Human Resources Manager- Rwanda

Company Overview

The Pharo Foundation (“the Foundation”) is a privately funded entrepreneurial organization that runs philanthropic programs as well as for-profit Social Ventures. The Vision of the Foundation is an economically vibrant and inclusive Africa. The Mission is to achieve the Vision by investing in the human and physical capital of Africa, with a strong focus on job creation.

Established in 2011 as the UK based non-profit, the Foundation has since made a strategic shift to directly design and implement its own programs to ensure greater engagement with communities, better results, and increased accountability. The Foundation has carried out numerous projects in East Africa, with a focus on Ethiopia and Somaliland. The key themes for the philanthropic side of the Foundation are education, health, water, and agriculture. At the end of 2019, the Foundation started its Social Ventures franchise to prioritize sectors where the Foundation believes a real impact can be made by establishing self-sustaining businesses, which focus on job creation.

Headquartered in London, the Foundation has an operational Head Office in Nairobi, Kenya with country offices in Ethiopia (Addis Ababa and Asossa) and Somaliland (Hargeisa) with further expansion plans in East Africa.

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Position Summary

The Foundation’s ambition is to grow as a significant employer in East Africa. The HR Manager will be at the forefront of implementing the human resources strategy in collaboration with the Head of Human Resources in Kenya. This well-remunerated role will give the right candidate an excellent mix of challenge, motivation, and fulfillment

The role holder should be passionate about bringing impactful change using their HR experience and have a ‘hands-on’ approach to working in an International organization. The role holder will truly be inspired by the opportunity to build HR processes from the ground up and is motivated to help build a world-class Human Resources function in Rwanda.

The role presents a wonderful opportunity for a genuinely driven, curious, and passionate individual who desires to affect real change. A confident individual who takes a dynamic, innovative, and forward-thinking approach to their work and who respects and understands local cultures and values and yet embraces and can work within international work ethics and standards.

Role: Human Resources Manager (Rwanda)

Reporting to: Country Representative (Rwanda), Head of HR (Kenya)

Functional Relationships: Heads of Programmes, Head of Education (Rwanda), Finance Manager (Rwanda), and Office Manager (Rwanda).

Key Duties and Responsibilities

1. Strategic HR Management

  •  Drive HR change initiatives that will help infuse the Vision, Mission, and Values of the Foundation and create the culture that derives from these principles.
  • Working closely with the Head of HR (Kenya), the HR Manager will – develop and implement an employee centered approach that will enable the Foundation to attract, retain and create a strong brand that will position the Foundation as an employer of choice in Rwanda.
  • Implement consistent HR processes and create mechanisms and internal checks to ensure that they are aligned and fully understood by employees.
  • Execute engagement strategies to ensure employees are passionate, invested, and motivated by their work and in the Foundation.

2. Recruitment

  •  Collaborate with line managers in the development of staffing and recruitment plans, ensuring that each team is staffed appropriately according to the need and budget, in an efficient and timely manner.
  •  Work closely with the Head of HR to develop a competitive recruitment strategy to attract and retain the best talent, both local and diaspora in Rwanda; incorporating diversity in all new hires.
  •  Create a recruitment dashboard that demonstrates how the Foundation is performing against its hiring goals and ensure that the management team is kept regularly informed about departmental recruitment plans.

3. Learning and Development

  • Identify the training needs of employees and ensure processes are in place to support and encourage the appropriate personal and professional development of staff within the context of the Foundation’s objectives.
  • Collaborate with line managers in establishing the skill gaps within the relevant departments and facilitate training needs analysis and the execution of mitigation initiatives.
  • Oversee the delivery of training programs with other HR colleagues across the Foundation.
  •  Ensure that training records are documented appropriately and stored.

4. Performance Management

  •  In collaboration with line managers, review, develop, and implement efficient performance management processes.
  •  Ensure all employees have regular performance appraisals and work with line managers making sure that the outcome of these processes is robust and well documented as per the Foundation’s policies.
  •  Implement a performance-driven culture that rewards exceptional performance.
  •  In collaboration with the Head of HR, communicate the positive benefits of performance management to employees, as well as provide consistent, data-driven updates to management.

5. Talent management

  •  Working with line managers, implement best-practice talent policies to promote the engagement and empowerment of individuals and teams to create a positive and effective work environment.
  •  Build talent pipelines and create career development programs such as coaching and mentorship, which would be implemented across the Foundation.
  •  Develop retention strategies and all other aspects required to promote employee satisfaction, team harmony, and ensure exceptional overall performance.

6. Compensation Management

  • Ensure a competitive market-related compensation and benefits framework is maintained; developing specific programs to attract and retain high performing talent.
  •  Working with the Head of HR, ensure periodic market salary reviews and analysis are conducted, and make appropriate recommendations for annual reviews.
  •  Develop, review, and implement employee wellness programs in consultation with the Head of HR and the management team.

Qualification Requirements

  • Possesses an HR-related bachelor’s degree with a postgraduate HR qualification and/or membership of a professional HR association- CIPD, CHRA, SHRM.
  • A minimum of eight (8) years of professional experience; four (4) of these must have been in senior management roles.
  • Prior experience in working with multinational organizations or subsidiaries is a distinct advantage but as a minimum, each candidate must be able to demonstrate strong HR leadership in fast-growing organizations.
  • An excellent communicator in written and spoken English. Fluency in French will be an added advantage.
  • Deep understanding of Rwanda’s labor laws, standards, and legal requirements.
  • Good understanding of HR data metrics and the ability to present these to the senior management to aid in decision-making.

Behavioral Competencies

  •  Strong and charismatic HR professional with a solid pedigree and experience in setting up centers of excellence within an HR function.
  •  Superb management skills: able to manage and motivate a wide variety of employees from diverse backgrounds in a professional and compelling manner.
  • Respects and understands the local culture and values yet embraces and can work within international work ethics and standards.
  • Problem-solving and creative thinking skills
  • Ability to get results in unstructured environments.
  • Solid record of accomplishment for growing businesses and implementing best practice policies and processes.
  •  A self-assured, internally motivated, and passionate individual with outstanding communication skills driven to succeed and make a difference.
  •  Must possess high levels of integrity, resilience, accountability, commitment, and determination.

Application Procedure

Deadline of application: 30th November 2020.

Please send the information listed below, as a single PDF file, to the following email address:
recruiting.rw@pharofoundation.org .Please indicate Application for Human Resources Manager- Rwanda in the subject line.

Rwanda in the subject line.
1. A detailed CV and Covering Letter,
2. A 1,000-word essay that includes the following:

  • What HR experience have you gained that indicates you are the most qualified candidate for the role?
  • What challenges do you foresee/anticipate in building best in class human resources centers of excellence (talent management, learning & development, and compensation)? What steps will you take to successfully resolve these?

3. A one-page list of five references with current addresses, phone numbers, and email contacts.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted due to the expected high volume of applicants.

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