People Manager at Heifer International

Delivery of Strategic Strands (15%) 

• People Business Processes Management
• Talent Management
• Performance Management
• Compensation & Benefits
• Organization Development
• Learning & Development

People Strategy Implementation (20%) 

• Develop HR strategies for Heifer International Kenya in conjunction with the vision, mission, and values of Heifer International.
• Influence the development of strategy and support operational implementation.
• Develop solutions to diverse and complex problems within organizational policy, anticipating and pre-empting risks to Heifer International Kenya.
• Ensure Heifer International Kenya’s policies and procedures are fair and compliant with Kenyan labor law via working with local lawyers where necessary, interpreting legal advice and policy in-country.
• Maintain confidentiality in the delivery of the People function, ensuring policies and the employee handbook align with current organizational needs.
• Maintain confidential records related to grievances and complaints and coordinate their resolution.
• Facilitate employee process compliance with Heifer International’s policies, procedures, and local labor laws.

Strategic Relationship Management (10%) 

• Administer staffing changes, promotions, transfers, and terminations in consultation with the relevant line managers.
• Implement effective safe working practices and procedures.
• Ensure high standards for HR “hygiene” factors, consistently checking their relevance and quality.
• Manage and monitor expenditure against budgets for people-related strategic and annual plans, ensuring adherence to financial guidelines and value for money.
• Ensure the implementation and effective use of business processes such as the Zaddox Star System.

Talent Management (10%) 

• Provide specialist advice and guidance to managers on employee relations issues (e.g., disciplinary, grievance, capability, bullying, and harassment) in line with policies and statutory legislation.
• Implement workforce planning and succession planning strategies, advising the Country Director on future staffing needs.
• Coordinate in-country succession planning and employee engagement strategies.
• Work with senior management to align goals and rewards across teams and individuals.
• Manage Compensation & Benefits implementation, participating in compensation reviews and benchmarking with the Regional People team.
• Ensure internal equity in compensation policies and advise management based on internal and external competitiveness analysis.
• Provide advice to new staff on benefits entitlements (medical, pension, and group life).
• Oversee job creation control, staffing pattern management, and job benchmarking.
• Collaborate with the Regional Compensation and Benefits Lead or Africa People Director to ensure relevant change pay proposals align with market competitiveness.

Community of Practice (10%) 

• Establish and maintain active relationships with government authorities, external parties, and local and international NGOs.
• Identify in-country training needs, plan, manage, and coordinate the delivery of learning solutions across the organization.
• Coach managers in identifying employee learning and career aspirations, developing effective development plans.
• Recommend suitable learning methods and develop an annual learning and development plan aligned with the Regional People Team.
• Provide guidance on staff capacity building and formulate the annual Learning and Development plan, including in-house training programs, coaching, and mentoring mechanisms.

Organizational Development (10%) 

• Design and implement a coherent organizational structure aligned with Heifer International’s practices and program needs.
• Ensure frontline delivery hub efficiency and effectiveness for smallholder farmer impact.
• Promote the inverted organogram and shared leadership culture.
• Provide training and support to managers to promote diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging.
• Champion Heifer International’s staff culture initiatives to enhance collaboration across the organization.
• Coordinate change initiatives within Heifer International Kenya to foster a positive work environment.
• Promote a coaching and mentoring culture, including secondment opportunities to support staff development and career growth.

Customer Focus & Culture (10%) 

• Foster an organizational culture that reflects Heifer’s values, promotes accountability and high performance, and encourages learning, creativity, and innovation.
• Engage stakeholders to identify improved ways of working.
• Ensure HR “hygiene” factors are performed to a high standard and consistently reviewed.
• Partner with the Regional People Team to create a positive employee relations climate that enhances business performance.
• Advocate for a performance-driven culture underpinned by strong performance management.
• Challenge senior leadership to model performance culture through their decisions on performance and rewards.
• Enforce performance management processes and policies.
• Ensure frontline delivery hub efficiency and effectiveness for smallholder farmer impact.
• Implement and maintain a performance management system that drives high performance.
• Continuously improve business processes and systems such as Agresso and Corral.

Talent Acquisition (10%) 

• Coordinate end-to-end recruitment effectively, fairly, and transparently, including job advertising, screening, interviewing, reference checks, and job offers.
• Guide hiring managers on job reviews and job description development.
• Coordinate onboarding processes to ensure new hires understand Heifer International’s vision, mission, values, policies, and operations.
• Provide relevant statistical information and data on recruitment activities, gender analysis, and other applicable recruitment metrics.
• Support recruitment efforts and monitor recruitment activities weekly.
• Work with the Country Director and stakeholders to assess talent needs for proposals and new projects.
• Recruit and develop new skills required for effective programming and delivery.

Administration & Any Other Assigned Function (5%) 

• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements 

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field.
• Continued HR education/certification is a significant plus.
• Minimum of 8-10 years’ experience, with at least 5 years managing HR functions in a dynamic organization.
• Previous experience with an International NGO is highly valued.
• Experience with HRIS.

Preferred Requirements

• Proven ability to implement strategy, meet objectives, and work within a matrix structure.
• Strong influence skills, team management, active listening, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Ability to build and effectively manage interpersonal relationships at all levels.
• Strong analytical skills and effective negotiation ability to influence cross-departmental work.
• In-depth knowledge of Kenya Labor Law.
• Local Human Resources Certification.