Human Resources Development Advisor: Africa

Working closely with the Operation’s Manager, Programmes SMT, and other HR staff, the HR Development Advisor: Africa role will be focussed on:

• Championing, driving and embedding the HR strategy for Farm Africa in Kenya, Southern Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia and ensuring its integration into the business.
• Identifying HR projects and objectives as required by the Programmes SMT and proactively anticipating HR requirements.
• Supporting strategic and operational business change.
• Developing cohesive employee relations and assisting with more complex/sensitive day to day people issues.
• Supporting and coaching senior managers in good people management practice.
• Creating a culture of performance management
• Support country offices and HR colleagues in developing HR systems and processes that are robust and contribute to the management of the organisation.
• Identifying organisational training requirements and identifying training and development solutions.

Key tasks and responsibilities

HR Strategic Aspects

To support the Farm Africa strategic plan and country SMTs in the following areas:

• Development and delivery of change plans and interventions. Supporting managers in managing the human aspect of change - especially staff involvement and the provision of advice on organisational change employment law matters.
• To ensure that all relevant legislative requirements, are embedded in the development of project and policy work.
• Creation of a culture of performance management and accountability through implementation of policies, procedures, coaching and briefings.
• Devise and implement HR metrics to identify people management requirements and performance issues. Report on these to Programmes SMT and make recommendations for action.
• Analyse, devise and promote initiatives and practices to improve recruitment, retention and management of talent in Farm Africa.
• Ensuring there is a consistency of approach in HR systems and people management practices across the country offices of Farm Africa and sufficient flexibility to meet local conditions.
• Assist the Programmes SMT in devising and implementing a learning and development plan across the country offices.

HR Practice

• To champion good practice human resource management in support of effective decision making and meeting strategic objectives of the organisation and country SMT’s.

Operational Aspects

Ownership of the HR business partner brief in respect to the following areas:

• Be the principal HR contact for country offices and Programmes SMT on Farm Africa strategic and /or complex HR initiatives Coach, support, mentor and challenge managers in the application of HR policies and practices.
• To deliver clear, effective and timely HR advice on more complex or higher risk employment related issues to local HR representatives, managers and staff, in line with policy and legislation, in order to minimise risk and financial exposure.
• To support HR representatives and country SMT’s in development and embedding of fair, effective and efficient recruitment, selection, retention and exit processes and practices.
• Identify training and development needs within country offices and work with managers Programmes SMT to address these.
• Support HR representatives in country offices in the design and implementation of HR systems and process and building their capacity on transactional and other HR matters.

HR team

Actively participate within the international HR team and its focus/aims:

• Participate in international HR team meetings
• Contribute to the development of the HR strategy of Farm Africa.
• Undertake cross team project work as agreed.
• Identify and implement HR efficiencies and savings at organisational and country levels.
• Work closely with the country HR representatives to support their development.

Communication

To ensure the development of a partnership with teams, managers and others, to share and
embed HR knowledge and good practice.

• To run capacity building workshops/briefings on people management issues, new policies, and project progress as required.
• Produce regular briefings on all aspects of HR and people management for HR representatives’ country SMTs and others.
• To keep the Programmes SMT informed of policy, standards and issues requiring solutions arising from the work with countries and teams.
• Take a lead role in creating an international community of HR practice in Farm Africa.
• To liaise with internal and external stakeholders as appropriate Produce presentations and reports as per agreed terms of reference and schedule, and otherwise as required, and represent HR good practice and strategy in meetings and presentations as required.

Other

• Act in accordance with and represent the values and principles Farm Africa

Person Specification

Qualifications and Knowledge
Essential

• Professional qualification in Human Resources Management or equivalent.
• Knowledge of employment law in East African countries
• Degree level or equivalent qualification

Desirable

• Post graduate qualification in Management or HR related area.
• Qualified and experienced in the use of psychometric tools

Experience

• Significant generalist HR business partnering experience
• Experience of developing and implementing policies and procedures with appropriate consultation and negotiation
• Reviewing HR business processes
• Contributing to HR strategy development
• Training needs analysis/audit
• Significant experience of advising and coaching managers on employment law matters
• Experience of managing complex change processes
• Budget management
• Strong experience of performance management and appraisal systems and process
• Experience of analysing learning needs and the design and delivery of training workshops.
• Experience of managing HR projects
• Salary benchmarking and development of rewards and benefits packages
• Demonstrable strong client focus

Skills and Abilities

• Coaching skills
• Ability to build strong working relationships with key stakeholders
• A good standard of written and oral communication skills in English and Kiswahili
• Ability to speak/write another major language of the countries Farm Africa work in.
• Strong influencing skills, able to persuade others to support own goals
• Demonstrable presentation skills, able to design and deliver training and communications confidently and effectively
• Able to analyse and interpret financial and statistical information
• Team player, able to maintain strong and supportive working relationships both in HR and across functions
• Flexible and responsive, able to work effectively with competing and changing demands
• IT skills (Microsoft office)

Other

• Commitment to the mission vision and values of Farm Africa
• Experience of working in the NGO sector
• Ability to travel for business within East Africa and to UK

To apply you must submit a CV and a supporting statement with the reference: 2012 HRDA in the subject line for the attention of the HR Manager to ">recruitment@farmafrica.org.uk by midnight GMT on Tuesday 31st July.

Note: We will not be taking telephone enquiries regarding this role. If you have any questions please submit them in writing to ">recruitment@farmafrica.org.uk

Farm Africa will not be accepting any applications from third parties and request that we receive no contact from third parties in respect of this vacancy.