Senior HR Advisor, Africa at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

Job Description

• The Senior HR Advisor will partner with Regional Directors, Country Directors, and HR teams in the Africa Region to support the delivery, coordination, and implementation of human resources programs, services, and initiatives to include local-country nationals, third-country nationals, and expatriate employees located in the region.
• The Senior HR Advisor serves as a resource to build HR capacity by guiding managers across all phases of the employee- lifecycle.
• The Senior Manager works closely with Country Directors and Country HR staff to develop and implement country-specific HR practices that are in compliance with the local labor laws and align with IPA’s global employee management policies and standards.  
• This includes the development of CO HR policy and procedures, recruitment practices, health and welfare programs, benefits and compensation schemes in the country, new hire orientation, performance management, and building HR capacity. 

Responsibilities 

• Be a thought partner and advisor to Regional and Country leadership teams and HR staff on all aspects of people management practices and policy issues
• In collaboration with the Global HR Team, create and implement end-to-end talent management practices that will drive positive results in support of IPA’s mission.
• Build trust and confidence with people across the organization and throughout all levels to foster a high-performing, collaborative, innovative, and inclusive organizational culture.
• Support the assigned business unit to create and maintain effective HR programs, including up-to-date talent acquisition, talent management, performance management, compensation, total rewards, learning and development, and culture building.
• Provide first-class customer service on HR management's different aspects, including talent acquisition, new employee orientation, training & development, compensation and benefits administration, performance management, and employee relations.
• Standardize all aspects of CO HR programs in compliance with applicable policies, regulations, and labor laws.
• Ensure that Countries have up-to-date employee handbooks that follow the country’s labor laws and are aligned with IPA’s global HR policies and procedures
• Strategically work with CO and Regional leadership in managing employee relations issues by and where necessary, conduct thorough, and objective investigations, and providing HR best practices  
• Establish strong relationships within country HR teams, leadership teams, and other support departments to meet the IPA business needs.
• Work with the Global HR team on the development of training of local HR staff and senior leadership in effective people management practices resulting in an engaged workforce.
• Continuously evaluate existing work processes and make recommendations for process improvements as needed to serve internal and external clients better. 
• Apply understanding of IPA’s policies, standard operating procedures, and HR practices to creatively find solutions, make decisions/recommendations that mitigate legal risk and reputational damage in the country, and fully support IPA’s strategic objectives. 
• Work with the global HR team in identifying and analyzing trends resulting from the internal audits and report findings to the global HR director and applicable stakeholders. 
• Foster and demonstrate a workplace inclusive of creating opportunity, serving others, building trust, innovation, and exceeding expectations.
• Support the recruitment and deployment, and orientation of Expat and TCN employees
• Demonstrate IPA’s core values in action and champion a culture of respect, diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Perform other relevant duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications 

• Bachelor's Degree in Human Resource Management, Business Administration or any relevant field
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive human resources management experience with at least two years of international experience preferred
• HR Professional HR certification desired
• Proven working knowledge and experience in all functional HR areas with emphasis on employee relations and staff development
• Basic knowledge of US government and international donor regulations and standards
• Proven capability to communicate clearly and concisely, both written and verbal, with people at all levels in a multicultural and multidisciplinary environment
• Demonstrated values of continuous improvement in a cooperative atmosphere committed to staff development
• Able to work well in a fast-paced environment and manage competing priorities
• Able to build trusting relationships and collaboration with team members across the organization and influence positive outcomes
• Excellent internal consulting skills and coaching and mentoring others
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and apply international labor codes and create and develop sound HR program
• Experience living or working in developing countries preferred
• Willingness to travel to IPA’s program country offices as required
• Strong knowledge of MS Office applications
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team and demonstrate integrity, independent thinking, sound judgment, and respect for others
• Language proficiency in French or Spanish is preferred.