Hiring and Contracting Specialist

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Under the supervision of Internews’ Director of Recruitment and Hiring, the Hiring and Contracting Specialist will lead the contracting function of independent consultants engaged by the organization. In addition to day-to-day oversight of personnel contracting, the Specialist will assess Internews’ use of different engagement mechanisms and provide input to staffing strategy and best practice. The Specialist will also play a crucial role in supporting recruitment and hiring functions including developing and delivering training, with the aim of engaging staff at all levels of the organization and ensuring adoption of best practices. The Specialist will be an adept communicator who partners closely with global and regional program management to strengthen trust, identify and resolve issues, and streamline staffing, recruitment, and hiring processes.

ABOUT INTERNEWS’ RECRUITMENT AND HIRING TEAM

The Recruitment and Hiring team sits within Internews’ People and Culture department. Hiring for employees and individual contractors is decentralized at Internews, and the Specialist is not a recruiter. The Recruitment and Hiring team leads conversations with program management staff to determine the best engagement vehicle for different staff in different contexts and countries around the world and leads the development of new hiring solutions or engagement mechanisms to meet organizational needs. The Specialist will develop and lead trainings for hiring managers and panels throughout the organization on staffing hiring and engagement protocols and best practices.

LOGISTICS

Internews has US offices in Arcata, CA and Washington, DC which support a hybrid workforce with staff working remotely, fully in-office, or partially remote. Ultimately, this position may work remotely from the US, partially remotely from our Washington, DC office, or fully in-office for candidates based in the DC area. There is a preference for a candidate in the Eastern US time zone.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so candidates are encouraged to apply soon.

OUR COMMITMENT TO FOSTERING A CULTURE OF BELONGING

We are an organization of dynamic, mission-driven individuals who are passionate about our core values and about supporting positive change in the world. We pride ourselves on our commitment to innovation and flexibility. We believe that diverse teams are strong teams and work to support an ethic of belonging, dignity, and justice for all people. Our current team includes a mix of genders, parents and non-parents, and people of multiple races, nationalities, ages, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We are an EEO employer and encourage candidates of all races, genders, ages, orientations, ethnicities, and national origins to apply, and welcome those with alternative backgrounds and experiences.

DAY-TO-DAY TASKS will include:

Personal Services Contracts Management

• Manage the Personal Services Contracts team: directly supervise 1-2 Associates; review requests for Personal Service Contracts (PSCs) for independent contractors to ensure compliance with best practices and internal policies.
• Draft and review personal services contracts and amendments as needed.
• Act as a subject matter expert on establishing long-term consultant rates and negotiating terms with individuals. Establish tools and guidance for independent contractors around setting rates, terms, etc.
• Design and implement improvements to the individual contracting process within new systems and technology.
• Unify and streamline individual contracting processes between Internews’ US and European entities.
• Create, maintain, and recommend updates to PSC templates and related documentation. As needed, coordinate with Internews’ country program office HR leads and Internews’ legal counsel to ensure compliance with donor rules and regulations and applicable labor laws.
• Work with Duty of Care team managers to ensure appropriate insurance coverages are in place for individuals engaged as PSCs.
• Conduct research and analysis and advise on appropriate use of individual contracting mechanisms.
• Lead on special workflow contract requests, ensuring high level of confidentiality and process management.

Global Staff Hiring & Engagement Strategy

• Manage creation of training materials to further recruitment and hiring initiatives and to ensure internal cross-functional adoption, including staff/manager resources, communications, internal website, Q&A pages, and additional resources.
• Host regular “Ask Me Anything” sessions, live and recorded webinars, and Trainings of Trainers. Present relevant information and address staff questions related to recruitment and hiring.
• Lead and participate in hiring pilot programs, adapting and implementing new contracting and hiring solutions as needed.
• Act as the main point of contact within the People and Culture team for Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) engaged by Internews, managing those relationships, resolving issues, and identifying and resolving bottlenecks. Liaise with other departments to ensure smooth coordination of staff engaged via PEOs. Coordinate with in-country business operations teams to support execution of PEO agreements.
• Coordinate with Grants and Contracts team on overlapping management of Private Entrepreneur (PE) relationships, data, and internal processes.
• Communicate monthly program management unit reports to program staff and ensure all upcoming employment end dates are processed, facilitating extensions as needed.
• Contribute to the ongoing development of Internews’ Recruitment and Hiring policies and practices.
• As needed, provide backstopping support to the Director by extending offers of employment, providing representation in meetings, and acting as a point of escalation for Recruiting and Hiring Associates as needed in the Director’s absence.

General People and Culture Support

• Manage regular employee lifecycle changes including but not limited to changes to classifications or job description, employee extensions, team restructures, or promotions.
• Support on organization or department restructure processes, ensuring trickledown changes are captured and formally communicated to staff.
• Ensure Internews’ compliance with all documentation and filing for various job changes.
• Provide guidance and recommendations to supervisors, senior staff, and executives and about promotions and staff changes to ensure alignment with policies, best practices, and organizational compensation guidelines.
• Manage communications with Payroll team on all lifecycle changes impacting staff pay.
• Oversee activities and goals of Contracts Associates, providing guidance and mentoring staff development.
• Support HRIS implementation and continuous improvement.
• Provide regular metrics related to contracting, recruitment and hiring to the Director.
• As requested, conduct research and analysis to bring recommendations to Director on innovative recruiting.
• Respond to HR-help ticket system issues as assigned.
• Liaise closely with other People and Culture teams as well as other departments to achieve operational results.
• In all duties, uphold Internews’ Core Values and demonstrate commitment to fostering a culture of Belonging, Dignity, and Justice.
• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Required

• University degree in Human Resource Management or another closely related field OR equivalent professional and/or lived experience.
• 7+ years progressively responsible administrative experience, preferably in Human Resources.
• Strong understanding of ATS and HRIS systems; previous experience with an ERP strongly preferred.
• Strong grasp of Microsoft Windows environment including MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, Teams, etc. Previous Sharepoint experience a plus.
• Proven track record in change management; strong communication skills and collaborative work style to get buy-in from staff at all levels of an organization.
• Previous experience in developing and delivering training, ideally using a learning management system (LMS).
• Internet savvy.
• Demonstrated research skills.
• Organized, logical, detail-oriented.
• Demonstrated aptitude in project management; ability to take direction and work independently to complete tasks on time.
• Proven ability handling confidential and/or sensitive information.
• Experience working in a collaborative team environment.
• Strong writing and grammar skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and proven ability to operate effectively in remote, multicultural environments.
• Ability to travel internationally, sometimes to challenging environments.

Preferred

Note: Candidates who do not have these preferred qualifications, but who are interested and willing to learn, are encouraged to apply.

• Previous experience in implementing new systems (e.g., HRIS, ATS, LMS) a significant asset.
• International experience, a plus.
• Prior experience in providing supervision, leadership, and coaching to staff.
• Proficiency in additional languages, especially Spanish, French, or Arabic, a plus.
• Knowledge of human resources, practices, laws, and compliance requirements.