About IRRI

Job Purpose

As the Head of Policy Development, you will play a critical role in designing, implementing, and maintaining policies across multiple departments, including Human Resources, Finance, Information Technology, Facility Management, and Security. Your primary responsibility will be to coordinate with Business leads in the various areas and subject matter experts to develop comprehensive and effective policies that align with the organization’s goals, legal requirements, and industry best practices. You will collaborate with various stakeholders to ensure seamless integration and compliance with policies and procedures, fostering a culture of accountability, transparency, and efficiency.

Roles and Responsibilities

Policy Strategy and Planning:

• Develop a strategic vision for policy development, outlining short-term and long-term objectives.
• Develop and manage a process for policies to be updated or developed and cleared internally for approval by the Executive Team or Board as required.
• Collaborate with senior management to align policy initiatives with the organization’s mission and objectives.

Policy Formulation and Review:

• Coordinate with Business leads and subject matter experts to design and draft policies for each respective department (HR, Finance, IT, Facility Management, Security).
• Develop policies of IRRI hosting staff of partners, and IRRI being hosted by other parties; establish and manage the process to oversee hosting arrangements.
• Conduct periodic reviews of existing policies to ensure relevance, effectiveness, and compliance with changing regulations and organizational needs.

Compliance and Risk Management:

• Stay updated with relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards to ensure policies are compliant and mitigate potential risks.
• Develop processes to monitor and enforce policy adherence and handle deviations effectively.
• Collaborate with internal audit teams to conduct periodic policy audits and assess their effectiveness.

Stakeholder Collaboration:

• Work closely with department heads, senior management, legal, and compliance teams to gather insights and input on policy requirements.
• Foster a collaborative approach by seeking feedback and incorporating diverse perspectives into policy development.

Policy Communication and Training:

• Develop communication plans to effectively roll out new policies and updates to the entire organization.
• Coordinate training programs to ensure employees understand and comply with policies and procedures.

Policy Implementation and Tracking:

• Develop and manage a policy, guideline, and standard operating procedure repository (intranet site) accessible to all staff on demand, which includes a feedback function where users can identify issues to be resolved in future policy updates.
• Establish mechanisms for tracking and reporting policy-related metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs).

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Public Policy, Law, or a related field
• Proven experience 5 years in policy development and implementation, preferably in a multi-departmental setting

Skills Required

• Strong understanding of Human Resources, Finance, Information Technology, Facility Management, and Security policies and practices
• Knowledge of relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to navigate complex issues
• Strong leadership and team management capabilities
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate with various stakeholders
• Attention to detail and a commitment to maintaining the highest standards of quality in policy development

IRRI offers a highly extensive employee benefits package inclusive of globally-covered medical insurance, retirement plan, life and accident insurance and other allowances.

Join our team and be part of our story!

Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
This position will remain open until filled.