Introduction

The Danish Refugee Council assists refugees and internally displaced persons across the globe: we provide emergency aid, fight for their rights, and strengthen their opportunities for a brighter future. We work in conflict-affected areas, along the displacement routes, and in the countries where refugees settle. In cooperation with local communities, we strive for responsible and sustainable solutions. We work toward successful integration and – whenever possible – for the fulfillment of the wish to return home.

The Danish Refugee Council was founded in Denmark in 1956 and has since grown to become an international humanitarian organization with more than 7,000 staff and 8,000 volunteers. Based in Copenhagen (Denmark) and present in forty countries, the Danish Refugee Council is a non-profit, politically independent, non-governmental, and non-denominational relief organization.

Our vision is a dignified life for all displaced. All our efforts are based on our value compass: humanity, respect, independence and neutrality, participation, and honesty and transparency.

1. Background

DRC has been operating in West Africa since 1998 and in Latin America and the Caribbean since 2011. The DRC West-North Africa & Latin America (WANALA) Regional Office is based in Dakar, Senegal, and covers several countries. Led by the Regional Executive Director, the DRC WANALA oversees, supports, and provides strategic directions for DRC’s Country Offices within the above-mentioned regions. The region covers legal entities in Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Libya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Tunisia, and Venezuela.

2. Purpose

The DRC WANALA RO is looking to recruit an experienced, highly qualified, and enthusiastic professional to provide professional guidance and direct support to DRC operations within West Africa, North Africa, and Latin America Region, while helping develop regional-related policies and ensuring a high level of financial compliance.

The Regional HR Manager will be based in Dakar but will have to travel extensively through the West Africa, North Africa, and Latin America Region, to the 12 countries mentioned above. Travel can represent around 30% of the working time per month. 

This position is a senior one, requiring strong previous experience in finance management and within the humanitarian sector and/or international organization, while also requesting a solid understanding of the different procedures and policies in place. This position also requires a full professional proficiency in the French language.

3. Duties and Responsibilities

Under the management of the Regional Head of Support services, and following the strategic directions being established by the Regional Executive Director, the Regional HR Manager has a regional focus and provides the due support (including direct support) and guidance to each Country Office in order to ensure that our countries do reach their targets and obligations in terms of HR reporting, HR policies implementation, and people management. In addition to this role, the Regional HR Manager should also oversee the Regional Office Human Resources management (the Regional HR Manager is the de facto HR Manager of the WANALA Regional Office).

The role contributes to developing regional strategies translated into action plans and day-to-day tasks. The role provides support and/or technical guidance to country operations as per the workstream while overseeing activities with regional scope.

To achieve the organization's objectives, the Regional HR Manager is responsible for ensuring that DRC's HR functions are carried out effectively across the country's operations.

The main responsibilities and tasks of the Regional HR Manager are the following:

Management & Capacity-Building

• To ensure the line management, training, and capacity-building of the Regional HR Department staff members in DRC policies and procedures and the use of the ERP System Dynamics,
• To build capacities of the (senior) management and all HR staff members in the Country Offices within the WANALA region,
• To advise on and promote understanding and application of DRC HR policies, procedures, manuals, principles, and tools.

Coordination & Technical support

Regarding the six HR Areas (People Planning, Recruitment, Contracts & Compensation, Performance, Development, and Duty of Care) at the WANALA regional office and country levels:

• To lead the management of the six HR areas as per DRC’s standards in a compliant way,
• To provide and implement Regional HR strategy, including HR action plans, HR policies, manuals, tools, and KPIs,
• To oversee the operationalization of all processes, drive initiatives, and monitor their proper implementation,
• To ensure full compliance, including proper documentation with DRC global HR Operational Handbooks, policies, processes, and principles,
• To work efficiently, build good collaboration, provide technical guidance and support as the technical line manager to Country HR Representatives and as HR matters focal point for SMTs and managers,
• To regularly visit the countries to provide technical support, advice, and good practices.

Other

• To actively engage in Country HR Representative objectives setting, coaching, and performance management,
• To ensure that HR costs are well identified and budgeted in the Master budgets,
• To share relevant HR information and communication to Country Offices, HQ, and different partners,
• To work efficiently and build good collaboration other Regional Managers at the WANALA RO, especially in terms of information-sharing with the Finance, IT, and Supply Chain departments.

HR planning, staff recruitment, and onboarding

• • To drive and support recruitment and selection activities:

• • by planning and assessing staffing needs,
  • by setting up workforce and succession plans,
  • by identifying adequate profiles and opportunities for internal mobility within the WANALA region,
  • by ensuring that recruitment processes are well documented and all required actions in recruitment platforms are done correctly,
  • by identifying onboarding needs and induction processes for key positions for the regional staff and COs.

• • To develop and implement an internal mobility process and supervise the development of the Regional Talent Pool,
  • To contribute to regional projects’ development with a focus on ensuring the staffing needs across the organization and drafting organizational charts for projects’ development,
  • To ensure exit interviews are conducted by establishing a process of informing managers to perform the exit interview,
  • To ensure proper gap-filling for short time substitution,
  • To define a plan on how to address the chronic gaps and surge capacity in the countries in agreement with CO SMT and Regional SMT.

