as soon as travel can be arranged but may also be required at other stages of the emergency, Travel is anticipated up to 65% of the time, and remote support may also be provided. 

Once deployed, the Emergency Response HR Manager will work with others to assess the current and upcoming HR needs. Key activities on deployment may include, but will not be limited to, helping to ensure staff wellbeing, safety and security, tracking and supporting proposal development, organizational design and workforce planning, supporting international and national surge recruitment, rapid onboarding and orientation of team members, defining relevant and compliant HR policies and procedures including those pertaining to compensation and benefits entitlements, supporting change processes (e.g., restructuring from relief to recovery), and helping to provide training in key organizational policies and procedures, such as Code of Ethics and safeguarding. The Emergency Response HR Manager may also be deployed to provide support for phase down and close out of the emergency response program, including related downsizing and retrenchment. Following deployments, the Emergency Response HR Manager will play a key role in capturing, communicating and documenting lessons learned and contributing to addressing them in a systematic way, 

While not on deployment, the Emergency Response HR Advisor will partner  with the HR Advisor and other stakeholders to provide inputs for after action review and support the development of HR related tool kits, guidances, policies, and trainings needed to develop the capacity of  HR teams in our Country Offices  to be better positioned and prepared for emergencies or other crises. The Emergency Response HR Manager will regularly coordinate and partner with the International HR Director and the HR Advisor to keep them informed of all developments in the field, get the needed support, and ensure alignment with P2P strategies and Safe Diverse and Inclusive and Locally led Organizational Commitments. 

Essential Job Responsibilities:  

Safeguarding Responsibilities: 

• Actively models safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding HR risks and mitigations.
• Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members
• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.
• Works with others to ensure that the need for speed in an emergency is balanced with measures intended to ensure that we meet our organizational safeguarding standards, particularly but not limited to recruitment.

Supporting Start Up Response: 

• During the startup phase of a program, the Emergency Response HR Manager plays a crucial role in establishing the foundation for effective human resources management as follows:
• Talent Acquisition and Recruitment – Support with developing a Recruitment Strategy, Job Descriptions and Posting, Candidate Screening and Interviews, Onboarding etc.
• Establish HR Policies and Procedures – Support with development of the National Employee Handbook and Benefits Matrix as per Mercy Corps requirements and compliance with local labor laws.  Support the creation of the national salary scales aligned with rapid market assessments and internal rates.
• Emergency Response Organizations Structures – Support in country leadership by providing guide on recommended structures in line with previous lessons learned from other emergencies.  Support the leadership by providing Position Description templates of similar roles from previous emergencies.
• Payroll Management – work with the team to ensure proper payroll process is set in country that allows required tax withholding, deductions and payments.
• Compliance with Local Laws – Have a good understanding of the local labor laws and be able to ensure compliance of such into Mercy Corps policies. Ensure that all HR activities comply with local employment laws and regulations, including labor contracts, working hours, and benefits.
• Risk Mitigation: Identify potential HR-related risks (e.g., legal, safety, employee relations) and develop strategies to mitigate these risks.
• Documentation and Record Keeping – Guide the country HR team to key requirements on archiving HR documents and ensuring confidentiality.
• Establish HR Networks in Country – Collaborate with local authorities, NGOs, and other stakeholders to ensure that HR practices are aligned with the broader context of the program.
• Continuous Improvement: Use feedback and data to continuously improve HR processes and policies, ensuring that they meet the evolving needs of the program during emergency response.

Supporting Active Response: 

• Work with others to develop and implement systems for regular contact with team members during an emergency (e.g., phone trees).
• Work with others to ensure team members working in and / or directly impacted by the emergency receive the timely and locally relevant psychosocial support they need.
• Develop and implement resources for use by team members to support their wellbeing, safety and security (e.g., managing stress, dealing with trauma).

Organizational design and workforce planning: 

• Partner effectively with Programs and Operations colleagues on the organizational design for the emergency response, tracking funding pipelines and using this to maintain organograms and workforce planning tools.
• Support managers with job design, including PD (position description) development, where required and development of rapid recruitment strategies during emergency response start-up.
• Provide HR&OD technical support for re-structuring and change management processes through the lifecycle of the emergency response.

Support for international and national surge capacity: 

• Provide technical guidance and support to ensure speedy and safe recruitment for the emergency.
• Coordinate with others to facilitate and track international deployments required to support the emergency.
• Draft the memos needed to document any recruitment decisions that deviate from standard Mercy Corps recruitment processes and share such memos for review and approval from the International HR Director and the HR Advisor.

