UHAI EASHRI - People and Culture Manager

People and Culture Manager

About UHAI EASHRI

UHAI - the East African Sexual Health and Rights Initiative (UHAI EASHRI) is Africa’s first indigenous activist fund supporting human rights of sexual and gender minorities and sex workers. We fund activists organising in Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, and further supports Pan-African organising across the continent. Over the 14 years decade of its existence, UHAI has funded critical court challenges that overturned repressive laws, resourced pioneering community-led initiatives, and supported documentation, advocacy and organising by sexual and gender minorities and sex workers in the region.

UHAI has invested over $15 million in more than 1000 grants to more than 500 Eastern African sexual and

gender minorities and sex worker organisations in the 7 countries. We have also partnered with and funded Pan-African organisations and networks allied to our movements. We have been the first funder to most of these organisations in our region and have sustained the majority of them with successive support over the years. UHAI’s theory of change is based on the belief that in order to achieve equality, dignity and justice for sexual and gender minorities and sex workers across Eastern Africa, we need to have resilient, vibrant cohesive and intersectional organising, that has agency, and that is grounded in political thought. We support movements through providing grants, capacity support, facilitating convening spaces and thought leadership.

The Role

Role: People and Culture Manager

Location: Dominantly Virtual contracted within the Kenyan laws

Salary: Gross Pay range - $48,516-$54,576

Travel: The role may require frequent travel

Other benefits: UHAI offers attractive benefits to the employees including and not limited to monthly telephone and internet allowances; employers pension and gratuity, comprehensive medical insurance cover, non traditional medical care for self and family, psychosocial support and flexible working hours

Role Purpose

The People and Culture Manager will lead the people agenda across UHAI EASHRI, playing an integral, strategic and influential role developing, leading and implementing our people and culture strategy. This role will manage the Human Resources (HR) department, along with having the ability to work strategically, interpreting the organisations plans into impactful HR initiatives as well as dealing with critical HR operational issues. This post is responsible and accountable for the operational day-today running and management of the HR function and will sit on the senior management team. The People and Culture Manager will play a significant part in creating, developing and delivering internal people strategies and ensuring implementation through Reward and Recognition, Talent Management and Retention, Succession Planning, Learning and Development interventions, Organisational Development, Diversity, Equity, Justice and Inclusion, and Employee Wellbeing.

Key Responsibility Areas

a. Strategic leadership

• The role is part of the Senior Leadership Team of UHAI EASHRI.

• Develop, review and implement a People’s Strategy for UHAI EASHRI.

• Develop, review and implement a proactive human resources function that provides a range of HR services and activities.

• Set the strategic direction for the HR function, ensuring alignment with the organisation strategy and ensure annual work plans are in place and achieved.

• Act as a key change agent, responsible for translating organisational strategic change agenda into operational plans and projects.

• Develop and implement strategies that promote and increase Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Justice, as well as the values of the organization.

• Partner with internal stakeholders to implement strategies for employee engagement and retention.

• Engage and support the needs of UHAI EASHRI partners around HR, by sharing and promoting good HR practice, or convening communities of practice around HR.

b.

• Provide guidance and expertise in organisational development and change as it evolves to become more externally facing in keeping with its Strategic Plan.

• Provide counsel to the Senior Leadership Team on key ‘structure and culture’ related areas of systems, planning, human resource management, capacity building and communication.

• Develop and implement a plan to build and embed the organisation culture and values.

• Advise on and proactively champions appropriate cross-functional participation to successfully implement key organisational projects and processes.

• Work with senior managers to plan talent development and growth for the future.

• Ensure institutional development and growth through staff development and talent management.

• Develop and implement an integral staff well-being programme.

c. Human Resources

• Ensure that efficient and effective people management advice and support is provided to leadership and staff by having in place (but not limited to):

• An HR function that is professional, people focused and can provide an effective human resource service for managers and staff.

• Forward thinking, relevant and compliant HR policies and procedures.

• Recruitment and Selection methods that attract the right talent at the right time.

• Transparent and fair remuneration and benefits for all staff.

• Effective, efficient and supportive performance management systems ensuring that organisational values are translated into measurable competencies and behaviours.

• Knowledge and skills to mitigate HR risks such as whistleblowing etc.

• Analytical and robust people management information available.

• Provide advice and support to line managers on employee relations issues, seeking legal counsel where applicable.

d. Learning and Development

• Develop and implement creative and meaningful learning and development for all staff.

