Head of Human Resources At Ark Group

ABOUT ARK:

ARK is a social enterprise, empowering local communities through the provision of agile and sustainable interventions to create greater stability, opportunity, and hope for the future.

We believe that resilient communities are the foundation of local, national, regional and international development and stability – and ultimately a safer, peaceful and more prosperous world. At ARK, we have delivered research and programmatic interventions validating this approach in over twenty countries since 2008. As a social enterprise we work in partnership with communities, our donors, and other implementers to build local capacities, generate opportunity and bring about sustainable change.

PURPOSE OF POSITION:

ARK Group’s HR department provides support services across all projects and offices. A partnership approach facilitates and enhances HR related matters, to the benefit of employees, management, consultants, projects, and partners.

This role, Head of HR, serves the purpose of positively leading the HR department. A broad remit means the role works across both strategic and operational matters and works closely with partners in both Operations and other Support Services functions to ensure the provision of excellent quality HR services.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

HR Strategy and Leadership

• As the senior HR representative, participate in the company’s Senior Management Team (SMT) and lead on the development of the company’s human resources strategy to ensure ARK remains an employer of choice in our sector.
• Provide monthly HR data to the SMT to track key metrics.

Recruitment, Talent Management and Employee Relations

• Manage the end-to-end recruitment process of all staff, including role scoping, advertising, HMS administration, interviewing, candidate communication, negotiation and engagement.
• Support staff through the employee lifecycle, overseeing the smooth onboarding of all staff, ensuring they are fast equipped to be effective and adding value, and ensuring offboarding is similarly a positive experience for staff.
• Produce reporting that facilitates manpower planning (recruitment and reduction).
• Ensure employee job descriptions and consultant terms of reference are regularly reviewed and updated.
• Ensure performance management of employees is well structured through probation processes and regular performance reviews.
• Work with line managers to identify staff learning and development requirements and corresponding training solutions.
• Line manage HR staff, including the indirect management of Corporate Services staff as appropriate, including performance management and administration responsibilities.
• Regularly report on gender and diversity company statistics, identifying areas for improvement and leading on the proactive solutions.
• Support line managers with managing performance management issues, and all staff with welfare issues.
• Support Business Development efforts, contributing HR related content and sourcing new talent for bids as required.

Compensation and Benefits

• Ensure the accurate and timely of both the compilation and approval of the monthly employee payroll process across all offices.
• Manage the varying country requirements relating to employee pensions, tax, and deductions.
• Ensure the provision of high-quality employee insurance, including health, life, workmen’s compensation amongst others, ensuring adherence to company requirements during the related procurement processes.
• Manage policy and processes relating to all types of leave, ensuring staff properly utilise the available benefits and the company financially and operationally plans accordingly.
• Review all consultant invoices monthly, analysing corresponding documentation to ensure compliance with company policies and processes, resolving any related issues, and approving those invoices for payment.
• Manage internal salary banding and allowances systems.

HR Administration, Systems and Compliance

• Manage all aspects of the contractual administration of employees and consultants, ensuring compliance with local legislation and client requirements as appropriate.
• Manage compliance related repeated annual internal/donor administration requirements such as vetting, conflict of interest declarations and policy agreements, and with external requirements such as staff permits/visas.
• Ensure the good organisation of all HR administration held within various HR data management systems and software.
• Own all HR related policies and procedures, conducting regular reviews and updating as necessary.
• Represent HR interests in development of company-wide systems and processes, ensuring HR requirements are understood and fulfilled, and manage the implementation of those systems and processes.
• Lead the annual review and renewal of all HR systems and software including the Hiring Management System and Human Resources Management System.
• Lead the HR component of all audits, internal and external, and improve any gaps in procedures that are identified as part of the audit process.
• Be the link with internal compliance specialists and external legal advisers to ensure adherence to standards across all HR areas of work. Subsequently be a proactive source of internal coaching and development in HR compliance matters.
• Provide HR reports as required.

REQUIREMENTS:

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree in human resource management and 10+ years professional HR management experience, with a minimum of 5 years leading an HR function.
• 2+ years’ experience in the international development sector.
• Solid experience in working with and partnering with teams in the MENA region.
• Understanding of UK, UAE, Jordan, Lebanon labour and immigration laws (good working knowledge of at least 3 of these countries is deemed essential).
• A hands-on approach, comfortable and happy working at both a strategic and operational level.
• Fluent in written and spoken English.
• Open to international travel, regularly visiting ARK Group offices.

MORE ABOUT OUR COMPANY:

What Makes Us Different

We pride ourselves on being the first people able to access and operate in challenging fragile and conflict-affected environments. We are expeditionary by design and our systems and structures enable flexible and agile responses while ensuring safe, effective and compliant delivery.

Working with and through teams drawn from the communities in which we operate enables us to deliver impactful interventions built on intimate local understanding. In collaboration with our global network of international and local experts, we integrate nuanced understanding of the challenges we aim to solve with best practice and field-leading innovation to deliver programming that meets short-term stabilisation objectives and builds the evidence base and knowledge needed to lay the groundwork for long-term peacebuilding and development programming.

What We Do

We enjoy sectoral experience in civil society development, good governance, protection and human rights, refugees and migration, stabilisation, gender, security and justice, as well as cross-cutting experience in programme design and learning, organisational development and management, research and analysis, needs assessments, monitoring and evaluation, communications and capacity building.

Our People

Today, our team covers a diverse range of professional backgrounds, from diplomacy, humanitarian, development and the military, to the UN, civil society groups, multilateral organisations, journalism and the private sector.

They bring sectoral expertise in civil society development, good governance, protection and human rights, refugees and migration, gender and security and justice, as well as practical experience in programme design and learning, organisational development and management, research and analysis, needs assessments, monitoring and evaluation, communications and capacity building. The multi-disciplinary and multi-national nature of our team means the research we undertake and the programmes we deliver are grounded in empirical need and deliver measurable and sustainable impact.

ARK Group is an equal opportunity employer. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. ARK Group does not discriminate on the basis of ability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. We welcome all kinds of diversity. ARK Group places human dignity at the centre of its development and stabilisation work and is thus committed to the protection from sexual exploitation and abuse of children and adults. All ARK Group employees and related personnel are expected to share this commitment, and only those who also uphold these values will be recruited as part of our team. This vacancy is therefore subject to a range of due diligence checks.