Human Resources Manager At Relief International

Position: Human Resources Manager

Location: Based in Tehran with frequent travel to the field

Duration: 12 months

Reports: Country Director

About RI: Relief International is a leading nonprofit organization working in 20 countries to relieve poverty, ensure the well-being and advance dignity. We specialize in fragile settings, responding to natural disasters, humanitarian crises, and chronic poverty.

Relief International combines humanitarian and development approaches to provide immediate services while laying the groundwork for long-term impact. Our signature approach -which we call the RI Way- emphasizes local participation, integration of services, strategic partnerships, and a focus on civic skills. In this way, we empower communities to find, design, and implement the solutions that work best for them.

Relief International has been active in Iran since 1989. The Iran program focuses on providing and improving access to health, education, and livelihoods to Afghan refugees – with protection effectively mainstreamed across our activities. Relief International is also a major actor in disaster response in Iran and is currently implementing a large-scale COVID-19 response. RI supports the capacity building of national CSOs as well as coordination and advocacy with other INGO, UN agencies, and Governmental partners.

General Position Summary: The Human Resources Manager (HRM) will lead, develop and strengthen all HR functions in order to provide efficient and effective HR support to the RI country program – with a special focus on effective recruitment, staff development, remuneration, and performance management. He/She supports the efforts of the Country Director to determine how the workforce may be best managed, motivated, and their capabilities developed to achieve strategic targets and support operational agility. The HRM is an effective advisor and educator on HR matters, including issues of policy. He/she helps create an enabling and nurturing work environment that makes it easier for employees to deliver consistently superior levels of performance.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

HR Strategy

• Develop and implement the HR Country strategy and ensure alignment with the RI Country Strategy.
• In collaboration with the Country Director, lead the development of staffing and recruitment plan to ensure that each team is staffed appropriately, according to need and funding availability, in an efficient and timely manner.
• Lead the regular review of country office roll out of HR policies, employment policies, and procedures in compliance with RI’s standards and evolving national labor law.
• Ensure the consistent implementation of HR and administration policies and procedures across the country program.
• Contribute to the successful execution of Iran RI’s strategy for support to the country office as a member of the Country Support Office’s management team.

Recruitment

• Ensure staff hiring is conducted efficiently and in compliance with RI’s policies and national labor law. Ensure a transparent, timely, and efficient recruitment process.
• In consultation with finance and country management team determine salaries for selected candidates and prepare employment offer.
• Ensure pre-employment requirements are submitted and personnel file with documentation according to HR checklist is opened for new staff on a timely basis.
• Ensure that all staff has undergone all required orientation program.
• Maintain and regularly update HR Directory with staff details.
• Ensures that country organogram and job ToR are based on efficient processes; all employee job profiles are aligned with business imperatives for success in the short-, medium- and long-term.
• Support deployment of HR recruitment portal to streamline application and selection process, regularly updating the application with relevant information and data, generate reports for the country management team and hiring managers.

Compensation, benefits, and performance evaluation

• Monitors industry salary and benefit levels and movements and recommend adjustments to ensure a fair and equitable rewards package that is in line with the RI standards and principles.
• Assist in the periodic salary review and analysis, review and revision of new salary structure, as appropriate.
• Assist in advising on best practices on income tax, Nowruz bonus, retirement/severance benefits in accordance with the law in Iran applicable for the private and nonprofit sectors.
• Ensure timely and efficient payroll preparation for accurate data on donor code, number of days, benefits.
• Ensure the proper and accurate tracking of leave.
• Review compensation and benefits packages at regular intervals in collaboration with the country management team.
• Support deployment of HR payroll application and maintenance of the application, regularly update the application with relevant information and data, generate reports for the country management team.

