JobsHuman Resources Manager

Job Description

Position:                       Human Resources Manager

Programme:                 North Sudan

Responsible To:           Country Director 

Directly Managing:       HR Assistant, Liaison Officer, Base Manager

Location:                      Nyala, South Darfur, Sudan

Start Date:                   ASAP.

Duration:                      12 months

Salary:                         £36,600 - £37,350 per annum (dependant on relevant experience).

Benefits:                      Insurance cover, accommodation, and annual leave entitlement of 24 days per annum rising to 30 days at the completion of 12 months of continuous employment with Merlin.

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Only short-listed applicants will be contacted. Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be short-listed on a regular basis and we may offer this post before the closing date.

Please note: this is an unaccompanied position.

Merlin International Profile

Merlin specialises in health, saving lives in times of crisis and helping to rebuild shattered health services. Each year, Merlin helps more than 15 million people in up to 20 countries.

Context and Background

The goal of the Sudan mission is to address humanitarian and health crises within Sudan, with particular focus on Darfur (Western Sudan) while increasing capacity of local structures to deliver effective and quality primary health care services.

Over two million people are now thought to have been displaced since the commencement of hostilities in the Darfur region, many of whom continue to be in acute need of emergency assistance. These needs are further exacerbated by seasonal rains & food shortages due to interruptions of agricultural cycles. Developments at the peace process level may initiate population returns in certain areas, while other areas continue to experience displacement.

Merlin has been working in Darfur since late 2004, and currently runs 3 projects across South Darfur.  Merlin’s primary health care interventions provide quality services through both static and outreach mobile clinic services.  Activities increase community-level access to health care by establishing static primary health clinics in former mobile clinic locations, and starting new mobile sites where population movements indicate severe need. The programme will also extend health education: Merlin believes that preventive health care has significant impacts on health status. This is embedded in a context where Merlin collaborates closely with Sudan’s Ministry of Health and other government agencies for material and human

resource support for projects.  The focus for 2008 will be the continuation of the primary health care provision within the areas we’re already supporting with the addition of nutritional support on a CTC basis.

Main Purpose of the Role

To provide a professional and effective human resource service to the Northern Sudan programme.

Overall Objectives (scope)

• Manage the recruitment process for all international and national staff within North Sudan
• Provide specific advice and guidance to managers and employees on a variety of HR issues including employee relations issues
• Design, develop and implement HR policies and procedures to ensure legal compliance and  best practice within North Sudan
• Lead specific HR projects and initiatives in line with Merlin North Sudan Country Strategy.
• Ensure HR information systems, processes and filing procedures are maintained and developed
• Directly Manage a small team of staff while advising on the human resource needs of all locations

Responsibilities

Recruitment and Selection

• To co-ordinate and support all aspects of the recruitment and selection process of national staff.
• Specific responsibilities include job description development, recruitment planning, advertising and short-listing, selection interviews and tests, job offers, salary calculations and issuing contracts.
• To keep updated with relevant new recruitment sources and propose improvements to processes and selection tools to ensure that the recruitment process meets current and future programme needs.
• To work closely with HR colleagues in the programme and HQ to ensure a coordinated approach to recruitment throughout the organisation, ensuring effective forward planning and awareness of available staff resources to fill vacancies.
• Assist the Country Management Team in assessing staffing requirements and the most cost effective way in which to achieve them.
• To coach and train all staff involved in recruitment on best practice and equal opportunities.

Management and Organisation

• Together with the Country Director, to provide advice on the management of all staff to ensure that it’s carried out within the Merlin Policies, Procedures and the Employment Laws of the country.
• Regularly update the Country Management Team on Human Resource statutory requirements, including tax laws and ensure that Merlin’s status in country remains within these requirements.
• Liaise with external parties (i.e. advisors, other NGOs) on compliance issues related to Merlin’s operations in country (including work permits).
  • Support the line managers in ensuring that Merlin’s Code of Conduct is adhered to.
  • Support line managers in conducting regular performance appraisals and exit interviews for all staff.
  • Manage the HR Department budget and ensure expenditures are within budget and in compliance with established financial standards

