Head of Employee Relations at Kenya Airways

Purpose

In the context of Kenya Airways’ strategic recovery and ambitious growth agenda, the Group seeks a Head of Employee Relations of exceptional capability and strategic acumen to serve as the principal architect of the airline's employee relations framework. This is a critical leadership appointment: the Head of Employee Relations holds accountability for the health of the employment relationship across the entire KQ Group, spanning a diverse, multi-union, multi-jurisdictional workforce of over 4,500 employees operating across 30+ countries.

The role reports directly to the Chief People Officer and works in close partnership with the Group Managing Director & CEO, Executive Committee, and Line Leadership across all divisions. The Head of Employee Relations is expected to operate as a strategic adviser to the business, anticipating workforce risks, shaping employment policy, leading complex negotiations, and building a workplace culture that supports KQ's transformation and sustained growth.

The role demands a leader who combines deep technical expertise in employment law and labour relations with the commercial awareness, influencing capability, and personal resilience to navigate the complexities of a unionized, regulated, and operationally demanding aviation environment.

Responsibilities

Employee Relations Strategy & Leadership

• Formulating and leading the execution of KQ's employee relations strategy, aligned to the Group's corporate strategy, People & Culture agenda, and long-term business objectives.
• Providing strategic ER counsel to the Chief People Officer, CEO, and Executive Committee contributing to enterprise-wide decisions on workforce restructuring, organizational change, and employment risk.
• Developing and maintaining a proactive ER risk framework that identifies, assesses, and mitigates workforce risks before they escalate including industrial action, regulatory non-compliance, and reputational exposure.
• Leading the design and implementation of the Group's employee engagement strategy, leveraging people analytics and pulse survey data to drive evidence-based interventions.
• Monitoring the external labour market, legislative developments, and industry trends to ensure KQ's ER policies remain competitive, compliant, and fit for purpose.
• Sponsoring and monitoring ER improvement and transformation initiatives, facilitating decision-making with relevant stakeholders and ensuring projects are delivered on time and within agreed parameters.

Collective Bargaining & Union Relations

• Leading all collective bargaining negotiations on behalf of the Company, developing negotiation strategies that balance employee welfare with business sustainability and financial discipline.
• Managing and maintaining productive, trust-based relationships with all recognized trade unions and staff representative bodies across the KQ Group.
• Overseeing the interpretation, implementation, and administration of all Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), ensuring consistent application across all divisions and outstations.
• Representing KQ in conciliation, mediation, and arbitration proceedings before the Employment and Labour Relations Court, Ministry of Labour, and other statutory bodies.
• Developing and maintaining a union engagement calendar and proactive communication framework to prevent disputes and build collaborative partnerships.
• Advising the Chief People Officer and CEO on the status of union relations, emerging industrial action risks, and recommended courses of action with appropriate urgency and clarity.

Employment Law, Compliance & Governance

• Ensuring full compliance with the Employment Act (2007), Labour Relations Act, Labour Institutions Act, OSHA, WIBA, and all applicable Kenyan employment legislation, as well as host-country labour laws across KQ's international network.
• Overseeing the development, review, and implementation of all employment policies, procedures, and the Employee Handbook, ensuring alignment with legal requirements, industry best practice, and KQ's values.
• Managing all disciplinary processes, grievance procedures, and workplace investigations with fairness, consistency, and legal rigour, ensuring due process and natural justice at every stage.
• Providing expert guidance to Line Managers and HRBPs on complex ER matters including performance management, misconduct, incapacity, redundancy, and termination.
• Ensuring KQ's compliance with data protection requirements (Data Protection Act 2019) as they relate to employee records, investigations, and ER case management.
• Overseeing and coordinating all employment litigation, working in partnership with internal and external legal counsel to protect the Company's interests and minimize legal exposure.

Organisational Development & Change Management

• Leading and supporting organizational development initiatives and workforce transformation programmes in partnership with the Chief People Officer and business leaders.
• Developing and implementing change management frameworks that minimize disruption, maintain employee morale, and protect the Company's legal and reputational position during periods of organizational change.
• Driving culture transformation initiatives that embed KQ's values, promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and foster a high-performance, psychologically safe workplace.
• Supporting the design and implementation of employee wellness and wellbeing programmes, including mental health support, employee assistance programmes (EAP), return-to-work frameworks, and occupational health management.

People Analytics, Digital ER & Reporting

• Leveraging HR information systems (HRIS) and people analytics to track, analyse, and report on key ER metrics including grievance volumes, disciplinary trends, tribunal outcomes, absenteeism, turnover, and employee engagement scores.
• Developing and presenting regular ER dashboards and insights to the Chief People Officer, translating data into actionable recommendations.
• Driving the digitization of ER processes, including case management, policy acknowledgement, and employee self-service to improve efficiency, consistency, and audit readiness.
• Benchmarking KQ's ER practices against industry peers, aviation sector standards, and global best practice, and making recommendations for continuous improvement.
• Maintaining comprehensive ER records and ensuring audit-ready documentation across all cases, negotiations, and policy changes.

