Africa HR Coordinator At Wildlife Conservation Society

Reports to: Africa HR Director

Location: Open to any country where WCS has a country office

Program: Africa Programs

Expected travel: Limited travel within the continent post Covid

Organization Background:

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a US non-profit, tax-exempt, private organization established in 1895 that saves wildlife and wild places by understanding critical issues, crafting science-based solutions, and taking conservation actions that benefit nature and humanity. With more than a century of experience, long-term commitments in dozens of landscapes, presence in more than 60 nations, and experience helping to establish over 150 protected areas across the globe, WCS has amassed the biological knowledge, cultural understanding and partnerships to ensure that vibrant, wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. Working with local communities and organizations, that knowledge is applied to address species, habitat and ecosystem management issues critical to improving the quality of life of poor rural people whose livelihoods depend on the direct utilization of natural resources.

Job Summary:

The Human Resources Coordinator will be responsible for performing a wide range of general HR-related administrative support duties in recruitment including job posting and shortlisting, orientation and onboarding, compliance, and other areas. The HR Coordinator will work closely with the Africa HR Director (HRD) and will be part of the regional HR team. S/He will provide efficient HR service delivery within the region in supporting the HR Director and the Country Directors and the field offices on all HR related matters.

The incumbent will play a coordinating role for the recruitment of positions within the region and senior positions in countries while working closely with the HRD. S/he will also provide HR support services on projects and activities in the region in key HR functional areas including but not limited to; Onboarding and Off boarding, Compensation and Benefits, Staff Wellness Management, Performance Management, Learning and Development, Policy Development and Review, Compliance of WCS internal policies amongst others, management of HR information systems and any other system of record amongst other HR functional areas.

Primary Responsibilities

Working closely with the Africa HR Director, the Africa HR Coordinator will:

• Devise and deliver a planned HR approach to attracting, developing, inspiring and retaining the right people, with the right skills to achieve high-quality programmatic outcomes within our countries and regions. Continually assess and refine recruitment tactics, employ innovative, creative recruiting methods to attract and hire the best talent. Proactively position WCS as a top organization to work for in our recruitment processes in Africa.
• Maintain job postings on corporate posting and applicant tracking system- Kenexa, WCS website, LinkedIn and other posting sites to keep job postings up-to-date, closing filled positions, tracking applications, registering new candidates, and uploading relevant documentation where the region leverages on HR for this process.
• For highly technical positions requiring specialized skills which are hard to find, work with HRD to identify potential candidates through databases, contacts/networks, Internet, publications and cold calls or working with recruitment agencies.
• Actively participate in ensuring a strong foundational HR base in Africa to support continental programs delivery through people. This includes development of HR tool kits and policies that improve the efficiency of HR service delivery in the field; customizing from global templates, engaging country program HR staff in dialogues.
• Work on a collaborative approach to employee engagement, and staff care strategy and supporting initiatives, drawing on country and regional inputs and resources.
• Conduct quarterly HR metrics and analysis guiding on regional HR decision-making; solicit country program inputs to global HR scorecards and action plans.
• Deliver international HR management; including policy, process and employee relations management; working with the Africa HR Director.
• Support the performance management efforts including staff mobilization from country programs to strengthen their skills around performance management within a culture of continuous feedback. Empower HR Focal points and managers in countries to manage the performance management process
• Collaborate with the Africa HRD on the roll out of global compensation and benefits philosophies in countries including efforts towards development/review of salary structures, compensations adjustment processes to align with developed standardization methodologies.
• Working with the Africa HRD, strengthen initiatives that promote staff development and capacity building including growing leaders within the countries and the region. This will include providing support to the HRD in ensuring that WCS U, WCS’s learning platform and programs are known to staff and are fully leveraged for capacity building. Understanding the staff capacity development gaps in the countries and the regions and devising solutions to address these needs whether they are for individual staff or for teams. Supporting the HRD to assess the impact of our learning initiatives.
• Assist in management of communications to country programs through the HR focal points and any follow-ups needed.
• Assist in devising staff care action plans that elevate morale and support the well-being of staff; and staff care interventions that align with WCS standard methodologies including IEAP, staff health and welfare in countries etc
• Working with HRD and Global HR Operations, generate correspondence, administrative reports, compliance reports, and related documentation related to staff data and metrics within the region; quarterly global employee data and reports amongst others
• Collaborate in oversight of HR administration within the region and supporting countries to a certain level where there is no dedicated HR staff
• Support in coordinating exit management procedures to ensure seamless and positive transition for all departing employees.
• Working with the Africa HRD to provide support to the organization’s human resources strategy and vision, including participation with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program
• Work with Africa HRD in implementation of special HR projects within the continent and preparing related special reports on the same.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources or in a related field.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience as an HR generalist; managing HR function on the entire Employee lifecycle
• Experience with an international organization or international experience.
• Proficiency in MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Minimum of two (2) years of professional experience in human resources
• Familiarity with Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS)
• Fluency in English language.
• Flexibility to work overlapping hours with teams located in different time zones

Preferred Skills and Competencies:

• Master’s degree in HR or related field an added advantage
• Solid HR operational experience for large budget programs in the INGO sector is strongly preferred.
• Remote management experience strongly preferred.
• Fluency or familiarity with French. Portuguese and Swahili an added advantage.
• Receptive to building and maintaining positive relationships with people from all backgrounds, genders, cultures and viewpoints.
• Resourceful in figuring out how to get things done, seeking opportunities to learn and grow, and contributing creative and innovative ideas.
• Resilient and able to thrive in a fast-paced, vibrant environment with a sense of urgency and an ability to deliver results under pressure.
• Results-oriented approach to planning and prioritizing HR activities.
• Demonstrated commitment to pursue work/life balance for self and others.
• Proven track-record of professional discretion, confidentiality, and integrity.
• Collaborative and consultative approach.
• Solid written, presentation and verbal communication skills; ability to convey information effectively in English and French.
• Effective interpersonal skills and an ability to work effectively in a cross cultural team environment.
• Analytical ability in supporting effective HR solutions while adhering to local labor laws. Awareness of the legal context in various African countries