Location: Kampala, Uganda (40% travel to field offices in Uganda required)

Position Status: Full Time, Regular, Exempt

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions
into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Now, and for the future.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps has been present in Uganda since 2006, focusing its interventions on economic and agricultural development, maternal child health and nutrition, governance, conflict management and humanitarian response. In 2017, Mercy Corps had an impact on almost 1 million beneficiaries in Uganda through our work focusing on building resilience and enabling economic growth, improving opportunities to attain better health and nutrition, and improving governance and conflict management. Common themes include community engagement, inclusive development, gender, and working in partnership with local government, the private sector and civil society actors. 

General Position Summary

The HR Director is responsible for ensuring Human Resources functions to support the staffing needs. The HR Director develops strategy for the HR department while focusing on proper implementation of HR procedures in country. S/he ensures compliance with donor regulations as well as Mercy Corps’ internal policies and procedures and updates National Staff Policy Handbook and local policies. The HR Director builds the capacity of all team members across all offices. S/he provides support and advises the Country Director on HR issues. The HR Director works closely with all staff including Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Program Managers to bring efficiency in HR procedures.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Recruitment, Selection and Placement

• Coordinate with Program Managers to ensure all hiring requests are complete according to Recruiting Policies and Procedures of Mercy Corps. Develop recruitment pipeline and talent management process.
• Supervise recruitment process of national staff making sure that staff are following all required steps such as advertisement, shortlisting of CVs and interviews.
• Certify Mercy Corps Country personnel hiring strictly adhere to country labour law and other laws as applicable.  That includes payment of appropriate taxes, benefits, security clearance of candidates before hiring etc.

Onboarding

• Collaborate with HQ to organize and help with the on boarding process for international new hires.
• Ensure that orientation is conducted for each newly hired national staff.
• Lead the development and implementation of consistent systems of new staff induction and service requests between HR and other departments.
• Ensure HR staff is providing new hires MC ID card, email and all relevant documents upon starting their positions. This includes signing of a position description, contract, policies and procedures especially the National Staff Handbook and Security Manual.
• Confirm new staff are trained on timesheet procedures.

Human Resource MANAGEMENT

• Ensure the performance review processes are completed on time and with quality results.  Train HR team and supervisors on how to properly conduct and track the evaluation processes. 
• Collaborate with Country Director to revise salary scale and participate in regular national salary surveys in order to ensure that that salaries and benefits are competitive within the market. 
• Assist with operational budget for staff as requested.
• Work closely with all HR staff in Country/Region and make sure that HR services are provided on time, with high quality and compliant with policies and manuals.
• Liaise with program managers to ensure country organisation charts for programs and operations exist and positions are covered within budgets.  Make sure that organisation charts are updated on regular basis.

ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Design and implement workforce development strategies and programs that support the achievement of Mercy Corps Uganda strategies.
• Leverage stakeholder relationships, relevant data sources and contemporary thinking to identify current and emerging thinking about values, capability and performance, and design appropriate solutions that promote organisational health.
• Actively contribute to planning and continuous improvement, and actively share knowledge and feedback as a member of the team.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Ensure that Mercy Corps Uganda structure is fit for purpose.
• Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

Policies and Manuals

• Update the National Employee Handbook in line with latest Labour Law and clarify as necessary with staff.
• Monitor HR related laws, policies and “best practices” to ensure that personnel policies, employment practices, and compensation packages are within the limits of established guidelines, procedures, and policies of Mercy Corps and national laws.
• Develop and disseminate effectively HR related policies, procedures and guidance.

Safeguarding

• Serve as the national focal point and champion on Safeguarding.
• Ensure staff are being trained on safeguarding on a regular basis and complete mandatory courses as allocated.
• Ensures that everyone associated with the organisation is aware of their obligations and responds appropriately to issues of safeguarding.
• Ensure the country Offices establish and maintain systems which promote awareness of safeguarding issues, enable the prevention of harm, and ensure reporting of and responding to safeguarding concerns.
• Lead and mentor safeguarding champions in the various field offices.
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.

REPRESENTATION and Governmen laison

1. Represent as delegated by the Country Director to attend any government functions, meetings, etc
2. Secure Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) with national line ministries, and ensure MOUs obtained at the district level are all properly filed and tracked electronically.
3. Oversee the processing of all NGO Annual Return documents and Mercy Corps’ operational NGO certificate upon expiry.
4. Liaise with government agencies as directed by the Country Director for new agreements and renewal of agreements between Mercy Corps and the Government of Uganda (Country Registration /Host Country Agreements);

DISCIPLINARY and LEGAL

1. Lead disciplinary meetings with staff upon request and assist with all terminations of staff;
2. Advise staff (national international) on disciplinary procedures and raise policies and procedures;
3. Act as focal point for all legal matters with approved Legal Counsel;

Administrative Support

• Provide HR support to leadership as needed.
• Spearhead incoming requests from HQ related to national or expatriate staff.

Supervisory Responsibility

HR Coordinator, Rowing Senior HR Officer, Sn Talent Acquisition Officer, HR Officer

Accountability

Reports Directly to: Country Director

Works Directly with: Senior Leadership Team, Program Managers, Field Teams

Ethics and Integrity

All Mercy Corps staff member are expected to behave ethically and demonstrate highest integrity in their professional and personal life. Mercy Corps has zero tolerance to any form of fraud, corruption, abuse, harassment or exploitation. Any breach of our policies or misconduct will lead to disciplinary action or may lead to termination.

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor degree or equivalent in relevant field, masters preferred

• Minimum 10 years progressing HR experience, 3 of which should be in a senior management position.
• Proven understanding of complex HR issues and Uganda labour legislation.
• Strong skills in the ability to diagnose organisational development issues (particularly related to values, capability and performance) and recommend, design and deliver appropriate improvement or change strategies at an individual, team and organisational level
• Demonstrated attention to detail, following procedures, meeting deadlines and problem-solving independently and cooperatively.
• Excellent negotiation and representation skills.
• Proficiency with MS Office software required (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Excellent oral and written English skills required; proficiency in alternate language is a plus.
• Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.

Success Factors

Critical problem solving skills, and the ability to work out methods to deliver successful HR function while demonstrating excellent stewardship of donor funds and compliance with Mercy Corps and donor regulations. Maintaining strong cooperating relationships with other departments is crucial. A successful candidate will have the ability to interact effectively with international and national personnel both in a managerial as well as training capacity and demonstrate ability to multi-task, meet deadlines and process information in support of changing program activities. S/he will be able to live and work closely with a diverse team of individuals in a highly intense and fluid work and security environment and be willing to travel regularly to Mercy Corps field offices and project sites.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.