GIZ Country Office, Ethiopia and Djibouti

We are seeking a strategic, visionary, and experienced Head of Human Resources to lead and manage our national and regional HR function. This senior leadership role will oversee all aspects of HR strategy, operations, and programs, ensuring the alignment of HR practices with the organization’s strategic goals. The ideal candidate will bring a sound national and regional perspective, possess a deep understanding of human resource management, and have a passion for cultivating a diverse and inclusive organizational culture.

The Head of HR will be responsible for managing and overseeing all Human Resources functions in GIZ Ethiopia and Djibouti. The role requires strategic leadership, operational excellence, and a deep understanding of local labor laws and regulations. The successful candidate will lead and develop the HR team.

The Head of HR will report directly to the Country Director.

Below is summary of the core responsibilities:

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Advises the Country Director on HR policies and procedures and assumes conceptual and coordination tasks on behalf of the Country Director

• Lead and manage the HR team to ensure efficient and effective delivery of HR services – change processes of the unit structure will be one part

• Ensure adherence to national laws and GIZ Process and Rules (P+R)

• Review compensation and benefit policies to establish competitive systems and ensures compliance with GIZ principles and market standards

• Continuously update employment manual and ensure standardization with HQ and national laws

• Provide orientation and guidance to staff and managers on staff talk processes (performance management)

• Oversee evaluation and classification of job positions

• Manage HR audits processes, including planning, execution, reply to inquiries, mitigation of risks and implement recommendations to improve HR processes and controls

• Maintain records and compile statistical reports concerning personnel related data such as hires, transfers, and performance appraisals ….etc

• Develop and manage different national, regional and international contracts with various consultants, service providers, legal advisors etc

• Liaises with internal and external stakeholders on various HR topics

Major Tasks:

Strategic HR Leadership:

• Develop and implement strategic HR plan

• Provide strategic HR advice to the Country Director and senior management

• Lead the HR team to ensure efficient and effective operations

• Actively contributing to management team meetings

• Proactively exchanging with cluster coordinators

• Proactively ensuring business continuity

• Overseeing Knowledge Management (updating forms, formats, templates and regulations and communicate changes

HR Operations and Compliance: 

• Ensure compliance with GIZ Process and Rules (P+R) and national legislations

• Ensure proper data management and accurate records documentation, including data quality

• Set standard procedure to ensure completeness of digitalized and hardcopy personnel files

• Ad hoc risk and legal reporting to the country director

• Manage and follow payroll software customization

• Initiate annual tax and social audit

• Steering / overseeing the audit process including clearing of audit findings

• Monitoring P+R updates, impacts and necessary modifications

• Implementing and monitoring of data protection compliance

• Advising on project restructuring

• Intervening in difficult HR single cases

• Handling legal HR related issues

• Regularly collaborate with legal advisors on various HR topics and ensure documentation of legal advisors’ attestation of various formats, guidelines and forms

• Initiating various consulting contracts related to HR aspects as deemed necessary

• Handling insurance & Consumer Loan topics

Leading and managing the HR team: 

• Recruiting and onboarding

• Developing capacities of staff

• Ensuring team development and good atmosphere

• Ensuring regular high quality team meetings and following up agreements

• Implementing jour fixe with HR colleagues

• Ensuring professional office environment

Recruitment and selection: 

• Oversee the entire recruitment process, the end-to-end process.

• Lead and manage critical positions recruitment.

• Implement effective talent management strategies, including staff talk (performance management), PPDP, and career development.

Compensation and Benefits: 

• Manage compensation and benefits, ensuring competitiveness and compliance.

