Director – People & Culture

Human Resources

Overview

Lead and implement people and culture strategies aligned with organizational goals.

You have:

• A Master’s degree in Human Resource Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• A minimum of 7-10 years of progressive experience in an HR Leadership / Senior Human Resources Management position, preferably in an International NGO setting.
• Proven record of accomplishment of effective contribution as a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
• Demonstrated experience in overseeing HR functions in both development and emergency settings.
• Strong diplomatic skills and ability to build trustful relationships at all levels.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Sinhala or Tamil.
• Sound knowledge of Sri Lanka employment legislation and regulations.

The Organization We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard. We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

· No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday · All children learn from a quality basic education and that, · Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children.We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

Application Information: Please apply using a cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document. Please also include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations. A copy of the full role profile can be found at www.savethechildren.net/jobs We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

ROLE PURPOSE:

The Director of People and Culture is responsible for leading the development and implementation of strategic people and culture initiatives that align with the overall country strategic plan. This role ensures that the organization attracts, develops, and retains talent necessary to achieve its mission and goals. The Director will drive a culture of excellence, inclusivity, and collaboration, fostering an environment where employees are motivated to contribute to the organization's success. The role will link and draw on SCI’s global people and culture direction while ensuring that SCI Sri Lanka office is a valued and influential contributor to the direction of people and culture within SCI globally. In providing leadership in human resources the role will work closely with all teams to embed behaviours consistent with SCI’s values and standards and will provide advice, counsel and solutions to leadership in analysing issues and challenges of the country office.

This position will manage and coordinate work in the areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion; employee well-being; continuous workforce improvement; staff training and professional development; and HR policy development and compliance. As a member of the Senior Management team, the post-holder provides inputs on the overall country programme’s strategic directions and contributes to key decisions affecting the CO.

Key Responsibilities:

As a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT),

• A key focus will be on aligning the people and culture strategy with the country strategic planning process, ensuring that human resource practices support the achievement of strategic objectives. This includes workforce planning, leadership development, performance management, and fostering a positive organizational culture that aligns with the values and priorities of the strategic plan.
• Lead and demonstrate the development of an organizational culture that reflects our dual mandate in values, i.e., promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a team culture of learning, creativity, and innovation, and ensures the country office teams deliver outstanding results for children and excellent internal and external customer service for our teams and members and donors
• Help design and implement a coherent organizational structure that is consistent with agency practices and appropriate to program needs
• Ensure Sri Lanka Country Office complies with all Save the Children Essential Standards (ES) and Standard Operating Procedures and ensures all HR KPIS are met
• Ensure that all required support is provided promptly, at scale, and in line with the rules and principles during emergencies, working closely with the Regional Office.
• Support the Country Director by leading on mitigating identified risks on People and Culture matters.
• Safeguarding

1. Act as the Focal Person for staff safeguarding
2. Ensure all aspects of safe recruitment are met through the lifecycle of the staff member
3. Ensure all new staff are well inducted within safeguarding KPI requirements and all staff are trained and refreshed periodically
4. Function as part of the country office Safeguarding Investigations
5. Be a role model as part of the SMT in demonstrating the core values and adhering to the principles of the SCI Code of Conduct

Responsible for:

• Design and implement the overall HR strategy for the CO by leading the effective use and management of systems, policies, and processes, to meet the evolving needs of the CO. Ensure the quality of People & Culture functions and compliance with SCI Global Policies and country-specific laws and regulations.
• Support in the development of dual mandate HR practices and processes aligned with the organization’s overall strategy and Save the Children standards to meet the evolving needs of the organization.
• Provide leadership for appropriate recruitment, retention, and succession of staff including the design and implementation of compensation and performance management systems relevant for both development and emergencies, and career development for staff.
• Ensure appropriate and adequate emergency HR procedures are identified and included in the Country Office Emergency Preparedness Plan.
• Provide leadership for the HR aspects of the Country's Emergency Response activities and plans.
• Advise the Country Director and provide leadership on staff disciplinary matters and redundancies in accordance with established policies and procedures and coordination with the Employers Federation / Department of Labour / Lawyers.
• Manage and resolve complex employee relations issues, grievances and conflicts; where applicable, conduct effective, thorough and objective investigations
• Act as a focal point for engagement with the Department of Labour, and Employers Federation of Ceylon .Networking with National & International HR counterparts for knowledge sharing/best practices implementation
• Lead talent management strategy and staff succession plans. Provide leadership to develop comprehensive HRD plans based on competencies identified during Development to Perform (D2P) Processes and conduct staff training as required.
• Provide leadership to implement SCI HPO projects, and online systems and train staff to achieve SCI KPIs relating to HR.
• Be a Business partner to the Country Director in all Country Office Operating Model decisions, and ensure that HR reflections/considerations are strategically inserted in any future agreed plans.
• Play a key role in all staff health & safety as well as well-being initiatives of the CO

Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development – People & Culture

• Ensure appropriate staffing within the People & Culture Unit and promote quality and responsible leadership by example.
• Ensure that all HR staff understand and can perform their roles in an emergency
• Manage HR team; define expectations, provide leadership and technical support as needed, and evaluate direct reports regularly
• Ensure the recruitment, training, and promotion of staff as appropriate and ensure the identification of appropriate professional development opportunities.
• Manage the performance of all staff in the HR work area through:
• Effective use of the Performance Management System including the establishment of clear, measurable objectives, ongoing feedback, periodic reviews and fair and unbiased evaluations;
• Coaching, mentoring and other developmental opportunities;
• Recognition and rewards for outstanding performance;
• Documentation of performance that is less than satisfactory, with appropriate performance improvements/ work plans identified and actioned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A Master’s degree in Human Resource Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Member of a recognized professional HR Institution

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

Essential

• A minimum of 7-10 years of progressive experience in an HR Leadership / Senior Human Resources Management position, preferably in an International NGO setting.
• Proven record of accomplishment of effective contribution as a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
• Demonstrated experience in overseeing HR functions in both development and emergency settings.
• A thorough understanding of all areas of Human Resources management and staff development, and knowledge of HR and OD practices, group processes, and dynamics and apply such in the Sri Lankan context.
• Proven commitment to and experience in promoting gender equality, inclusion and diversity, and Safeguarding, in international organizations.
• Must be a collaborative team player, possess a strong customer service orientation, and be a consultative problem solver
• Highly proactive style of work, with a demonstrated track record of developing innovative approaches
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Sinhala or Tamil.
• Strong diplomatic skills and ability to build trustful relationships at all levels.
• Demonstrated leadership skills and proven ability to coach, mentor, delegate, and provide developmental guidance to the HR team.
• Strong reporting and analytical skills required.
• Sound knowledge of Sri Lanka employment legislation and regulations.
• The position requires the ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and experience in HRIS systems.
• A good understanding of the mandate of Save the Children, commitment to and understanding of child rights, the aims and principles of Save the Children, and its humanitarian standards such as Child Safeguarding and the Code of Conduct.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: savethechildren.net