Employee Relations

• Help maintain a healthy and empowering office environment that encourages open, honest, and productive communication.
• Ensure the timely processing of the new contract, contract extension, staff transfer, promotions, and other changes of status.
• Manage processes related to disciplinary actions, staff separation, and termination.
• Respond to employee-related queries and provide services to all HR-related inquiries and requests.
• Conduct periodic office climate assessments and advise management as appropriate on appropriate solutions and achievement of high levels of employee morale, commitment, and performance.
• Keep RI Iran Employee Manual updated and constantly communicate it, along with other HR policies to staff.
• Make sure that employees’ files are auditable at all times as per RI standards and any relevant donors’ requirements.
• Ensure compliance to RI policies, procedures, systems, and donor regulations as well as ensuring correctness of necessary documentation such as timesheets, leave forms, payrolls, and exit interviews.

Performance Management — RI Excel

• Monitor the evaluation processes at all stages and ensure that staff and supervisors complete the review process in a timely manner.
• Provide guidance to supervisors as they complete evaluations, help supervisors find effective coaching methods that work for specific issues including identifying areas of poor performance and assisting supervisors to establish plans for improving performance (PIPS), be present during review meetings when necessary.
• Provide ongoing support to RI Excel users, including responding to various inquiries raised by different employees, clarifying the appraisal forms, methodology, etc.

Training

• Cooperate with RI’s Director of Training and Development to implement capacity-building initiatives and motivate staff to participate.
• Provide training, support, and advice to local HR staff.
• Track competency levels against requirements, work with line managers to determine gaps, and ensure adequate and effective training and personnel development programs are in place to provide staff with the competencies (skills, knowledge, and personal attributes) required for success in their current and future planned roles.

Leadership, Team Management, and Coordination

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Supervise, hire and orient new team members as necessary. Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• Provide team members with information, tools, and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
• Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem-solving options, and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
• Liaise with peer agency HR staff as well as other RI country HR teams to share knowledge and practices that add value to the HR function and ways to strengthen team management processes.
• Promotes and shapes organizational culture by encouraging participation and contribution across the various facets of the organization.
• Supports the change processes, providing insight and vision on how to enable change and create process improvements.
• Performs other duties as may be delegated by the CD from time to time.

Safeguarding and Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.
• Uphold and promote RI’s commitment to ensuring the safeguarding and safety of the vulnerable communities we serve.
• Consistent with RI’s safeguarding and protection policies, ensure all people who come into contact with Relief International are as safe as possible.

Accountability

• Relief International team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging program participants as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs, and Relief International policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Equity and Diversity Commitment

• Demonstrate sensitivity and understanding of systemic diversity and cultural differences.
• Ensure that gender equity is addressed in our staffing and programming.
• Perform other functions that may be assigned from time to time.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

This position demands a dynamic individual with a demonstrated ability to achieve results in a demanding and fast-paced environment.

• Bachelor’s and Master’s degree level from a recognized and reputed universities, preferably with a major in HR and professional qualification/training in HR.
• At least 5 years progressive full-time employment in a similar position preferably in the nonprofit sector with at least 2 years in an HR supervisory/management position.
• Proven experience in providing leadership on all HR issues at the same time balancing the strategic role with the need to deliver effective day-to-day HR administration services.
• Critical focus on providing a superior service level to managers and colleagues and delivering agreed results within time and budget constraints and to expected standards.
• Strong experience in developing and implementing HR policies, procedures, and systems.
• Direct experience in organizing large-scale recruitment.
• Ability to prioritize and deal with competing demands.
• Previous experience in staff supervision and capacity building.
• Well-developed conceptual, critical, and analytical thinking with the ability to convey complex information in a straightforward way and influencing this to a wider audience.
• Fluent spoken and written English.
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• A team builder with excellent people skills; culturally sensitive and has the ability and interest to identify and work with a multicultural team.

RI Values:

We uphold the Humanitarian Principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and operational independence. We affirmatively engage the most vulnerable communities. We value:

• Inclusiveness
• Transparency and Accountability
• Agility and Innovation
• Collaboration
• Sustainability