Stakeholder Management & External Relations

• Building and maintaining productive relationships with the Ministry of Labour, Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU), IATA, and other relevant external bodies.
• Managing KQ's representation in all employment litigation, working in partnership with internal and external legal counsel to protect the Company's interests.
• Advising on emerging labour relations risks, legislative changes, and their potential impact on KQ's operations and workforce strategy.
• Representing KQ at industry forums, employer associations, and external engagements on employee relations and labour market matters.
• Building and sustaining trust-based relationships with employees at all levels, ensuring the Company's ER function is seen as fair, accessible, and genuinely committed to employee wellbeing.

People & Leadership

• Building and leading a high-performing Employee Relations team capable of supporting the Group's recovery and growth strategy across ER Advisory, Labour Relations, Policy & Compliance, and Wellness.
• Ensuring all ER team members are competent in their roles, providing coaching, mentoring, and development support to enhance individual and team capability and build succession depth within the function.
• Developing the people strategy for the ER function in liaison with the Chief People Officer, including talent acquisition, performance management, and succession planning for senior ER roles.
• Fostering a culture of integrity, fairness, accountability, and continuous improvement within the ER function and across the broader People & Culture division.
• As a member of the People & Culture leadership team, providing leadership in all ER-related activities of the Group, setting the standard for employment fairness, workforce dignity, and legal compliance across the organisation.

Skills

• An experienced, capable, and resilient employee relations leader with significant experience in a complex, unionized, and preferably aviation or transport environment of comparable size, scale, and regulatory complexity.
• A trusted strategic adviser to the Chief People Officer with credibility, presence, and intellectual rigour to influence senior levels of the organisation.
• Deep expertise in Kenyan employment law, collective bargaining, and dispute resolution combined with an understanding of multi-jurisdictional labour requirements across KQ's African and international network.
• A skilled negotiator with a proven track record of concluding CBAs and managing complex industrial relations situations with composure, commercial awareness, and strategic discipline.
• Strong analytical capability with the ability to leverage people data and ER metrics to drive evidence-based decision-making and present compelling insights to ExCo.
• A leader of high integrity with an unblemished professional track record and the personal resilience to manage high-pressure, emotionally charged situations with fairness, consistency, and sound judgement.
• Genuine commitment to employee wellbeing, diversity, equity and inclusion, and the creation of a psychologically safe and high-performance workplace culture.
• A collegiate team player who fosters collaboration across the People & Culture division and builds strong, trust-based partnerships with business leaders, union representatives, and external stakeholders.
• An understanding of and familiarity with the East African labour market, regulatory environment, and employment landscape, combined with an international perspective and cultural agility to operate across KQ's diverse network.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources Management, Law, Industrial/Organisational Psychology, Social Sciences, or a related discipline (mandatory).
• Master's degree in Human Resources, Employment Law, Industrial Relations, Organisational Psychology, or MBA from a recognised institution (an added advantage).
• Professional HR certification: CHRP (K) from IHRM Kenya, CIPD Level 7, SHRM-SCP, or equivalent international qualification (mandatory).
• Membership of the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM Kenya) in good standing (mandatory).
• Mediation, arbitration, or dispute resolution certification from a recognised body (distinct advantage).
• A postgraduate qualification in Employment Law, Labour Relations, or Business Leadership will be a distinct advantage.
• Minimum 12 years of progressive HR experience, with at least 7 years in a senior Employee Relations, Industrial Relations, or Labour Relations leadership role.
• Proven track record of leading collective bargaining negotiations and concluding CBAs in a complex, multi-union environment, preferably in a large, regulated, or capital-intensive organisation.
• Demonstrated experience managing large-scale organisational change, restructuring, or workforce transformation programmes with measurable outcomes.
• Deep expertise in Kenyan employment law and labour relations, with working knowledge of multi-jurisdictional employment requirements across KQ's African and international network.
• Experience in the aviation, transport, logistics, or broader capital-intensive, unionised sector is a distinct advantage.
• Proven ability to manage employment litigation and represent the organisation before the Employment and Labour Relations Court, Ministry of Labour, and other statutory bodies.
• Strong people analytics capability with experience leveraging HRIS platforms and data to drive ER strategy and operational improvement.
• Sound understanding of corporate governance best practices and the management of ER within a listed or regulated company environment.
• Excellent cross-cultural people management skills, with the ability to operate effectively across KQ's diverse, multi-country, multi-union workforce.
• Strong networking and interpersonal skills with proven ability to build trust at the most senior levels, including Boards, Governments, trade union leadership, and regulators.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to translate complex ER and legal challenges into clear, actionable business insights for non-specialist audiences.