HR Manager – East Africa (Mombasa) at Louis Dreyfus Company

Summary

Overall responsibility for driving the HR strategy to support achievement of the business strategy in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia) 1. Working with the Africa HR Cluster Manager, align the HR strategy for the country, to that of the group and respective platform 2.Be an active member of the country leadership team in the capacity of HR representative 3. Working with the Africa HR Cluster Manager, provide input to business strategy from a people management and organizational design perspective 4. Provide expert guidance on all Employee and Industrial relations matters, compliance and people risk management.

Main Responsibilities

Along with the below listed responsibilities, the employee should conduct any other business related to the function as required by his supervisor.

1. Strategic HR Leadership
   1. Working with the Africa Cluster HR manager, consider current and future business plans for expansion, market changes, process and system changes, and review the organization design of the area.
   2. Engage with country managers and members of local leadership team’s executives to look for opportunities to create better alignment between the operation structure of the country and the strategy of the product i.e. Palm, Coffee, Grains and STF.
   3. Act as trusted advisor to the senior decision makers on the change approach and the risks associated i.e. people changes, structure changes etc. Also executes decisions reached with zero impacts/risk to the business.
   4. Participate in the development and implementation of the change plans.
2. Budget and Workforce Planning (Headcount and employment costs)
   1. Develop HR budget for East Africa i.e. Re-forecast process by the means of an upfront workforce planning process
   2. Guarantee the reliability and completeness of HR data ahead of budget process.
   3. Actively identify initiatives and seek approval to include in budget local and global initiatives/Proposals
   4. Work closely in ensuring final budget is properly update in magnitude tool
3. Training (eLearning, managerial Training, academy)
   1. Proactively identify training needs to be integrated to individual plan for talents or key employees and provide full road map of training and development initiatives for the assigned population
   2. Develop training plan/budget for the region
   3. In consultation with business leaders, nominate executives, senior line management for coaching, and other leadership development. Work with Learning and Development with the selection of appropriate coaches for individuals in line with the approved list of coaches.
4. Talent Management & Development
   1. Focus on identification of candidates for critical position, through internal mobility/succession planning/career path and support key talents with ad hoc programs (mentorship).
   2. Working with the Africa Cluster HR Manager, drive formal succession planning for the critical positions in East Africa.
   3. As part of the talent review sessions, develop and implement successor development plans.
5. Reward & HR Core Services
   1. Guarantee quality of the data and contribute with HR KPIs
   2. Benchmark against industry and international country norms, identify areas for improvement and work with the local country managers and the Africa Cluster HR Manager to develop and implement changes that may be needed.
   3. Translate the country strategic business objectives into remuneration focus areas for the country but within the overall reward philosophy and framework set out by the LDC Group
   4. Manage and support MERIT process in East Africa. Together with the merit managers, prep for the bonus and increase pool allocations for the platforms and corporate functions. Facilitate, challenge and support in this regard to ensure adherence to set guidelines
6. Headcount and Employment Costs
   1. Monitor headcount and employment cost on regular basis, identifying areas of opportunity in terms of optimization of employment costs.
   2. Partner with finance to ensure headcount, employment costs and budget is accurate.
   3. Compile business cases where additional headcount is required due to business changes, get approval and ensure this is budgeted for in coming year.
7. Data Quality and Leave Management
   1. Ensure data quality for EA is 100% i.e. Workforce planning tool, Workday, Payroll
   2. Ensure that all employees have leave plans in place with the aim of keeping leave liability low.
   3. Work with finance controllers and regional date teams in ensuring HR data is up to date and variance properly explained/supported
8. Talent Attraction and On-boarding
   1. Recruit and onboard joiners in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia
   2. Conduct exit interviews for members of the business unit executive team, senior management and talent pools, whether they exit voluntarily or involuntarily. Review exit interview analysis for the business unit to determine if there are any flagged risk indicators
   3. On an annual basis, as part of strategic workforce planning, define the business requirements for using non-permanent resources with the business leaders and manage the process of renewing contracts and engaging new service providers.
9. Employer Branding
   1. Build Networks with Universities, Colleges and Schools to ensure continuous feed of talent into the organization
   2. Attend career days where appropriate and create awareness of the LDC brand in learning institutions and the labour market.
   3. Implement LDC Graduate and Internship recruitment program in EA
10. Performance Management
    1. Manage YPL life cycle. Ensure SMART objectives set in WD system, mid-year reviews and end year reviews are done in the correct manner and within the set deadlines
