Global Management of Operations – Human Resources Specialist

Key responsibilities  

The following list is not intended to be exhaustive but outlines the main responsibilities of the HR Specialist: 

1. Country Planning & Performance Monitoring 

• Monitor and assess the application of HR Minimum Standards at Country Office level, in alignment with Global HR Policies, reviewing workforce planning, contractual compliance, employee wellbeing and safeguarding practices, providing technical guidance and support to Country Directors and Country Office HR teams. Oversee the regional HR risk management framework, identify emerging workforce risks and trends and provide timely recommendations and escalation to the Regional Director and the GMO Coordination Team to support risk-informed decision-making. 

• Oversee Country Office HR diagnostic assessments across the portfolio, ensuring the consistency, quality and completeness of workforce data and compliance reviews. Consolidate and analyse regional HR metrics, including staffing levels, vacancy trends, contractual status and wellbeing indicators, producing regular HR data to support organizational planning, performance monitoring and governance discussions. 

• Contribute technical expertise to HR review sessions with Country Office Management and the Regional Director, ensuring that HR diagnostic findings are validated by Country Office Management, highlighting key workforce risks and related implications, and supporting the integration of the agreed assessment outcomes into workforce planning before the annual planning revision. 

• Deliver HR planning guidance to CO Management; ensure consistent application of HR tools and risk assessment methodology; review HR cost assumptions and staffing budgets, ensuring recruitment pipelines, contract costs, and wellbeing provisions are realistically budgeted. 

• Participate in the consolidated VGO HR review; communicate HR feedback to COs; agree with Operations and Finance on the type of accompaniment to recommend to the RD and GMO Coordination Team. 

• Monitor HR performance and compliance standards across the regional portfolio, ensuring the timely identification of trends, gaps and areas requiring corrective action. Translate findings into strategic recommendations, escalate critical HR risks and produce consolidated regional HR reports for the Country Director, Regional Director and GMO Coordination Team. 

• Contribute regional HR data to IMS dashboards; provide workforce trends, turnover patterns, and compliance rates as input to global HR analysis. 

1. Country Support & Risk Management 

• When deployed to a priority Country Office, provide direct HR support in implementing agreed HR risk mitigation actions, ensuring appropriate attention to workforce capacity, contractual compliance, employee wellbeing and other critical staff-related issues affecting operational effectiveness. 

• Deliver HR capacity-building to CO Management; conduct training on HR systems, compliance, and wellbeing management. 

• In collaboration with the Country Office HR function and management team, define an HR action plan, ensuring clear accountabilities, realistic timelines and measurable outcomes. Monitor progress, identify implementation barriers and escalate persistent HR risks or issues. 

• Maintain oversight of HR risk profiles across Country Offices, ensuring the timely identification, monitoring and escalation of HR risks, including workforce restructuring, performance management concerns and safeguarding issues.  

• Provide technical leadership of the HR dimension of organizational transition processes, ensuring that HR risks, compliance requirements, safeguarding considerations, and employee wellbeing impacts are appropriately assessed and managed. Support Country Officer in aligning workforce plans to be revised operational needs, advise on organizational redesign and contractual implications. Oversee the monitoring and resolution of transition-related staff risks and ensure the delivery of HR transition reporting and lessons learned to support organizational development and future planning. 

1.  Crisis Preparedness & Response 

• Contribute to early HR warning mechanisms by ensuring HR monitoring flags critical leadership vacancies, performance issues, safeguarding incidents, or staff wellbeing deterioration. 

• Define HR surge functions required for each emergency type; ensure surge roles are trained in emergency HR management; support COs in developing HR emergency response plans, including emergency contracts, rapid recruitment procedures, and wellbeing provisions. 

• Advise on HR cost assumptions for reserve fund sizing, including emergency staffing and surge deployment costs; provide HR surge support during crises, managing emergency recruitment, staff safety, wellbeing, and safeguarding continuity. 

1. Organisational Development 

• Support CO adoption of HR management tools and systems; contribute to HR policy development, ensuring global standards (recruitment, onboarding, performance management, safeguarding, compliance) are documented, consistent, in coordination with the GMS HR function. 

• Contribute to and support the HR policy development, providing relevant inputs and contextual data, in line with evolving programme needs and in coordination with GMS HR Function. 

• Contribute HR performance indicators to the GMO evaluation framework, including workforce adequacy, safeguarding compliance, and HR management quality; participate in evaluations and learning reviews, providing HR management lessons and committing to implementing identified process improvements and safeguarding enhancements. 

Travel 

• The position may require travel to JRS locations. 

Qualifications and competencies 

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Social Sciences, or a related field, with a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant professional experience in delivering HR business services; or a Master's degree/specialization in a relevant field with a minimum offive (5) years of relevant professional experience.  

• Demonstrated ability to work proactively and independently, as well as collaboratively within a team environment.  

• Strong interpersonal, communication, and relationship-management skills, with the ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders from diverse cultural and national backgrounds at all organizational levels.  

• Demonstrated integrity and a high level of discretion in handling confidential and sensitive information.  

• Commitment to knowledge sharing and contributing to a culture of continuous learning and collaboration across the organization.  

• Good organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality results with attention to detail.  

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. 

• Previous field-based experience is required. 

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications; experience with Microsoft 365 tools is highly desirable.  

• Professional proficiency in both written and spoken English and French is required. Portuguese language is an asset 

• Candidates must have the legal right to work in the country where the position is based at the time of application.

Core values and ethics 

• Commitment to JRS’s mission, vision and values; ability to convey with enthusiasm JRS’s role in accompanying and serving forcibly displaced people and to advocate for their right to protection and a life in dignity. 

• High integrity, honesty and confidentiality; ability to deal tactfully and discreetly with people, situations and information. 

• Acceptance of diversity and inclusion as a core value. 

Terms and Conditions  

Type of contact:  Fixed Term Contract

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Full time position

How to apply 

All applicants are requested to submit the following documents: 

• A cover letter describing the candidate’s desire and motivation to work for JRS and how her/his qualifications and experience are a good fit for this position 

• Curriculum Vitae (CV) in English, including two (2) professional references with contact information, phone and email address.