People and Culture Lead at Aga Khan Academy

Role Summary:

• The People and Culture Lead provides strategic and operational leadership for the people agenda at Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa. As a member of the Academy Leadership Team, the role serves as a trusted advisor and thought partner to school leaders on people, culture, organisational effectiveness and employee experience. The role also contributes to selected Kenya-wide HR initiatives and projects, supporting the broader strategic priorities of Aga Khan Schools in Kenya.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as a member of the Academy Leadership Team and trusted advisor to the Head of Academy and school leaders on people, culture and organisational matters.
• Lead workforce planning, recruitment and selection, onboarding and talent acquisition to attract and retain the talent required to achieve the Academy’s strategic objectives.
• Support organisational change and provide guidance on people-related implications, implementation and organisational effectiveness.
• Lead initiatives that strengthen employee engagement, wellbeing, psychological safety and organisational culture, including staff listening, engagement surveys and recognition programmes.
• Lead talent management, succession planning, leadership development, learning and development, training needs analysis and management capability-building initiatives.
• Lead implementation of performance management processes, supporting goal setting, feedback, performance improvement and a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Provide expert guidance on employee relations, grievances and disciplinary matters, fostering constructive relationships and ensuring fairness, consistency and compliance.
• Participate in labour relations processes and support implementation of relevant collective bargaining agreements.
• Serve as the lead for adult safeguarding at the Academy and ensure compliance with employment legislation, organisational policies and safeguarding requirements.
• Oversee HR service delivery across the employee lifecycle, ensuring consistent implementation of policies, procedures and service standards.
• Partner with Finance on payroll inputs, benefits administration and employee records, while ensuring confidentiality and appropriate management of employee information.
• Contribute to AKES, Kenya-wide HR strategies and lead designated HR initiatives, projects or functional portfolios as assigned by the Head of People & Culture.

The requirements

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management, Organisational Development, Business Administration or a related field.
• Master’s degree in Human Resource Management, Organisational Development, Leadership, Education Management or a related discipline is preferred.
• Professional HR qualification (CHRP-K, CIPD, SHRM, HRCI or equivalent) and full membership of the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM).
• Minimum of 8–10 years’ progressive HR experience, with at least 3–5 years in a management or senior HR leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with senior leaders on people and organisational matters, with strong experience in employee relations, organisational development and culture-building.
• Experience leading recruitment, performance management, talent development, organisational change and people-related projects.
• Experience within an international school, IB environment, educational institution or mission-driven organisation is highly desirable.
• Experience operating within a complex, multi-stakeholder environment is an advantage.