The Position 

The Director, Regional HR Business Partner, is responsible for leading and managing the human resources function for the Africa Region. The Director, HRBP works closely with Regional Senior Leadership to understand the needs and objectives of the Country Programs to develop and implement HR strategies and initiatives that support the regional strategy and contextual needs of individual Country Programs, while remaining aligned with Mercy Corps’ global strategy.

Essential Responsibilities

• Advocates for and represents all areas of Mercy Corps’ People strategy. Actively participate as a strategic leader and member of the Regional senior leadership team with input, oversight, and accountability for the HRBP and Employee Relations functions


• Work with the Regional Director and the Chief People Officer to guide the overall vision and approach of the People Team, delivering clear actionable plans aligned with program needs and the regional context, and gain support/ownership for that agenda with key stakeholders in the Region.


• Strategically develops and manages cross-departmental and cross-functional relationships and activities to ensure that the human resource function is well integrated into wider agency objectives.


• Developing capabilities of country HR teams and providing them with guidance and support to ensure that they are effectively carrying out their responsibilities.


• Providing guidance and support to managers and team members on a wide range of HR-related topics, such as performance management, employee development, All Voices survey and leadership development


• In collaboration with the Africa Regional Leadership team, Country Directors, and other People team functions like Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Leadership and Learning, People Operations and Total Rewards identifies areas of opportunity to develop and implement programs that foster employee engagement and success for the region.


• Leverages and supports ongoing communication campaigns to strengthen the Global Human Resource team brand throughout appropriate digital, social media and in-person avenues within the agency. Apply lessons learned and best practices to achieve this objective at the country and regional level.


• Partner with the Employee Relations Team to ensure strategic decision-making and compliance in all performance and conduct related issues.


• Leverage Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Leadership and Learning, and Total Rewards -to develop and implement programs which foster employee engagement and success


• Leading and assisting in the development and planning of organizational change/transformation, leading identification/framing of problems, creation of trusting relationships, action plan fulfillment


• Working with the HR leadership team to develop and implement organization-wide HR policies and programs, and ensuring that they are consistently applied across the region


• Analyzing HR data and metrics to identify trends and areas for improvement, and providing recommendations to senior leadership on how to address any issues or concerns


• Actively promoting the organization's diversity and inclusion initiatives and working with the HR team to develop programs and initiatives that support a diverse and inclusive workplace.


• In addition to these specific responsibilities, the Director, Regional HR Business Partner must possess strong leadership skills, excellent communication and interpersonal abilities, and a deep understanding of HR best practices and regulations. They must also be able to work effectively in a fast-paced and dynamic environment and be able to adapt to changing business needs and priorities.

Supervisory Responsibility

• Regional SR. HRBP, Country HR leaders (Co-Supervisor with CD)

Accountability

• Reports directly to: Regional Director, and the Chief People Officer


• Works directly with: Country Directors, Regional SMTs, Total Rewards, Talent Management, Leadership and Learning, Talent Acquisition, Employee Relations, People Operations, People Systems, Corporate Finance; Ethics, Legal and other teams as needed.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualifications & Transferable Skills

• 10 years of Human Resources experience in global roles with a bachelor’s degree in HR or related field.


• A minimum of 5 years international experience.


• Exposure to INGO Programming, Country Operations is highly preferable.


• Experience leading a diverse team across geographies.


• Demonstrated understanding of working in Africa, and significant experience with the challenges of operating and managing HR functions in the region.


• Demonstrated capacity to utilize analytics and technology to improve efficiency.


• Demonstrated capacity to incorporate best in class assessment approaches in global organization.


• Demonstrated experience and ability to create, implement, maintain, and improve HR processes.


• Demonstrated passion for staffing in international relief and development environments.


• Ability to communicate and problem-solve effectively across diverse cultures with sensitivity.


• Experience facilitating senior level conversations.


• Fluency in French and English strongly preferred.