Regional HR and Administration Manager

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is an independent international non-governmental organization, working in 40+ countries throughout the world, and our primary mandate is to promote durable solutions for refugees and displaced populations. DRC East Africa & Great Lakes (EAGL) region provides urgent response at the onset of displacement and works with displacement-affected populations – both internally and across borders – to develop solutions to the challenges that they face. The DRC office in Nairobi is a Regional Office providing management support and strategic direction to DRC programs operating in East Africa & Great Lake region. The EAGL Regional Office covers the following country operations: Burundi, Djibouti, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

Overall purpose of the role

Regional HR and Administration Manager is responsible for ensuring that DRC’s HR functions are carried out effectively across the region, in order to achieve the organization’s business objectives. The role contributes to the development of regional strategies, which are translated into action plans and day-to-day tasks. Furthermore, the regional HR and Administration Manager is responsible for supporting the region within their area of responsibility.

Responsibilities:

Management & Coordination

• To ensure the efficient management of the staff members of the HR Department of the RO: this includes daily supervision of the tasks, follow-up of the targets defined and lead over the performance and development appraisals.
• To visit regularly the countries covered by the RO and to provide technical guidance, as the technical line manager and technical focal point at the Regional Office, to the Human Resources Managers and Human Resources Coordinators in the countries covered by the region, who report to a different manager.
• To actively engage in CO most senior HR recruitments, objectives setting, coaching and performance management.

Substitution

• Ensure proper gap-filling for short time substitution.
• Ensure you have agreed to a plan on how to address the chronical gaps and surge capacity in the country together with CO SMT and Regional SMT.
• Manage the budgets for substitution.

Quality assurance

• Localization of global polices and tools – coordination of the process.
• People management training for all managers in the region.
• Regional initiatives within HR.
• Regional induction.
• Rightsizing of HR in the region.
• To ensure that all HR costs, including for initiatives related to employees, are well identified and budgeted (HR costing exercise).
• To ensure that HR reporting is in place and regularly updated at both the RO and country levels.
• Ensuring roll-out and implementation of Global HR policies and initiatives are completed.
• Endorse HR policies and procedures for the country operations.
• Develop and implement regional HR frameworks (e.g. per diem, housing etc.)
• Ensure the capacity building procedure is coordinated with HQ and that HR is capacitated at the right level in each country.

Compliance monitoring

• Ensuring the countries are following global processes, policies and the operations handbooks for HR.
• Ensuring that the countries are following local labor law and that they have established relationship with both internal and external legal advisors.
• Ensuring a salary and benefits benchmark is performed regularly in each CO.
• Ensuring that global policies and regional HR frameworks are localized and they are aligned with local labor laws.
• Perform compliance self-check.

Responsibilities related to the regional office:

Support the management in the regional office with HR services in the 6 HR areas: People planning, Recruitment, Development, Performance, Well-being and Contracts and compensation.

Recruitment and Selection

• Drive and support recruitment and selection activities by planning and assessing staffing needs.
• Ensure compliance with the recruitment process incl. quality checking the job adverts, posting the job adverts, support with reference checks, and issuing the offer letter.
• Ensure timely scheduling of interviews; Participate in interview panels when needed.
• Provide recruitment overview for senior managers.

People Planning

• Work with senior management team and senior staff on a number of initiatives related to employees.
• Ensure managers have created job descriptions for the employees, and store them on the personnel file
• Ensure oversight and consistency in position titles and grades, across all country operations.
• Support senior management in workforce planning, succession planning and mobility within DRC country operation(s).
• Support management in restructuring and downsizing.
• Planning and budgeting for the HR function in the region.

Performance

• Ensure that there is a yearly cycle for performance appraisals in the regional office.
• Ensure both probation and performance appraisals are done in the regional office by monitoring Dynamics.
• Advice managers on poor performance and ensure the documentation stored on the employees p-file is stored properly; act as an impartial mediator in the process.
• Prepare legally compliant letters in consultation with internal or external legal advisors.
• Advice managers on Code of Conduct cases in relation to potential disciplinary action.

