Regional Head of HR – Middle East Office At Norwegian Refugee Council

Regional Office Background:

NRC in the Middle East is responding to the Syria and Iraq crisis, assisting refugees in Jordan, Libya, Lebanon and Iraq as well as the displaced. NRC also works in Palestine and with Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. NRC works in shelter, emergency distributions, education, water and sanitation and legal assistance. Our response on the ground has grown rapidly with the dramatic rise in displacement and we now have over 3,000 staff members working on the NRC regional response.

The Middle East Regional Office (MERO) oversees the country programmes in the region, and provides strategic guidance and oversight across core programme, advocacy and support functions.

Our Ideal Candidate:

Are you passionate about people and looking for an opportunity to positively impact the lives of people displaced by war and conflict? NRC is actively seeking an experienced HR professional to lead the Middle East regional HR function based in Amman, Jordan.

We are looking for a driven, all rounded strategic HR leader with extensive experience managing and successfully leading HR strategic projects and initiatives at a regional or global scale within Organization development, Learning and development, Compensation and benefits, performance management, Employee Relations, Staff care programs as well as implementation of HR controls and compliance.

You have specific experience working in complex and volatile contexts and committed to providing our country offices with consistent and comprehensive HR support.

You are an individual with exceptional people skills, passionate about capacity building and with an ability to effectively partner with all key stakeholders in a supportive and customer-oriented manner. You are structured and highly organized with capability in designing and implementing learning and development programmes as well as facilitating change management initiatives.

For this key role our ideal candidate will be a University graduate with a degree in HR, International Relations or related discipline and a minimum 5 years of relevant HR Management/Adviser experience within the humanitarian field. Fluency in English both written and verbal is required as well as Knowledge of the Middle East region. Knowledge of the Arabic language would be an added advantage.

Role and Responsibilities

The purpose of the Regional Head of HR position is to provide oversight of HR management in the region, providing high quality support and guidance and promoting strong people management and learning cultures. The Regional Head of HR has the overall responsibility for the strategic development of HR in the region, including delivery of strategic analysis and direction to NRC’s regional HR management capability in line with NRC Head Office’s (HO) policies and initiatives to provide maximum support to humanitarian assistance delivery in the region.

Position responsibilities include:

• Compliance and adherence to NRC policies, guidance and procedures
• Manage performance and staff development for the Regional HR Unit
• Implement the global HR initiatives/tools/system in the region
• Develop and implement specific HR procedures, SOPs, guidelines and tools in the region.
• Ensure HR control mechanisms in NRC operations in the region
• Ensure guidance, support and capacity building to HR staff and line managers in Country Offices in the region on NRC’s HR policies, strategies and systems
• Provide regular HR analysis and statistics for the region
• Provide support to senior line managers in personnel issues, conflicts and eventual legal issues
• Provide HR support and staff care after incidents or particular stressful situations

More specifically, the Regional Head of HR will focus on:

• Strategic development and planning of NRC MERO HR structure in relation to Country Office (CO) needs and HO requirements.
• Contribute to global HR development through the strategy process for HR Global and take part in reference groups for new HR initiatives or thematic issues established by HR Global
• Lead on advice and guidance to the Regional Management Group and Country Management Groups on workforce planning and organisational development, compensation and benefits, employee relations and HR compliance.
• Member of the Regional Senior Management Team, contributing to the overall strategic direction for the region
• Lead the regional L&D function, ensuring a strategy and supporting resources to embed learning and capacity building within the region. Work collaboratively with key stakeholders to ensure duty of care frameworks are in place within the region, supported by training and capacity building initiatives.
• Provide operational HR support on more complex or high-risk issues within the region.
• Develop and contribute to the implementation of an action plan with the objective to increase nationalisation of management positions (Coordinator level and above) in the region.
• Ensure HR synergies across region and country programmes in the development and implementation of global and regional policy and procedures
• Share best practises on operational HR issues with other HR advisers in NRC and regional HR focal points, through regular fora for cooperation (operative issues).

Additional Information:

Duty Station: Amman, Jordan

Reports to: Regional Support Director

Contract Duration: 2 years

Travel: Up to 40% within the region

About Us

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. We work in crises across 31 countries, providing emergencies and long-term assistance to millions of people every year. We stand up for people forced to flee, advocating their rights. NORCAP, our global provider of expertise, helps improve international and local ability to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from crises. NRC also runs the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre in Geneva, a global leader in reporting on and advocating for people displaced within their own country.

Employment with NRC may lead to employment in or deployment to Regions, Countries, Areas or Offices that may be host to considerable health, safety and security risks. NRC takes this very seriously and we have procedures in place to reduce known risks, but will never be able to take away all risks. NRC requires staff members who travel on an international contract to the field to undergo an medical examination with our medical provider. Employees must produce a Health Clearance Certificate before departure stating that there are no relevant health concerns. If staff are unable to provide this, NRC reserves the right to terminate the Contract of Employment.