• Coordinate and support the development, implementation and impact evaluation of Learning and Development (L&D) Programmes as part of the employee-life cycle and annual performance planning working with Line Managers and Staff.

• Keep abreast with the latest trends in L&D approaches, tools and methods.

• Coordinate and manage outsourced Learning and Development services.

e.

Ad hoc duties

• Carry out any other additional responsibilities that are within the scope of the job as requested by the Executive Director.

Organisational Development

Core Role Competencies

• Substantial experience of developing attainable and effective HR/ OD strategies and the supporting workplans.

• Strong emotional intelligence and maturity.

• Experience of working in a similar capacity for an international NPO organisation and/or experience of working for a multicultural organisation.

• Ability to lead complex projects and initiatives that require multilevel stakeholder engagement.

• Strong experience of providing a broad range of high-quality HR policy advice (including disciplinary, grievance and conflict management) to managers and staff.

• Proven ability to lead and engage in strategic planning processes; able to think critically, objectively, analytically and to set priorities.

• Strong experience of managing and undertaking a highquality recruitment and selection process within an equal opportunities’ framework.

• Knowledge and understanding of risk and compliance management.

• Communications, negotiation and interpersonal skills with the ability to interact with people from a wide diversity of backgrounds and cultures; Awareness of and respect for cultural diversity, particularly in the context of East Africa.

• Substantial experience in leading and managing organisational change.

• Thorough understanding of relevant country labour legislation including Protection of Personal Information requirements.

• Strong and effective communication skills, with proven ability to negotiate and influence change, with sensitivity, knowledge and experience of feminist principles.

• A strong commitment to human rights and socio-economic justice and proven track record in exercising human rights.

• Strong analytical, strategic thinking and project management/ planning skills.

• Understands basic financial management and has experience with managing HR Budgets.

• Excellent IT skills, including experience with MS Office and Human Resource Information Systems.

• Strong commitment to UHAI EASHRI’s vision, mission and values including intersectional feminism, social justice, and the rights of sexual and gender minorities and sex workers.

• Willingness and ability to travel both regionally and internationally.

Desirable

• Proficiency in French and/or Kiswahili.

• Resilience and ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

• Lived experience of resisting injustice and different forms of systemic oppression including but not limited to homophobia, transphobia, whorephobia, sexism, classism and/or disablism, and their intersections.

• Leadership coaching and experience.

Job Specific Specifications

Experience - desired years of experience at this level

• Substantial years senior management experience in an international and multicultural environment.

• 6 years plus experience in a similar role in an international and multicultural environment.

Desired qualifications for the role

• Master’s degree in human resources management/Organizational Development and/or Organisational/Industrial Psychology.

How to Apply

All correspondence, at this stage, should be via Oxford HR. To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button on the job advert page, complete our online application form, and submit your CV and cover letter as two different documents, which should be prepared before applying as they will be considered in the application process. The cover letter should be no more than two pages long and explain why you are interested in this post and how your skills and experience make you a good fit.

The document should be saved in PDF in the following format: Your First Name-Your Last NameDocument Name-Date (mmyy) e.g., Pat-Jones-CV072023-UHAI or Pat-Jones-CoverLetter-072023-UHAI.

Selection Process

All candidates will receive an update regarding their application after the closing date. We advise candidates to add the role email to their safe senders list and regularly check their spam folder.

Equality Statement

Equality and diversity are at the core of UHAI EASHRI values. Staff are expected to work collectively and individually to promote a constructive and sensitive approach to others from a variety of backgrounds, where the work of others is valued and respected.

Queries

Timeline

Closing Date: 11th September 2023

First stage interviews: TBC Final interviews: TBC

If you have any queries on any aspect of the appointment process, need additional information, or would like to have an informal discussion, please email at uhai-people-culturemanager@oxfordhr.com in the first instance.

About Oxford HR

Exceptional leaders can inspire change and propel purpose-led organisations towards reaching their world-changing goals. Finding such leaders can be a challenge; and yet their transition into leadership is vital to an organisations mission and success.

Oxford HR is a global leadership consultancy dedicated to searching for and supporting remarkable leaders and teams in purpose-led organisations.

We understand the nuances of purpose-led leadership because we’ve worked in organisations across the breadth of the sector ourselves. We’ve also worked with such organisations since 1995; so we appreciate just what benefits impactful people can bring.