Senior Regional HR Specialist at RTI International

Position Overview:

• RTI is looking for a Senior Regional HR Specialist to join the Africa Regional HR team to serve as a start-up specialist for new donor-funded projects across Africa. This role will coordinate project recruitment; assist with the development of job descriptions, posting, responding to applicants, short listing, screening of candidates, setting up interviews, participation in interview panels and documentation processing for complete full cycle of recruitment and selection initiative. The Specialist will recommend and administer effective RTI personnel policies and procedures that abide by the legal requirements and the sound practice of the HR field recruitment strategy. She/he will facilitate the designing and implementation of the overall recruiting strategy including sourcing and attracting candidates by using RTI databases, social media, professional networks etc. As part of the International Regional HR team the Regional Start-up specialist will creatively work in close collaboration with RTI Global Talent Acquisition team, the project leadership and hiring managers to address project recruitment needs and support across the region.
• This role will report to the Regional HR Start-up Manager and will be based in Africa, with preference for Nairobi, Kenya; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; or Dakar, Senegal. Other locations will be considered. This role will require regional travel up to 25%. Candidates must be eligible to work in their country of residence.

Responsibilities
Recruitment

• Develop Job Descriptions, position posting, responding to applicants, short listing, candidates screening, interviewing and complete the full cycle of recruitment and selection.
• Sourcing potential candidates from RTI recruitment system Taleo and various online channels, crafting recruiting emails to attract passive candidates and maintain a database of potential candidates for future jobs
• Collaborate with RTI Global Talent Acquisition team and hiring managers to set qualification criteria for future employees, align new positions grading with the RTI Title job evaluation criteria.

HR Start-up Support

• Train and advise project teams and hiring managers on interviewing techniques and assessment methods
• Facilitate Private Medical Insurance (PMI) and other staff benefit vendor engagement on project start up. Including other staff benefits such as Work injury benefits (WIBA), Group life insurance (GL) etc.
• Maintain HR files (including non-personnel) files; track and compile HR tools on start up
• Coordinate preparation of Local Nationals (LN) contracts through timely preparation and submission of Employment Administration requests.
• Assist in fostering of project staff learning initiatives with consultation with RTI Organization Development and Learning team, recommending and enrolling project staff in short-term courses that are beneficial to the project skill gap needs and in accordance RTI University course availability and individual learning plans.
• Facilitate LN orientation and induction of staff, provide information to staff members on their employment conditions and entitlements, including on-entry briefings
• Review and approve Employment Administration requests in HRIS
• Support the Regional HR manager in coordinating regional activities such as due diligence, performance management, comp and benefit reviews, HRIS projects, HR assessments, capacity building, training, etc.
• Review, disseminate and ensure full compliance of HR policy guidelines and country employee handbooks, benefit summaries, salary scales etc. and ensures they are in tandem with local labor laws, USAID rules and regulations, RTI policies, values, ethics, procedures and strategies; effective implementation of the internal control framework and proper functioning of the HR policy framework
• Provide oversight and direct support to project staff in the management and administration of HR activities including compensation and performance management and employee relations
• Drive innovation and a focus on continuous improvement for HR programs in the region as a valued member of the Africa HR team and RTI HR organization
• Serve as a back up to the Regional HR Team as needed
• Completes special projects and performs other duties as assigned

Qualifications
Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree and 10 years’ related experience; MA degree and 6 years related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience supporting TA and HR on donor-funded projects, regional HR experience a plus.
• Demonstrated experience in local labor and employment laws and legal resources.
• Experience working with HRIS payroll systems, including Oracle applications is a plus.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of and experience in international, regional and national HR.
• Knowledge of an applicant tracking system (ATS), and other relevant Human Resources/Talent Acquisition tools.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, supervisor, and clients in a remote environment.
• Must be detail oriented and highly organized, able to support and respond to the needs of the project HR teams as with consistent service delivery.
• Must be able to work well under pressure in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Must exhibit a flexible work attitude: the ability to work productively in a team environment and a matrix organization which requires the ability to meet unexpected demands.
• Ability to utilize social/professional networking associations, groups, and products to build and maintain candidate relationships.
• High degree of professionalism and discretion; culturally astute.
• Demonstrated organizational skills, with sharp attention to detail.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English, including the ability to communicate effectively in a multi-cultural environment and diplomatically manage collegial relationships. French language is an advantage.
• Must possess strong Microsoft Office product suite and HR systems.