Global Ombuds / Mediator at One Acre Fund

Locations: Rwanda and Kenya
Career Level: Professionals
Preferred Start Date: As soon as possible

Job Description

• Seeking an experienced Ombuds, who will mediate employee conflict and investigate conduct complaints and resolve them, usually through recommendations and/or mediation.
• The Ombuds will also actively support our organizational DEI goals and vision.

About the Role

• The Global Ombuds mediates employee conflict and investigates DEI related employee conduct and bias complaints and resolves them, usually through recommendations or mediation sessions.
• The Global Ombuds also works with the Office of the CEO and the Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Council to identify systemic issues leading to poor employee conduct or culture and makes recommendations for improvement.
• The objective of this role would be to help One Acre Fund create a safe, supportive, inclusive workplace, and to ensure that employees can report and resolve instances of bias in a fair, transparent process free from retaliation.
• The Global Ombuds would report to the Office of the CEO and would manage one direct report, and would work with HR and Legal Teams. The Global Ombuds would:
  • Create the structures and processes needed to manage cases
  • Resolve cases related to bias, minor misconduct cases, and staff conflict
  • Provide One Acre Fund staff support and mediation services
  • Escalate cases of formal discrimination and grave misconduct to Legal
  • Report aggregated trends and make recommendations to the CEO, DEI Council, Company Board and Managing Counsel

Responsibilities

• While the Global Ombuds will be first and foremost involved in staff mediation work, they will have a number of other responsibilities, which may take up a greater or lesser percentage of the Global Ombuds' bandwidth, depending on case load of staff mediation cases.

Staff Mediation (60%):

• Resolve cases of bias, staff conflict, micro-aggressions through mediation, training, and recommendations.
• Ensure confidentiality and fairness in resolving cases

Awareness & Training (15%):

• Lead programs and communication to increase all staff awareness of and access to reporting channels.
• Shape the organizational culture we want at OAF through preventative training and other interventions.
• Ensure that staff view the Ombuds and reporting channels as accessible, trusted, and unbiased.

Identify trends and support systemic solutions (10%):

• Analyze case data, draft reports, and make recommendations.
• Advocate for any necessary changes to organizational structures, plans, or processes to ensure that One Acre Fund is building the culture we want.
• Provide support scoping or implementing relevant DEI projects.

Stakeholder Management (Community of Practice leadership) (15%):

• Delegate cases to and support in-country mediators / staff-liaison officers
• Offer performance support and professional development resources to in-country mediators
• Build knowledge of the Ombuds services and gain a better understanding of staff sentiment by attending regional meetings and country-level leadership meetings

Career Growth and Development

• We have a strong culture of constant learning and we invest in developing our people. You’ll have weekly check-ins with your manager, access to mentorship and training programs, and regular feedback on your performance.
• We hold career reviews every six months, and set aside time to discuss your aspirations and career goals. You’ll have the opportunity to shape a growing organization and build a rewarding long-term career.

Qualifications
Across all roles, these are the general qualifications we look for. For this role specifically, you will have:

• 5 or more years of experience in mediation/Ombuds/conflict resolution work
• 3+ years of experience in any of our countries of operation
• 2+ years in management
• Experience working in a multi-cultural, diverse workplace.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Some experience in corporate Culture or DEI work, or experience in the legal field are a plus.
• English is required, knowledge of French/Swahili/Kinyarwanda/Kirundi/Chichewa/Amharic preferred.

Eligibility:

• One Acre Fund can support a work permit for this role. However, nationals of (or those with an extensive professional background and work history in) our countries of operation are preferred.

Job Location:

• Flexible within East Africa; Kigali, Rwanda is preferred.

Benefits

• Health insurance, housing, and comprehensive benefits