Human Resources Manager

Department: Finance & Operations

Place of work: Nairobi,Kenya

Duration: Full time

Reports to: Head of Finance and Operations Kenya, with strong links to the People and Culture team in Vienna

Effective as of: August 2023

About the role

The HR Manager for Light for the World in Kenya (LFTW Kenya) oversees the provision of HR services in country by advising and guiding the Country Director and managers on every aspect of the employee life cycle. He/She will also carry out and implement HR processes, to strive for excellence, acting as a role model and demonstrating best practice. The HR Manager Kenya will also support the People & Culture team in Vienna to implement people strategies in the Country Offices that contribute to a culture of inclusion, engagement and well-being amongst employees.

Main responsibilities

1. General HR

• Provide advice and guidance in LFTW Kenya in response to HR best practice, procedure or policy within a legal/organisational policy framework and suggest recommendations and solutions to meet service needs.
• Lead on the delivery of responsive and efficient HR services throughout the employee lifecycle in LFTW Kenya in conjunction with global processes as advised by the P&C team in Vienna.
• Adapt and improve HR processes at LFTW Kenya to make them more efficient while retaining assurance on global standards and local compliance aspects.
• Responsible for adhering, monitoring and implementing HR and regulatory compliance standards for the Kenya Office.
• Counsel line managers at LFTW Kenya on Employee Relations cases including capability, disciplinary and grievance issues, and absence management, in collaboration with the P&C and Compliance teams in Vienna.
• Support the People & Culture (P&C) team in Vienna to implement people strategies in the Country Offices that contribute to a culture of inclusion, engagement and well-being amongst employees.
• Support the People & Culture (P&C) team in Vienna in the roll-out and implementation of the new LFTW salary structure and HR time management system, through providing training and coaching for line managers and staff and dealing with any resulting queries.
• Responsible for carrying out all HR Admin processes in Kenya, such as maintaining and updating databases, employee records, administering absences and leave requests, preparing and amending HR documents (such as contracts).
• Responsible for carrying out the monthly payroll administration in Kenya, including salary changes and salary deductions, calculating final salary payments for leavers, uploading data to payroll system, pension payments etc. Acting as the first point of contact for all payroll and pension queries.
• Consult the Finance team in Kenya, as well as the Finance Department in Vienna to provide relevant employee information, i.e. new starter details, leavers, holiday and sick days taken, salary information etc., in order to assist with payroll and staff costs processes.
• Oversee implementation of HR policies (such as safeguarding, anti-corruption, safety, and security, etc) and monitor their compliance, both internally and at partner level.

2. Recruitment

• Advise and guide the Country Directors in LFTW Kenya in staff planning, budgeting and pre-recruitment processes by identifying staff needs at annual and new project level
• Advise and guide managers in LFTW Kenya on job evaluation, to draft reflective and comprehensive job descriptions, person specifications, adverts, interview questions and tasks according to organisation wide practice.
• Oversee recruitment process at LFTW Kenya, liaising with hiring managers, the Country Directors and the People & Culture (P&C) team in Vienna to ensure consistency of approach in line with LFTW’s standards and processes and that correct approvals are obtained.
• Provide a responsive and efficient end to end recruitment administration service for LFTW Kenya.

3. Onboarding and Leaver process

• Ensure integration with the other functions involved in the process, i.e. Finance, IT, facilities, etc. in Kenya.
• Responsible for starter and leaver processes in Kenya, following necessary steps, continually assessing and improving processes where necessary.
• Oversee probation process in Kenya, ensuring all new starters have probationary objectives and issue confirmation in post letters after probation is passed.
• Set up a filing system for staff records, and ensure filing system is consistently updated and maintained, and that all documents comply with comply with local labour law requirements.

4. Capacity Building

• Develop and coach managers at LFTW Kenya so that they confidently and consistently encourage performance, address underperformance and create high performing teams.
• Coordinate staff capacity building and identify, together with respective managers and thematic specialist, training opportunities (internal training, educational programs, conferences, etc.) to keep employees up to date in their respective fields and in accordance with Light for the World policy so as to align with country strategy and organisational development need.

Ideal candidate specification:

• At least 8 years demonstrated experience of delivering responsive and efficient HR services throughout the employee lifecycle
• Established experience of advising and coaching managers and inspiring best practice
• Strong communication and problem-solving skills, confident in communicating HR principles and frameworks to stakeholders, experience of advising and influencing on confidential and sometimes challenging issues
• Established experience of improving processes and collaboration
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of Kenyan labour law and its applications
• Excellent attention to detail ensuring the highest level of accuracy
• Experience in payroll and role profile development and benchmarking
• Knowledge of compensation and benefits frameworks
• Able to work in a multi-cultural environment and build solid relationships with colleagues
• High integrity, empathy and ability to work in a team.
• Interest in development cooperation and Light for the World‘s mandate area.