Contracts management / Compensation & Benefits

• Contracts management: to ensure full compliance including proper documentation with DRC processes and national legal requirements,
• Compensation& Benefits: to ensure full compliance including proper documentation with DRC global HR policies and regular market reviews,
• To work efficiently and in good collaboration with the (senior) management teams in identifying needs for salary positionings, salary progression, work contract extensions, and anticipated end-of-contract needs,
• To advise on specific queries such as leave entitlements or disciplinary matters based on the applicable Terms and Conditions and the Country's Labor laws.
• To ensure an efficient process of contracting national and international employees as per DRC procedure
• To lead salary benchmark process every two years or more frequently if needed
• To ensure the payroll check for national staff at regional office level

Performance, Development, and Duty of Care

• To deliver timely and easy-to-read (and to understand) communication about performance, development, and well-being,
• To work efficiently and in good collaboration with the (senior) management teams in identifying needs for action about people management (managing poor performance, performance recognition, etc),
• To ensure that there is a yearly cycle for performance appraisals, including probation appraisals and proper documentation of such processes,
• To advise managers on poor performance and ensure the documentation stored on the employees’ file, act as an impartial mediator in the process,
• To follow up on the action plan set following the results of the DRC voices survey (tool for measuring employee’s perceptions of engagement, inclusion, and well-being within the organization).

Audit & Compliance

General Compliance

• To check and monitor the full compliance of the HR documents of the WANALA RO expenses, taking into account the internal requirements of DRC but also the external requirements in terms of compliance (donors and potential legal obligations in the relevant country);
• To ensure the full compliance of all HR documentation at WANALA RO and countries levels with DRC global HR processes and policies,
• To identify potential HR risks in the Region not already known by the WANALA RO.

HR Audit

• To oversee and supervise HR audits in Country Offices within the WANALA region,
• To ensure that recommendations from audit reports by the Regional HR Department are mainstreamed in the Country's offices with existing action plans,
• To follow up on the action plan developed in countries after an HR audit.

Projects Audit

• To contribute to cases of any financial audit of a project monitored by the WANALA RO and to potentially assist/ support a Country Office for an audit concerning its operations/ projects,
• To ensure that recommendations for Human Resources from audit reports are mainstreamed in the Country's offices with existing action plans,
• To follow up on internal HR audits of projects in the Region;

CoC

• To provide Human resources-related guidelines with the DRC Code of Conduct at both the WANALA RO and country levels
• To advise managers on Code of Conduct cases with potential disciplinary action at WANALA RO level.

HR Systems (DRC Dynamics & Payroll)

• • To ensure efficient support for each Country Office in terms of the implementation of DRC Dynamics for the HR Track and Payroll systems;
  • To supervise the development and elaboration of new learning materials for the HR staff members in the Region;
  • To supervise the monitoring of DRC Dynamics is used or will be used at its full capacity;
  • To check that the HR procedures on DRC Dynamics and Payroll system are well-respected in each Country covered by the WANALA RO
  • To ensure that HR reporting is reliable and that reports are regularly sent and updated at both the WANALA RO and country levels.
  • To address the chronic gaps and surge capacity in the country together with CO SMT and Regional SMT

4. Required Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of senior leadership experience in operations management roles with at least 3 years of experience in a similar role in an international NGO;
• Diploma degree/University degree (Master) in Human Resources, Law, International Development, Economics, Political Science/ Public Affairs, Business Administration or Management, or another relevant field is required;
• Proven people management experience;
• Proven leadership skills and competence in people management;
• Proven operational management experience and capability;
• Significant experience in grant management and understanding of institutional fund-raising;
• Proven significant HR management experience;
• Significant experience in procurement and tender processes;
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and influencing skills with a well-developed ability to motivate and persuade at high levels;
• Full professional fluency in French language
• Proficiency (written and spoken) in the English language; Proficiency (written and spoken) in Spanish language would be an asset;
• Understanding of the different contexts of the Region;
• Excellent Computer Skills (MS Office, Internet) and an advanced proficiency in Excel are required.
• National applications are highly welcome

5. Required Skills & Qualities

• Core Competencies of DRC:
  • Striving for excellence
  • Collaboration
  • Taking the lead
  • Communication
  • Demonstrating Integrity
• Ability to work in a multinational and multicultural environment
• Proactivity, with a sound commitment to teamwork and with a spirit of genuine collaboration
• Excellent communication skills, as well as patience and politeness, are required
• Multi-tasking and Organizational skills are a must
• Adaptable and Flexible
• Proven analytical and critical thinking skills
• Exemplary sense of ethics in the workplace
• Team-oriented and a good sense of humor

6. General Regulations

• The employee shall follow DRC instructions on safety, confidentiality, and ethical guidelines, including the Code of Conduct and the Humanitarian Accountability Framework
• Employee should not engage in any other paid activity during the DRC contract period without prior authorization
• Employee should not engage in any activity that could harm DRC or the implementation of any project during the DRC contract period
• Employee should not give interviews to the media or publish project-related photos or other material without prior authorization
• Employee shall return all borrowed equipment for the project to DRC after the end of the contract period or upon request.

7. Application Process

Are you interested? Then apply for this position on line: www.drc.dk/about-drc/vacancies/currentvacancies.

All applicants must send a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages). Both must be in English. DRC provides equal opportunity in employment and prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability. DRC encourages all applicants to apply and does not practice any discrimination in any recruitment process.

Applications close on the 24th of June 2024, at 11:59 pm GMT. Applications submitted after this date will not be considered.

Due to the urgency of the position, DRC has the right to recruit a candidate who matches the required profile before the above date.