• Conduct annual market salary survey (participating in Birches Benchmark Djibouti /Ethiopia)

• Cooperate with other international organizations in Ethiopia and Djibouti to assess labour market best practices on various benefit and remuneration topics

• Oversee payroll processing, benefits administration and termination related payments and ensure compliance (salaries, taxes, social security, cost sharing, KOMP etc)

Employee Relations and Engagement: 

• Coordinating with the NSRC (National Staff Representative Committee)

• Foster a positive and inclusive work environment

• Address employee concerns and resolve conflicts promptly

• Implement employee engagement initiatives on HR related topics

HR metrics (measure and report), data and contract management

• Track key HR metrics, such as employee turnover, contract end dates …. etc. to ensure evidence-based decision making

Annual Staff talk processes (Performance management)

• Steer annual staff talk process

• Provide training to managers and staff on the annual staff talk process and yearly management theme

• Analyze staff talk results for performance related remuneration decisions

Stakeholder Management: 

• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including line managers, employees, partner organizations/ministry offices and external vendors.

• Collaborate with GIZ HQ, HR Hubs and other country offices to share best practices and ensure consistency.

Training and development:

• Oversee training and development processes

• Prepare training initiatives and communicate to staff and managers helping employees adapt to new technologies, processes, structures etc.

Job Requirements

Required qualifications, competences, and experience

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in human resources and similar fields.

Professional experience

• A minimum of 10 years relevant highly professional experience with proved team leading ability

Other knowledge, additional competencies

• Fluent in English both in speaking and writing, ideally a knowledge of German.

• Excellent knowledge of application of statutory and Labour Laws

• High level of digital literacy including (e.g. MS Office; Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, SharePoint) and willingness to learn new tools and functions independently

• Highly professional experience in advising on HR issues

• Outstanding and proven intercultural experience and understanding

• Endurance and patience to handle busy times and several parallel requests

• Team-player with a friendly and sociable attitude and self-starter

• Ability to move tasks forward using sound judgment for the best solutions

• Awareness of how to handle HR issues appropriately (confidentiality, data protection)

Spheres of competence:

Specialist/ Expertise:

• Ability to perform tasks efficiently and professionally conforming to quality standards.

• Exhibit self- initiative and creative thinking in developing an optimized, client-oriented procedures and instruments presenting them in an international context and organized manner.

• Ability to exercise analytical and conceptual skills and approaches issues independently with intellectual perspective and with a solution-oriented mindset.

• Decision-making stance with long term affect and exercising actions with discretion.

• Thinking outside of immediate group and come up with innovative solutions and invest in continuous improvement.

Personal and social competency

• Exhibits conscientiousness, reliability, integrity, loyalty, commitment and perseverance.

• Flexibility, willing to learn, constructive approach to challenges and a higher tolerance for frustration.

• Ability to work under pressure, strong team orientation, cooperation and negotiation skills.

• Ability to advise Internal and external client/partners and communicates exceptionally well.

Entrepreneurial in thinking and management competencies

• Focus on results and impact, outstanding business administration skills, workflow and time management skillsets with well-honed advisory skills and sensitivity to intercultural dynamics.

Leadership competency

• Exceptional leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships across cultures and at all organizational levels.

• Ability to harness and promote employee potential, carry out disciplinary measures, outstanding conflict management skillset.

• Autonomous and considerable level of independence and assertiveness in management competence with steering of more than 6 staff members.

• Disciplinary management of personnel in bands 1-3 working in complex setting undertaking a wide range of responsibilities and/or ability to manage staff member in band 4.

Required Skills

• Analytical skills

• Microsoft Office Pack: Word, Excel, Access, Publisher, Outlook, Powerpoint

• Leadership

How to Apply

Application procedure:

Interested and qualified candidates shall submit their motivation letter along with their non-returnable recent CV via hreth@giz.de 

Note: 

Please make sure you mention the vacancy number and position title ‘Applicant full name |Head of Human Resources #149/2024’ in the subject line of your email application.

Due to large number of applications, we categorize applications with the vacancy numbers.

Applications without vacancy numbers in subject lines might not be categorized in the appropriate folder and could be disqualified.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

We encourage persons with disabilities to apply for the position. In case of equal qualification, persons with disabilities will be given preference.

Applications from qualified women are encouraged.

“Please refer to our brochure to learn more about GIZ’s attractive benefit package.”