General Position Summary

The People and Culture Director provides leadership of the human resource and organizational development function in Mercy Corps Kenya. S/he will drive excellence in all people functions of all offices in Kenya through

• developing and implementing people strategy as well as systems and processes (such as performance management systems),
• Build the capacity of teams through appropriate learning opportunities,
• Promote a healthy working environment by building a culture of trust, accountability, and mutual respect. 

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategic Oversight

• Develop and implement a country People Strategy for Mercy Corps Kenya and liaise with HQ, regional, and country offices to support and contribute to global/regional People/HR strategy.
• Establish annual People and Culture work plan, set priorities, monitor work progress, and ensure results are achieved according to schedule and set standards.
• Support all People and Culture processes for national staff holding global and regional roles,
• Support and contribute to the development and implementation of Mercy Corps Kenya strategy.
• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of all MCK People and Culture processes.
• Develop, implement, and monitor the interpretation and application of Kenya labor laws, human resources systems, practices, and procedures as well as complementary procedures that reflect the needs of programming as required.
• Ensure that the National Employee Handbook is updated and revised in line with the Labor Law and that clarity is provided accordingly.
• Remain informed, on an ongoing basis, about current and changing HR-related laws, policies, and “best practices” to ensure that current and future staff policies, employment practices, and compensation packages are within the limits of established standards.
• Advise departments on organizational structure challenges, reviews, and improvements.

Culture

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence and continued learning.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular and performance reviews.

Talent Acquisition and Onboarding

• Help design optimal program and shared services staffing plans to deliver programs and strategy effectively.
• Support the People and Culture team to develop and implement a country-level recruitment strategy that is inclusive of gender and diversity, etc. This includes setting clear performance indicators and regularly monitoring progress.
• Ensure recruiting and hiring practices comply with government regulations and organizational policies.
• Ensure all hiring requests are completed according to Recruitment Policies and Procedures.
• Ensure that the exit process for staff departing Mercy Corps is conducted in line with the HR policies and Mercy Corps requirements.
• Ensure strategic reviews of the organizational charts and structure for all positions across all programs and departments are conducted regularly, covered within budgets, and shared with the team.
• Oversee the implementation of consistent systems in the orientation and induction of new national and expatriate staff.

 Compensation and Benefits

• Support in the implementation of country-level compensation in line with Global Compensation philosophy.
• Ensure all country staff are covered on all relevant insurances.
• Benchmark and review the salary scale and benefits packages against the market every two years basis to ensure competitiveness within the job market.
• Conduct job evaluations on new and existing positions and manage country-wide job audits to ensure equity and competitiveness within the job market.
• Provide required support during assigned expatriate recruitment activities.

Employee Engagement and Management

• Using available HR data work with the team to deploy annual employee surveys to promote employee engagement within our offices.
• Ensure effective implementation of MC Kenya’s performance management system.
• Support management’s goal of continuous capacity development of national team members through the provision of internal and external training.
• Coordinate with the People and Culture team during internal compliance activities including routine audits, investigations, and disciplinary meetings.
• Alongside our legal counsel, support the management of all human resource-related legal issues in compliance with Kenya labor law.
• Proactively update senior management on any issues and grievances and ensure efficient and transparent solutions that protect both Mercy Corps Kenya Team members and the organization’s interests through policies, regulations, and procedures.
• Promote the Mercy Corps Kenya goals and targets in support of global initiatives.
• Coordinate office/workspaces between the HR and Operations departments to foster a harmonious work environment that reinforces Mercy Corps’ culture of innovation, influence, and impact.

Team Management

• Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles, and assist with career development.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations provide constructive feedback, and assist team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Hire, orient, and lead team members as necessary.

Security

• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Organizational Learning

As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

Supervisory Responsibility: People and Culture Team.

Reports Directly to: Country Director.

Works Directly with Senior Management team, Global and Regional People and Talent Acquisition Team, and Program and Department Leads.

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field; master’s in human resource management is highly desired.
• Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP K) is highly preferred.
• 10 – 12 years of professional HR experience, including at least 5 years in leadership positions in the practice of Human Resource Management.
• Understanding and experience navigating multiple regulatory sources (labor laws, donor requirements, etc) and developing HR policies and procedures that ensure compliance with each.
• Demonstrated understanding of complex emergencies, related security concerns, and appropriate responses with experience in insecure environments.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, following procedures, meeting deadlines, and problem-solving independently and cooperatively.
• Experience in the deployment and management of HR systems.
• Knowledge of donor regulations including USAID, EC, and FCDO regulations is an added advantage.
• Excellent negotiation and representation skills.
• Effective verbal and written communication, organizational, prioritization, and Microsoft Office applications.
• Demonstrated experience in promoting and leading organizational learning, culture, and well-being.
• Excellent oral and written English language skills are required; knowledge of Kiswahili is an added advantage.
• Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.
• Demonstrated understanding of complex emergencies, related security concerns, and appropriate responses to such emergencies.

How To Apply

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