Onboarding and orientation: 

• Work with others to develop and implement the tools, systems and processes to ensure a smooth and efficient onboarding process for new team members (staff, consultants, interns and others).
• Ensure that all new team members receive an onboarding and orientation which supports compliance with key organizational standards and practices in Mercy Corps, including but not limited to Safeguarding, Code of Ethics, Safety and Security, Data Protection and Performance Management.

Compliance: 

• Ensure that processes are properly documented and in compliance with Mercy Corps, donor and country regulations to support compliance and any potential audit requests.
• Ensure an effective HR archiving system is in place during the emergency response.
• Ensure that an HR Database is maintained such as the data entries within the HR software.
• Support the HR Advisor to coordinate with teams responsible for tax, immigration and employment law considerations for areas targeted by emergency response programming and integrate mitigation measures into ongoing response processes.

Benefits and entitlements: 

• Coordinate with others to make recommendations and develop and secure approval for relevant adjustments to and policies for compensation and benefits which account for the emergency’s specific needs and context.

Capacity development: 

• Work closely with Country Office HR team members, supporting them to build on existing strengths and providing targeted capacity development where gaps are identified.
• Develop and implement targeted training on Mercy Corps’ HR policies and procedures relevant to the emergency response.
• Support Program Teams to develop HR capacities of partner organizations, where applicable and appropriate.
• Work with others to provide relevant training to support leaders and managers to develop their people management capacities and capabilities in emergencies.

Phase out and closure: 

• Develop and implement robust HR workplans to support phase down and close out of emergency response programs, helping to ensure internal and external compliance, and retention of key staff until the end.

Representation: 

• Represents Mercy Corps as required in coordination with the emergency response teams. As an emergency response team member, the Emergency Response HR Manager will have certain representation at the discretion of the Emergency Response Management Team. The level of representation may vary depending on the country context.
• Synthesizing Learning and Promoting Best Practices
• Support the HR Advisor to develop and maintain an operational toolkit to support HR practices and procedures during an emergency response.
• Participate in agency level after action reviews to help promote organizational learning.
• Support the emergency preparedness planning at country, regional and global levels (training, materials, calendars etc.)
• Partner with the HR Advisor to consolidate People-related learnings and lead processes to implement recommended changes to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
• Be available to support when needed with the Alumni Talent Pool expansion.

Security: 

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by global and country security management teams.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of our duty of care policies.
• Liaison and Coordination
• Liaise with Key stakeholders on the ground during deployments, which may include, Implementation Partners, Government Officials, INGOs and national NGOs/CBOs, Human Resources cluster/ coordination groups.
• Represent the Mercy Corps Emergency Response Team externally as required.

Supervisory Responsibility: 

• None however potentially some supervisory responsibility during deployments

Accountability:  

• Reports Directly To: Dual Reporting – International HR Director, & VP Emergency Response Team
• Works Directly With: International HR Director, HR Advisor, Emergency Response Team, Strategic Leadership Team.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders: 

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.   

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills: 

• 7 or more years’ experience in international human resources, with at least 3 in a managerial role.
• Minimum 3 previous deployments / experiences in volatile and challenging context supporting emergency response, of which at least one must be outside of own country context.
• Personal passion for and commitment to working in a diverse array of emergencies.
• 3 to 5 or more years of experience within the humanitarian and international development sector.  Experience at the country/ program level is preferred.
• Proven experience of organizational design and re-structuring of emergency response programs.
• Able to work effectively in a highly stressed and potentially physically challenging emergency response set up in early and later stages of responses
• Demonstrated experience with emergency or critical incident response in the humanitarian and international development sector, including familiarity with Sphere and Core Humanitarian standards.
• Experience of and comfortable with complex reporting and collaborative relationships, including matrix / dual management. Comfort and familiarity supporting and advising teams operating in complex and rapidly evolving humanitarian contexts.
• Familiarity with humanitarian program start up activities, particularly related to the range of People-related activities.
• Proven ability to work productively with a wide variety of stakeholders to run participatory processes and meet tight deadlines to deliver results.
• Ability to lead teams, influence, handle negotiations and make fast and effective decisions and plans in emergency contexts.
• Exceptional written and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to establish personal credibility quickly with a diverse range of stakeholders and in multi-cultural contexts and teams.
• Willing and able to deploy internationally at short notice for assignments.
• Availability to work non-standard hours as needed, especially when supporting an active emergency or critical incident response.
• Able to read, write and speak English proficiently is necessary.  Fluency in additional languages including French, Arabic, Spanish and/or Russian language skills is preferred.

Source: https://jobs.jobvite.com/mercycorps/job/oqilufwh