    2. Develop and implement a robust performance improvement process in East Africa, including the length of the interventions, the impact on individual performance and the closure processes. Take ultimate accountability for the governance process surrounding these processes as well as the documentation and evidence required.
11. Payroll Management
    1. Maintain payroll information by collecting, calculating, and capturing data
    2. Timely preparation of payroll and manage end-to-end reporting process for Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia.
    3. Update payroll records by capturing changes in exemptions, allowances, insurance coverage, savings deductions and any other changes that may occur within the month.
    4. Ensure that the statutory reports such as PAYE, NSSF, NHIF, NITA , PENSION, SACCO and HELB are remitted by PWC by the end of every month and within set deadlines.
    5. Ensure that the company is compliant to all laws that relate to payroll processing
    6. Prepare and submit on a monthly basis all payroll related reports to finance ( AX, Allocation file, Fund requests, Merit Provisions and HC reports )and regional HR ( CHRIS file).
12. HR Business partnering & support (HR Generalist)
    1. Manage employee life-cycle according to the HR calendars in strong coordination with regional HR and COE
    2. Drive the HR calendar in the country. Ensure that line managers and decision makers are proactively briefed at the start of major events in the HR (for example when the annual remuneration process start, performance management etc.).
13. HR &Audit Compliance
    1. Develop and implement policies both mandatory and based on best practice in EA
    2. Oversee all HR (Mandatory (NSSF, NHIF, Labour, OSHA) and Finance Audits are Successfuly performed with no non-conformities.
    3. Addressing adverse ratings on audit findings through implementation of action plans to address the non-compliance.
    4. Manage relationships with external stakeholders including Unions, Labour departments and External Regulatory bodies impacting on the management of employees in each country.
    5. Ensure compliance with and adoption of applicable labour and or regulatory requirements
    6. Ensure that all evidence requirements for control reviews and audits are supplied timeously.
    7. Ensure that the teams understand the compliance requirements in the business. Create actions to address gaps. Monitor compliance training attendance monthly and ensure that teams understand the importance of completing it.
14. Employee and Industrial Relations
    1. Monitor and Manage industrial relations climate in the company to ensure workplace productivity and high motivation levels through effective communication and constant consultation with the labour office
    2. Provide expert guidance and support on all disciplinary matters
    3. Act as first level escalation point for grievances raised
    4. Recommends and conducts training in basics of labour law and employee relations to ensure adequate understanding.
    5. Participate in dispute resolution at labour office and mediation stage
    6. Represent company in Labour Court cases as key HR witness on behalf of the company with legal guidance
    7. Continuous focus on minimizing people related risks through implementation of quality assurance a good governance.
15. Immigration and Mobility
    1. Maintain a legal status of expatriates in Kenya and Uganda i.e. work permits, visas and passes processing.
    2. Repatriation of expats when assignments are done.
16. Benefits Administration
    1. Continuously identify, procure and manage quality and cost effective medical cover for staff in East Africa up to and including medical enrollment, termination
    2. Ensure GPA/WIBA compliance and administration ( Enrollment, follow up on payment of benefits and termination)
    3. Management of LDC umbrella pension scheme on behalf of staff, ensure pension remittance, staff details update, pension awareness and pension statement issuance.
    4. Canteen – Staff Meal provision with due compliance to safety requirements and within set budget
17. Office Management and Admin
    1. Responsible for the local administration i.e. Visitors Management, Staff transport, Meals provision and general office hygiene.
    2. Application/renewal of business licenses and business permits.
    3. Ensure staff transport is effectively managed to reduce lost hours as well as overtime.
    4. Monitor the implementation of the performance process in the team
    5. Analyze management and technical development needs of the Administration team.
18. Employee Engagement
    1. Roll out and implement global people survey initiatives

Experiences

5+ years of years of experience in a strategic HR function

Skills

Knowledge /Technical & Functional skills:

1. Leadership role in human resources with global business experience;
2. Experience in planning, resources allocation, managing remote locations in global organization;
3. Proven record in management of complex matrix organization;
4. Business and management experience in strategic planning.
5. Strong background in implementing HR strategy, Talent planning (career management and succession planning), Organizational design, Workforce planning, Training, Employee relations, Talent acquisition
6. Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills in the English language;
7. Proficient in Microsoft (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint) / Workday as LDC HR ERP.

Soft skills:

• Requires a pro-active individual with ability to influence and work independently;
• Ability to adapt to a wide variety of situations and personalities;
• Building collaborative relationships;
• Global & Cultural Awareness.

Required Languages

 English (Fluent)

Required Education

1. Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Human Resources, Business Admin, or related field. Masters degree in HR or related field is a plus;
2. Must have HR practicing license in accordance with IHRMP Act