Christian Aid : Regional HR Manager, West and Central Africa

This is an excellent opportunity for a professional HR practitioner to join Christian Aid, a forward-thinking organisation and an employer of choice which makes a contribution to the world. Have you got what it takes to be part of a team focused on building high performance across the whole of the organisation’s workforce? Then read on.......

With the development of a new corporate strategy, Christian Aid is now moving into a very exciting period of change where it will strive to have even greater impact on eradicating poverty and social injustice through the implementation of Partnership for Change. This will demand a significant change in the way we organise and approach our work. Scaling up our efforts to have greater impact challenges us to increase the effectiveness of how we manage and use our resources right across the organisation.

As the HR expert in the West and Central African region of the organisation, comprising seven countries in both French and English speaking parts of the continent, you will take the lead on all HR activities and significantly contribute to people-related initiatives. In this role, you will be working closely with colleagues in the Organisational Development and Strategy Department and with senior managers in the Africa Division to deliver the People Agenda. You will proactively and consistently deliver a high quality HR service, raise the profile of HR within the region and contribute to the successful achievement of organisational goals, including strengthening our managers and staff to reach their full potential.

You will provide sound guidance and professional, spot-on HR advice in accordance with countries’ employment legislation, organisational policies and best practice, in the areas of change management, recruitment and retention, employee relations, employee engagement and development, reward, policy development and performance management.

You will have strong business acumen, networking skills, interpersonal skills and experience of preparing information and reports for senior management. You must possess presence, confidence and the credibility to build professional relationships at all levels, especially with colleagues working remotely. You must have excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with people from a range of cultural backgrounds. Added to this, you must have the experience of providing excellent support and customer service on a timely basis to meet the business needs and to execute proactive assignments especially where targets are fixed by external factors.

You will also have substantial experience of delivering operational and strategic HR services, as such, you will need to be strategic, adaptable and flexible in your approach and at the same time protecting the organisation from risks.

You must be qualified to degree level with a professional qualification in a HR-related discipline with a sound knowledge of Employment Law as well as HR best practice. You will need to communicate fluently in English and French, both verbally and in writing.

Please show your suitability for this post by giving answers to the following questions: Using the guidance notes may help you formulate your answers.

Building partnerships

Describe a time when you successfully worked with other colleagues collaboratively on an HR issue and influenced them positively, even though they had different views and perspectives initially.

Communicate effectively

Tell us about a time when you had to adapt your style, approach, and delivery method to communicate effectively with a particular audience on a sensitive HR issue.

Deliver results

Describe a time when you took a proactive decision or initiative that averted reputational or legal risk for the organisation.

We value the contribution each person makes to the success of our organisation. That is why you can expect a wide range of rewards and benefits, including a generous holiday allowance.

As this post is based in the Democratic Republic of Congo, all applicants must ensure they possess current and valid permission to work in that country.

Download the role profile (48 KB pdf)

To apply for this post, please download an application pack and email your completed International application form to: drcrecruit@christian-aid.org quoting the reference number below.

Please note that CVs will not be accepted.

Job reference: DRC/RHRM/03/12

Closing date: 9am, Monday 23 July 2012

Interview date: The exact date will be confirmed to shortlisted candidates

Christian Aid values diversity and aspire to reflect this in our workforce. We welcome applications from people from all sections of the community, irrespective of race, colour, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief.