HelpAge International: Regional Human Resources Manager - Africa

HelpAge International is an international NGO that helps older people claim their rights, challenge discrimination and overcome poverty, so that they can lead dignified, secure, active and healthy lives. With more than 90 affiliates and 300 partners across more than 60 countries the HelpAge International network brings together hundreds of organisations worldwide. HelpAge International has a secretariat with offices in London and Brussels, regional centres in Africa, East Asia/Pacific, South Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central Asia, twenty national programmes and a number of emergencies programmes.

HelpAge International’s 2015 strategy focuses on delivering five global actions aimed at bringing practice and policy changes through the provision of services and influencing work at all levels.

The Regional Development Centres (RDC) are based in Nairobi, Kenya and Pretoria, South Africa.  Both regional centres work with a range of partners across Africa to deliver programming in a number of key areas: HIV/AIDS; Health,   Income Security, emergency response, rights of older people; and livelihoods. The Country Development Programmes in Africa are in Sudan, Tanzania, Ethiopia, DRC, Uganda and Mozambique. We also work through partners in other countries across the region.  The Regional Centres co-ordinate the Africa programming to ensure they meet the needs of older people in the region and fit with country and regional development priorities and strategies.  We are undergoing a process of subsidiarity where decisions are made, and members of staff are empowered to make decisions as close as possible to where the action takes place.  Therefore, we have committed to increased HR support within the regions and this role will imbed good HR practice and build HR capacity in Africa, supporting the Directors in the region.

HelpAge International seeks to appoint a Regional Human Resources Manager - Africa, based in Pretoria, South Africa (Southern Africa Development Centre) with extensive regional travel.

The purpose of the job is to enable the achievement of HelpAge International’s objectives by ensuring a strategic approach to HR issues; promoting good management practice; and strengthening HR practice throughout the regions/continent.

The person will report to Regional Director Southern Africa and indirect functional reporting line to HR Manager London.

This is a two-year contract position - national post.

Responsibilities:

Recruitment and selection

• Working closely with the regional directors and country directors and HR Officers to attract, recruit and retain high calibre staff to support and develop our programmes, including leading the process for international posts in the region;
• Initiating and maintaining processes enabling rapid mobilisation (deployment and recruitment) of people in response to significant emergencies arising within the regions.

People and performance management

• Developing the people management capacity of senior managers by advising and coaching them through people management issues within their country/regions;
• Develop capacity of HR staff in the region so they are delivering a high level of HR service to the teams they support;
• Embedding a culture of performance management across the regions.

Learning and development

• Creating an environment of continuous learning where staff are encouraged and supported to develop;
• To assist Regional and Country Directors in identifying and meeting staff training needs;
• To provide or organise training as necessary on HR policy and practice, including delivering that training.

Strategy and policy

• To develop, implement and monitor regional HR strategies and initiatives to help to meet organisational objectives;
• To work with the HR Manager in London and East, West, Central Africa HR Officer to amend or develop policies in the regions.

Advice and support to managers and staff

• To ensure appropriate advice and support to senior managers in the in regions to best practice, the implementation and interpretation of policies and legal issues;
• To build up a bank of employment law resources for each country;
• Provide advice on complex employee relation issues throughout the regions.

Pay and reward

• To provide advice, support and guidance to senior managers in the region on establishing appropriate pay and reward structures;
• Support senior managers in the regions on the analysis of salary data.

Representation

• Establish links with other HR professionals, by effective networking in the regions;
• Represent HelpAge International on HR issues in the regions.

Role within wider HR team

• There will be a close working relationship with the London team, particularly liaising in areas of strategy, policy and employee relations;
• Responsibility for establishing a greater across country working and learning forum amongst the HR Officers in the region;
• Work closely with the HR Officer in the East West and Central Africa to strengthen HR throughout the region.

Requirements:

• Formal HR qualification;
• Substantial HR generalist experience including recruitment and selection, performance management, learning and development, reward and employee relations;
• International HR management experience across multiple countries;
• Proven track record in supporting, coaching and developing HR staff;
• Cultural sensitivity, with highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching;
• Experience of building personal networks at senior levels to support the development of HR in the region;
• Experience of solving complex issues through analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy in;
• Ability to function with a high degree of autonomy;
• Organisational and administrative skills to manage a large and varied workload;
• Effective interpersonal, representational, negotiating and influencing skills;
• Ability to coach and train managers in various aspects of HR practice;
• Good standard of IT skills, including word, excel and HR databases;
• Able and willingness to travel extensively within the region.

Desirable

• Previous experience with INGOs, including emergency and field experience;
• French language skills.

The position is a senior management role graded into the organisational system as ‘F’ attracting a gross entry salary of R408 000 per annum.

To apply, submit a CV and motivation letter to mnewman@helpage.org.

Please quote the source of this advertisement in your application - NGO Pulse Portal.

Applicant must have existing rights to work in South Africa.

HelpAge International is an equal opportunity employer.

For more about HelpAge International, refer to www.helpage.org.

For other vacancies in the NGO sector, refer to www.ngopulse.org/vacancies.

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