Human Recourses Director

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutionsinto action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps works in places of transition, where conflict, disaster, political upheaval, or economic collapse present opportunities to build more secure, productive, and just communities. Providing emergency relief in times of crisis, we move quickly to help communities recover and build resilience to future shocks, and promote sustainable change by supporting community-led and market-driven initiatives.

The HR Director supports the vast and complex HR needs for the Syria program. The HR team’s focus is on qualitative improvements in both systems, policy and process, and in a transition phase to becoming a strategic HR partner that drives innovative people and culture thinking and initiatives at the country level.

General Position Summary

The HR Director is responsible for ensuring comprehensive Human Resources support for across the Syria program. The HR Director's primary role is to develop and implement a multi-national HR strategy, and associated workplans, whilst ensuring HR Operations and all generalist elements of Human Resources and recruitment and delivered with quality, and on time. S/he ensures compliance with donor regulations, legal requirements and Mercy Corps’ internal policies and procedures. S/he advances the HR function as a strategic business partner, building the structure and capacity of the team members across the country team. S/he provides support and advises the Country Director and Senior Leadership team on all HR/People and Culture related issues.

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

• Work with country and area leadership, HR teams and across functions, to continue building HR as a strategic business partner. Continue developing structure, systems and processes to enable such;
• Develop and oversee the implementation of a multi-national HR strategy that supports the strategic ambitions of Mercy Corps Syria;
• Ensure oversight of HR planning, including defining priorities, assigning project leads and overseeing HR workplans;
• Ensure systems and tools exist to support knowledge transfer of people management topics to the wider HR team;
• Champion duty of care and informed consent. Continuously identify and advocate for opportunities and considerations to ensure such inclusion in all relevant frameworks;
• Provide organizational design guidance and leadership to managers and department heads;
• Champion and deliver relevant global HR initiatives at the country level;
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards;
• Oversee and evolve HR operations for Syria, with the support of the Senior HR Manager, including all aspects of the employee lifecycle, from onboarding to exit;
• Prevent, and in case of, oversee, any employee related legal cases, identifying and maintaining relationship with legal counsel as required, and in partnership with operations, respecting MC policies

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Provide leadership and support to team members to maximize performance & reach objectives;
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews;
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive and to achieve excellence;
• Ensure a fit for purpose HR team structure that evolves with the needs of the Country program.

HIRING, RECRUITING AND RETENTION

• Work with country and global leadership to ensure recruitment policies and processes are continually relevant and meet the needs of Syria, allowing for qualitative recruitment;
• Work closely with all HR staff in all Syria locations, ensuring that recruitment services are provided on time, with high quality and compliant with policies and manuals;
• Lead on workstreams related to culture, capacity development, and retention, including dissemination of the All Voices survey results and related action plans.
• Support leadership to understand recruitment processes and principles, ensure sensitization and capacity building exists for all hiring managers;
• Ensure that Mercy Corps Syria remains competitive through participation in regular national salary surveys. Ensure HR Managers partner with counterparts in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq to ensure each national salary scale is able to accommodate the needs of Syria-assigned staff.
• Advance HR engagement in personnel budgeting and follow up, and ensure timely input from hub HR teams;
• Ensure that exit processes for staff departing Mercy Corps are conducted in line with HR policies and Mercy Corps requirements;
• Ensure accurate and timely reporting, including country organizational charts, HR and recruitment dashboards, HCM systems, SitReps and others.

POLICIES AND MANUALS

• Develop and maintain a multi-national HR function that provides support that complies with policies, procedures and employment laws of four countries.
• Make sure that the National Employee Handbooks are regularly updated and revised in line with latest Labor Law. Advocate for partnerships with Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq HR teams to ensure locally maintained handbooks accommodate needs of assigned staff;
• Remain informed, on an ongoing basis, about current and changing HR related laws, policies and “best practices” to ensure that current and future personnel policies, employment practices, and compensation packages are within the limits of established standards, procedures, guidelines and policies of Mercy Corps, as well as national laws;

SAFEGUARDING, INCLUSION & INVESTIGATIONS

• Champion a culture where Mercy Corps values and code of conduct are understood and respected;
• Lead safeguarding prevention efforts at the country level, in close consultation with the County Director and inclusion steering committee;
• Ensure relevant resources exist to advance safeguarding efforts in both prevention and response, at the country level;
• Offer guidance and ensure management and behavioral issues are addressed according to Mercy Corps policies and procedures, including oversight or leading disciplinary processes or investigations at the discretion of the global ethics team;
• Lead, support or oversee investigations procedures ensuring full confidentiality;
• Continue to identify opportunities and propose changes to systems, structures and processes to ensure lessons learnt and continued reduction of risk of safeguarding, code of conduct and behavioral violations;
• Champion gender, diversity and inclusion, and evolve policies and frameworks to reflect such, including with a strong cross-departmental focus.

Supervisory Responsibility

Direct: Senior HR Managers (x2).

Dotted/Matrix: TA Protection, GEDSI and Safeguarding (dotted), Safeguarding Focal Points.

Indirectly: HR Coordinators, Senior HR Officer, HR Officers, HR Assistants and HR interns.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Country Director

Works Directly With: Deputy Country Director, Finance Director, Safety and Security Manager, Program Managers, HR counterparts in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq and HQ People Team colleagues,.

Management Forum and Leadership Participation

• Member of the Senior Management team
• Member of the Extended Senior Management team
• Member of the Risk Management Committee
• Co-Chair of the inclusion steering committee
• Chair of the HR Management team

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor degree or equivalent in relevant field, masters preferred
• 7-10 years of professional HR experience, including at least 5-7 years as a manager or business partner, preferably in the Humanitarian NGO sector.
• Experience managing or advising a multi-national HR function.
• Understanding and experience navigating multiple regulatory sources (labor laws, donor requirements, etc) and developing HR policies and procedures that ensure compliance with each.
• Demonstrated understanding of complex emergencies, related security concerns and appropriate responses with experience in the Middle East and in insecure environments.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, following procedures, meeting deadlines and working and problem solving independently and cooperatively.
• Knowledge of donor regulations including USAID, EC, DFID regulations is considered an advantage.
• Excellent negotiation and representation skills.
• Effective verbal and written communication, organizational, prioritization and Microsoft Office applications.
• Excellent oral and written English and Arabic skills required.
• Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.
• Demonstrated understanding of complex emergencies, related security concerns, and appropriate responses to such emergencies.

Success Factors

Critical problem solving skills, and the ability to work out methods to deliver successful programs while demonstrating excellent stewardship of donor funds and compliance with Mercy Corps and donor regulations. Maintaining strong cooperating relationships with other departments is crucial. A successful candidate will have the ability to interact effectively with international and national personnel both in a managerial as well as training capacity and demonstrate ability to multi-task, meet deadlines and process information in support of changing program activities. S/he will be able to live and work closely with a diverse team of individuals in a highly intense and fluid work and security environment and be willing to travel up to 25% of the time to Mercy Corps field offices and project sites.

The successful candidate will have a desire to grow and learn in one of the most interesting and complex crisis of our times. S/he will face challenges with a smile and light heartedness. The successful candidate will be comfortable in asking colleagues for help as well as stepping out of her/his role to assist others. The Mercy Corps team is one that emphasis the value of joy and curiosity. The team enjoys a great sense of humor and appreciates sharing meals amongst colleagues.

Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision. Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.

How to apply:

Preferable to receive CVs before July 23, 2023.

*If you are interested, kindly apply as soon as possible, since resumes will be reviewed on rolling basis. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted before the submission deadline.

“Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision, and we encourage people from all backgrounds, especially women, to apply.”

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

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