Overall purpose of the role:

The Country HR is responsible for leading and managing the HR function for DRC in South Sudan. Provide overall advice, coordination and management to the HR eam at the head office in Juba and technical HR support to the other field offices. The Country HR Manager will ensure efficient support to the DRC South Sudan program in accordance with existing DRC policies and procedures. The position is part of the Senior Management Team (SMT), and has active, hands-on responsibility within the organisation.

This role has a country focus and ensures compliance to DRC procedures and guidelines in South Sudan. The role contributes to the development of country strategies, which are translated into action plans and day-to-day tasks. The role provides support and/or technical guidance to the country operation while overseeing country activities.

Responsibilities:

Management & Coordination

• Lead and manage Juba HR team (including people planning, performance, well-being and development)
• Support the development and implementation of financial management capacity building of staff
• Provides technical support and guidance to the roving technical managers
• Review and restructure the HR team according to the needs ensuring high efficiency.
• Ensure that proper and timely support is provided to the area offices.
• Schedule regular meetings with other peer managers to proactively identify the needs and challenges and make strategy to address those challenge.
• To visit regularly the bases and areas and to provide technical guidance, as the technical line management and technical focal point of the coordination office, to HR duty bearers and contributors at base/ area level

Recruitment and Selection

• In conjunction with managers, drive and/or support recruitment and selection activities by planning and assessing staffing needs, reviewing ToRs/job adverts in liaison with recruiting managers, advertising positions, shortlisting, arranging and participating in interviews, drafting interview guides, conducting reference checks, maintaining recruitment records and liaising with HQ on issuance of contracts.
• Ensure compliance with recruitment process
• Work with SMT and senior staff on new staff retention strategies and initiatives
• Drive the expatriate staff onboarding process including coordination of pre-arrival process, arranging induction schedule, office & guesthouse tour, conducting expatriate HR induction and maintaining oversight of logistics, visa/entry process and travel arrangements.
• Provide a professional and high level of customer service and “candidate care” to candidates by being the focal point for selected candidate questions.
• Provide bi-weekly updates to SMT on progress of recruitment
• Visit Area Offices to ensure oversight and consistency in position titles and grades, across all field locations
• Lead the induction process of new recruitments, by ensuring the quality and content of the process adheres with DRC standards.

People Planning

• Work with senior management team and senior staff on a number of initiatives related to employees
• Ensure managers have created job descriptions for the employees, and store them on the personnel file
• Ensure oversight and consistency in position titles and grades, across all field locations.
• Support senior management in workforce planning, succession planning and mobility within DRC country operation(s)
• Support management in restructuring and downsizing
• Planning and budgeting for the HR function in the country

Performance

• Ensure that there is a yearly cycle for performance appraisals in the country operation
• Ensure both probation and performance appraisals are done in the country operation by monitoring Dynamics
• Advice managers on poor performance and ensure the documentation stored on the employees’ p-file is stored properly; act as an impartial mediator in the process
• Prepare legally compliant letters in consultation with internal or external legal advisors
• Advice managers on Code of Conduct cases in relation to potential disciplinary action

Development

• Drive the induction process in the country operation
• Drive the coordination of international staff pre-arrival process, arranging induction schedule, office & guesthouse tour, conducting internationals staff HR induction and maintaining oversight of logistics, visa/entry process and travel arrangements.
• Advise managers or staff on how to fund training and development opportunities
• Ensure exit interviews are conducted by establishing a process of informing managers to perform the exit interview
• Ensure exit forms are issued and send to exiting employees
• Coordinate team related needs and training

Well-Being

Participate in localization of R&R and Housing policy

• Source insurance or other health option for national staff
• Guide managers on stress management
• Assess compound life from a well-being perspective
• Follow-up on DRC voices

Contracts and Compensation

Issue offer letter for national and international employees

• Manage the full contract process for national employees including contracts, extensions, addendums, and resignations
• Request international contract to be done by HQ
• Negotiate terms of employment for national employees
• Ensure that the terms of employment for national staff are localysed
• Lead salary benchmark process every two years or more frequently if needed
• Develop and maintain salary scale
• Administer payroll for national staff
• Maintain Dynamics data for national staff and update some of the data for international staff (the second is clearly defined)

HR Policies and Support

• Localization of the global policies and ensuring that the local labour law is taken into account
• Maintain and update Staff HR policies as necessary, providing advice and information to staff of any changes to policies and the handbook.
• Proactively respond to and manage performance counselling, employee grievances and disciplinary issues as required with a focus on building manager competency and ensuring File Notes are kept for all matters.
• Develop and maintain strong and effective relationships with all levels of the organisation, ensuring the modelling of organisational wide behaviours and values always.
• Respond in a timely and accurate manner to staff member questions with respect to human resources issues.
• Proactively pursue continuous process improvement in HR related practices in order to enhance the quality and efficiency of output/delivery.
• Act as an impartial mediator in disciplinary procedures and ensure it is administered in an equitable and fair manner and meets all legal and labour regulations and requirements.
• Lead the performance management process including creating a plan to manage annual reviews, conduct training on goal-setting, utilize budgets to organize development activities and work one-on-one with managers and employees.
• In partnership with the Senior Management team, define and review salary structure for national staff Coordinate annual compensation review process and compensation adjustments.
• Work closely with RO and HQ to share information and provide support as required.
• Ensure that monthly departmental KPIs are followed up and a monthly report is submitted to HoSS.
• Ensure that all the working tools and trackers in HR departments are regularly updated and disseminated.
• Ensure managers are familiar will the necessary tools and procedures within people management

DRC Dynamics ERP system

• Ensure DRC Dynamics is used to its full capacity
• Ensure proper application of ERP HR processes in the country
• Ensure that HR data is all time updated on the Dynamics and it is regularly updated with changes.
• Apply reports and data analytics from ERP system to improve performance in the country
• Ensure that Country ERP support is in place (i.e. super users)

As Manager the post-holder is responsible for the following:

• Accountable for achieving DRC’s strategic goals and objectives within the area of responsibility
• Accountable for making significant decisions on what the unit does: its purpose, functions and role, and for making commitments and decisions that require the expenditure of significant unit resources.
• Accountable for people management of direct reports, generally at least 3 employees. This includes hiring & firing, objective setting, probation, performance appraisal, development of staff, managing performance, including poor performance, etc.
• Accountable for making sound decisions based on DRC policies, MOPs, standards, and the advice of technical experts in DRC

Experience and technical competencies:

• Minimum 6 years working experience in HR with at least 2 years in a senior HR management role within an NGO.
• Demonstrated understanding and working knowledge/experience of Human Resources Management principles, concepts & processes.
• Excellent skills in handling and advising on complex people management issues.
• Excellent inter-personal and communication skills with ability to engage with all levels of staff in a cross-cultural environment.
• Ability to live and work in a complex, challenging and fast paced environment.
• Good facilitation skills and ability to deliver induction briefing/training.
• Highly organised with strong attention to detail.
• Prior experience working in a humanitarian context, preferable.

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management, Business or Social Science Degree specializing in HR.
• Master degree is an added advantage

Languages:

• English
• Arabic is an advantage