Policy and Advice

• Develop and monitor Human Resources strategies into country programme and Merlin’s overall mission and operational strategy
  • Establish and maintain standard administrative and Human Resource management systems
    • Develop and manage the communication, implementation, monitoring and review of all Human Resource policies for national staff, ensuring that all documentation is in a locally readable language.
    • Provide advice and guidance to line managers within the country programme on all aspects of employment and staff related issues.
    • Conduct regular field trips to project offices to monitor and review Human Resource and administrative procedures and assist project staff, where appropriate
    • Advise and coach staff at all levels on issues related to performance management, legal compliance, disciplinary procedure, grievance procedure with the goal of building knowledge and capacity among staff to improve employee relations and enhance job performance and productivity
    • Manage national staff welfare policies including health insurance, group life insurance, personal and accident cover.
    • Support the Country Director with representation to governmental, UN, INGO, partners and donor agencies as appropriate
    • Support the Ministry of Health in developing an HR strategy, procedures, policies and database to strengthen existing HR systems within the country

Learning and Development

• Develop a programme-wide Learning and Development policy, in collaboration with the Country Management Team and the Learning and Development team in HQ
• Identify the learning and development needs of programme staff and, where appropriate, provide tailored training and support within programme budget constraints
• Work with line managers to develop and deliver the annual Programme Learning and Development Plan.  Advise on needs assessment and development planning with the Learning and Development Team in HQ.
• Liaise with Learning and Development in HQ to update line managers with information and advice on staff development.
• Conduct evaluations and impact assessments of programme-wide learning initiatives.

General

• In coordination with the Country Director, lead on specific projects, e.g. salary reviews, policy and procedures reviews, climate surveys and training & development needs analysis.
• Attend and participate in relevant inter-agency coordination meetings
• Ensure compatibility with local cultural norms, paying particular attention to gender issues.
• Monitor the maintenance of monthly leave schedules where applicable for the recruited staff members while ensuring the same is done at the field level.
• Ensure proper maintenance of timesheets for all sites.
• Develop and implement an effective HR database and reporting system.
• Oversee the maintenance of effective HR filing system, with proper files maintained for each staff member, both manually and electronically while maintaining confidentiality.
• Manage the preparation of the staff payroll and the timely disbursement of salaries or other employee benefits.
• To maintain the monthly expatriate movement schedule as well as the expatriate and staff salary coding schedules for onward transmission to HQ.
• Ensure the smooth and timely dissemination of information and advice on queries related to human resource and administration (internally and externally).

Person Specification     

Essential

Qualifications, experience and competences

• Qualification in Human Resource Management or equivalent by experience
• Knowledge of international HR practices & issues
• Experience  of working for an International Non Governmental Organisation (INGO) in the capacity of Human Resource Manager
• Experience of providing an HR service to a multi-site operation
• Strong experience of providing a broad range of high quality HR policy advice (including disciplinary and grievance) to managers and staff
• Good experience of managing and undertaking a high quality recruitment process
• Experience of developing and implementing HR policies, procedures, and projects
• Experience of dealing with employee relations issues
• Experience of developing and communicating HR management information
• Experience of undertaking and supervising payroll
• Excellent interpersonal and consultative skills, including the ability to communicate, present, negotiate and influence a variety of audiences
• Strong communication skills, with excellent written and spoken English
• Confident and proficient in the use of MS Office
• Experience of establishing strong working relationships with colleagues from different functions and cultures
• Experience of a flexible approach to managing and prioritising a high workload  and multiple tasks in a fast paced environment with tight deadlines
• Experience of proactively identifying and addressing issues
• An understanding of and commitment to Merlin’s mission and values

Desirable

Qualifications, experience and competences

• Experience of working overseas, with experience of having worked in insecure environments
• Staff management experience
• Knowledge of health sector HR
• Experience of designing and delivering training

To apply for this position

To apply for this job, please go to www.merlin.org.uk/jobs and apply using our online recruitment system. In order to apply for a job with Merlin online you will need to complete a short registration process and create an account – the online recruitment system explains how to do this.  Once your account has been created, you will be able to save the information that you have entered in your application and re-visit it at any time before you submit it.

If you are unable to apply online please contact: applications@merlin.org.uk.

Please note that we do not accept CVs.

Unfortunately due to the number of applications we receive, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Data Protection

Please note, on submitting your application, you are agreeing to Merlin holding and using the information that you have given for the purposes of recruitment and employment – should an offer be made.  In order to process your job application, it may be necessary for your application to be sent to the Country Director (in the country you are applying for) for consideration. If you do not agree with this, please state so when applying