Ref INT5146

Location Sana'a

Division International 

Position Type Fixed Term

Job Family Human Resources

Closing date for applications (UK Time) 10 February 2012

 

Job Profile

 

OXFAM PURPOSE: To work with others to find lasting solutions to poverty and suffering.

 

JOB PURPOSE: To lead the Human Resources function in Yemen through a period of transition post Arab Spring as the programme responds to the emerging humanitarian crisis whilst also re-evaluating its longer term development aims.  To focus on driving functional excellence (building upon existing HR operational capacities), mitigating emerging HR risks, identifying appropriate OD interventions, building staff capacity and providing strategic input at a CMT level.

 

REPORTING LINES: 

 

Post holder reports to:  Country Director, Yemen

Direct reports: HR Manager

HR team:  HR Manager, HR Officer and 2x HR Assistants

 

LOCATION: Yemen (Sana'a)

SALARY: £24,245 to £30,853 net p/a plus £4,000 Hard to Work allowance, R&R, Guest House accommodation & per diem

LEVEL: C1 Global unaccompanied, 2 year fixed term contract (note: a shorter contract could be negotiated at your request)

 

The closing date is 10th February 2012.

 

Dimensions

 

1. Supervising resources within defined boundaries or a specialist area, which may include people, assets and/or budgets.

2. Providing professional advice to senior managers on areas of work covered in their remit.

3. Influences the development of strategy and ensures and supports operational implementation.

4. Develops solutions to diverse and complex problems within organisational policy.

5. Interprets and applies operational and specialist information in a variety of formats from a variety of sources.

6. Flexibility to anticipate and resolve challenges within corporate or divisional parameters, with moderate scope.

7. Decisions are made, with a specialist/ divisional context, to further the objectives of Oxfam and the division with reference to the external HR environment.

8. Impact of this role is significant within the department and division(s), and could have some impact Oxfam-wide.

9. Contribute to and influence operational planning.

10. Influence managers, staff and volunteers in Oxfam and develop effective networks with external bodies.

11. Ensure the 'hygiene' factors are performed to a high standard and consistently checked for their relevance and standards.

12. Implement best practice - legal responsibility - employment law, tax laws, etc.  Influences in specific areas

13. Organise learning and development opportunities for staff to achieve corporate goals

 

Key Responsibilities

 

Human Resources Function & Risk Management:

1. Business partner the Country Director ensuring they have the HR functional expertise needed to realise the country programme's objectives during a period of transition - as it evolves to meet Yemen's emerging humanitarian needs

2. Pro-actively anticipate and mitigate any HR risks associated with programming in an insecure and rapidly changing context -working in close partnership at all times with the Country Management Team 

3. Drive HR functional excellence - making use of tools such as service level agreements, key performance indicators and systemic feedback mechanisms to facilitate performance management and continuous improvement within the HR team

4. Working through the national HR Manager ensure the following core HR activities are meeting the evolving needs of the country programme: resourcing, reward, employee relations and performance management

5. Lead on HR staff capacity building, focusing particularly on the HR competencies required for a complex and large scale humanitarian programme - at all opportunities role modelling best practice

6. Build "manager" knowledge and understanding of HR policies/procedures thereby creating a culture of shared responsibility for HR best practice across the country programme

7. Ensure the HR function remains structurally fit for purpose by pro-actively engaging in programme development and ensuring sufficient HR capacity is budgeted for in subsequent funding proposals

8. Motivate the HR team to work interactively with the programme team and to come up with/communicate innovative solutions/systems that allow the programme to serve its overall goal 

9. Drive data quality in the maintenance of the HR Information System (GOLD - People Soft)

 

Organisational Development:

1. Use organisational diagnosis methodologies to continually assess if the Yemen country programme is an effective organisational unit and is "fit for purpose" in the post Arab Spring context

2. Develop OD interventions to meet the emerging needs of the Yemen country programme taking into consideration the programme's existing Al-Haya framework (Note: this was created using staff feedback during a recent JCAS workshop)

3. Promote an "Oxfam culture" ensuring that newly hired staff are properly integrated into Oxfam GB's ways of working and existing staff are in return open to learning from their non-Oxfam colleagues

4. Apply knowledge and experience of change management principles and best practice, both in support of the immediate humanitarian scale-up and anticipated future needs (e.g. humanitarian scale-down or an alternative transition)

5. Act as a trusted advisor and coach to senior managers thereby enabling them to make choices about what are the most critical people strategies for achieving business goals

 

Talent Management:

1. In collaboration with CMT assess the skills/competencies of staff against current programmatic requirements and identify gaps that need to be addressed through capacity building - prioritising those that are most urgent

2. Work closely with the Country to identify high potential staff and future successors, ensuring appropriate mechanisms are in place to develop grow and develop this talent as part of our commitment to succession planning 

3. Develop a country learning and development plan to address capacity gaps identified in the training needs analysis and resource these drawing upon internal and external networks at a country, regional and global level

4. Lead on the delivery of this plan making use of your own skills designing, facilitating and evaluating workshops

5. Evaluate country learning and development initiatives, measuring success against both the Yemen country programme's strategic aims and objectives as well as the wider MEEECIS vision

6. Liaise with the Regional Learning & Development Coordinator to maintain an overview of opportunities available to Yemen staff across the organisation, as well as ensuring a shared vision for learning in the MEEECIS region

 

Country Management Team:

1. As a member of the CMT lead/participate in strategic discussions and planning relating to the direction and progress of the programme as a whole in Yemen.  Contributing input and ideas beyond the HR technical sphere

2. Act as a role model to other staff of good practice, beyond the confines of HR technical tasks 

3. Responsible for providing individual HR support to CMT members, except for the Country Director who is supported by the Regional HR team based in the MEEECIS Regional Centre

 

 

 

Skills and Competence

 

1. Significant demonstrable experience as an HR specialist in at least two or more of the following: organisational development, talent management and functional HR management (E)

2. Understanding/experience of change management principles and their practical application - gained internationally in the NGO sector and including complex/large-scale programmes with at least one humanitarian scale-up (E)

3. Knowledge and experience of delivering appropriate learning and development interventions to support individuals and teams in managing and coping with change (E) as well as experience of designing, delivering and evaluating wider capacity building initiatives (D)

4. Experience of coaching practices at an individual and/or team level (D)

5. Successful track record of consistent personal achievement at both an operational and strategic level, demonstrating ability to spot trends and issues, propose strategic solutions, make critical decision and deliver practical results (E)

6. Ability to form credible working relationships within a senior management team on HR issues as well as wider aspects of programmatic business (E)

7. Proven ability in project management, resource management and managing multiple priorities (E)

8. Extensive line management experience (E) preferably including staff based a distance (D)

9. Demonstrable initiative with the ability to the take the lead on issues affecting the business (E)

10. Highly flexible in style with the ability to produce creative and pragmatic solutions to complex/ambiguous HR problems (E)

11. Experience of working in a multicultural team environment with both national/global staff (E)

12. Prepared to undertake regular travel to offices in the field (E)

13. Experience of working in insecure environments and adhering to security protocols (D)

14. Knowledge of and sensitivity to conservative Islamic cultures is a distinct advantage (D)

15. Fluency in written/spoken English is essential (E)

16. Fluency in spoken Arabic is highly desirable (D)

 

 

E = Essential

D = Desirable

 

 

 

Application Process

 

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