Development

• Drive the onboarding and induction process in the regional office.
• Drive the coordination of international staff pre-arrival process, arranging induction schedule, office & guesthouse tour, conducting internationals staff HR induction and maintaining oversight of logistics, visa/entry process and travel arrangements.
• Advise managers or staff on training and development opportunities
• Ensure exit interviews are conducted by establishing a process of informing managers to perform the exit interview.
• Ensure exit forms are issued and send to exiting employees
• Coordinate team related needs and training
• Support CO HR with People Management Training as necessary

Well-Being

• Participate in localization of R&R and Housing policy.
• Source insurance or other health option for national staff, incl. access to psychosocial support
• Advise managers on stress management
• Assess compound life from a well-being perspective
• Follow-up on DRC voices

Contracts and Compensation

• Request international contract to be done by HQ
• Ensure that national staff terms of employment are aligned with DRC minimum standards and the local labor law.
• Ensure that the terms of employment for national staff are localised
• Ensure that there is a yearly cycle for salary progression in accordance with the Compensation Policy
• Lead salary benchmark process every two years or more frequently if needed.
• Develop and maintain salary scale
• Administer payroll for national staff
• Maintain Dynamics data for national staff and update some of the data for international staff (the second is clearly defined)

HR Policies and Support

• Ensure RO staff HR Handbook are maintained and updated as necessary.
• Proactively pursue continuous process improvement in HR related practices in order to enhance the quality and efficiency of output/delivery.
• Produce the necessary policies and guidelines to reflect the local requirements.
• Localization of the global policies and ensuring that the local labour law is taken into account.
• Ensure managers are familiar with the necessary tools and procedures within people management
• Conduct People Management Training of RO managers.
• Ensure to request technical support from HQ.
• Respond to audit requests.

Administration

• In coordination with the Admin Officer at the RO, ensure effective and efficient management of office administration policies, systems and procedures.
• In coordination with HR officers, ensure that benefits are duly explained to employees and serve as liaison between employees and respective insurance company.
• Ensure that pre and post-paid phone lines are issued and managed in accordance with DRC policies.
• Ensure efficient controlling and issuance of ID cards and entry and exit procedures for all staff.
• Manage orientation process and arrivals checklist for new staff and ensure support for all new staff and visitors with travel and accommodation.
• In coordination with officers, ensure a regular supply and tracking of usage of office stationery and supplies.

About you

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRCs five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: You act in line with our vision and values.

Experience and technical competencies:

• A minimum of 5 years relevant experience in HR management, administration, change management, and/or organizational development, including at an international level, at least 2 years of relevant regional level experience is preferred.
• Working experience within the region is preferred.
• A minimum 3 years relevant experience working in an international humanitarian or development organization.
• Technical skills in HR and Admin management, preferably including recruitment and selection, learning and development, performance management, compensation and benefits, legal compliance, procurement of services.
• Experience in developing HR strategies and policies, and driving implementation.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Good skills in training facilitation

Education

• Postgraduate degree in the field of strategic human resources or business management, or similar.
• HEAT certification is preferred
• Predictive Index certification (PI) is preferred

Languages:

• English-professional Competency

What we offer:

Contract: One Year. Salary and other conditions are offered in accordance with DRCs Terms of Employment for Employment band F1 – Management.

Availability: 15th January 2024

Duty station: Regional Office – Nairobi, Kenya with regular travels to the country operations in the region as well as occasional travel to headquarters.

Reporting Line: Regional Head of Support Services.

Providing equal opportunities We are committed to creating an inclusive and positive work environment based on mutual respect for all employees. All applicants are considered for employment without attention to race, age, ability, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other factor. At DRC we celebrate diversity and appreciate our employees for the people they are and their unique skills, backgrounds, and perspectives. We encourage all interested candidates to apply.

Promoting high standards : DRCs capacity to ensure the protection of and assistance to refugees, IDPs and other persons of concern depends on the ability of our staff to uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation DRCs values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. DRC conducts thorough and comprehensive background checks as part of the recruitment process

Application and CV

Only motivated applications that address the stipulated duties and meet the required qualifications, sent together with a CV, will be considered.

DRC only accepts applications sent via our online-application form on www.drc.ngo under Job / view vacancies.

Please submit your application and CV in English no later than December 12th, 2023.

Apply now