Malawi Human Resources Specialist

ABOUT ONE ACRE FUND

Founded in 2006, One Acre Fund supplies smallholder farmers with the agricultural services they need to make their farms vastly more productive. We provide quality farm supplies on credit, delivered within walking distance of farmers’ homes, and agricultural training to improve harvests. We measure our success by our ability to make farmers more prosperous: On average, farmers harvest 50 percent more food after working with One Acre Fund.

We are growing quickly. We currently serve more than 800,000 farm families in Eastern and Southern Africa, with more than 7,500 full-time staff, and we aim to serve 1 million farm families by 2020.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Human Resources Team is looking for an individual to lead the HR team to serve as HR Project Specialist for the Malawi Program. This person will be responsible for shaping, transacting, and partnering with staff and leadership alike to build a strong, proactive HR team. 

The HR Project Specialist will act as a thought-partner, subject-matter expert, and feedback channel within the People Operations team, and as a representative of the country leadership team. Aside from leading the HR team through direct day-to-day services, the HR Project Specialist will be responsible for translating program, policy, and staff-driven needs into relevant, tangible services and systems that will drive improvement and usefulness across all HR functions, with the goal of supporting a flourishing staff and culture that is optimally positioned to serve farmers. 

Broad vision: Shape, transact, and partner with One Acre Fund leadership to make One Acre Fund Malawi a competitive and fulfilling career investment for all staff. 

Roles and Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• HR Leadership (25%): Provide leadership direction to the HR function/team
• The HR Project Specialist will effectively manage and mentor HR staff at all levels, ensuring high levels of HR competency within the team. S/he will develop a strategic plan for the department enabling it to meet the service needs of over 250 staff members, serving over 20,000. Anticipating future departmental needs, the HR Project Specialist will develop key existing talent with clear career mapping and planned growth opportunities.
• HR Centre of Expertise (15%): Design of HR Programs and Policies
• The HR Project Specialist will stay abreast of country employment and labour laws, using this knowledge in a close working relationship with One Acre Fund leadership and managers to guide HR policy compliance and decisions around key people issues including: strategic staffing plans, structural compensation management, benefits, training and development, performance management and disciplinary mechanisms, budget, and labour relations.
• HR Business Partner (15%): Consult the organization’s leadership teams on their specific division/department country based people issues
  • As a member of the country leadership team, the HR PS will be responsible for providing useful, purposeful consultation on any and all human resource issues to division and department leads that prioritizes the mutual interest of staff and organization alike. 
• Operational Support Management (20%): Lead day-to-day HR service delivery
  • The HR Project Specialist will be ultimately responsible for ensuring that exceptional levels of service delivery are maintained throughout all HR functions at One Acre Fund Malawi, including: General HR (Policy, Employee Administration, Welfare, Corrective & Disciplinary Action, etc.), Structural Compensation Management, Payroll, HR Training, HR Policy Communications, and Data Management.
• Escalation (15%): Handle complex issues and escalated activities
• The HR Specialist will be responsible for the case management of complex or escalated issues such as disciplinary actions, mitigating liability, and responding to staff grievances quickly and efficiently. 
• Payroll Administration Oversight (10%): Manage Payroll Processing for the Malawi Program
• The HR Project Specialist will own and oversee all task management of the monthly Payroll processing for all staff. This includes providing thorough and error-free quality controls of payroll data prior to handover to country leadership. The HR PS will also represent OAF Malawi to the Global payroll team, tracking Payroll KPIs in order to design common solutions to any delays or challenges to ensure all staff are paid on time each month. 

CAREER GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

We have a strong culture of constant learning and we invest in developing our people. You’ll have weekly check-ins with your manager, access to mentorship and training programs, and regular feedback on your performance. We hold career reviews every six months, and set aside time to discuss your aspirations and career goals. You’ll have the opportunity to shape a growing organization and build a rewarding long-term career.

QUALIFICATIONS

Specific qualifications include, but are not limited to:

• A degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related  field required
• 3-4 years of experience in a Human Resources leadership role or similar role preferred; team management experience preferred
• Thorough and deep understanding of Malawian labour law required 
• Strong work experiences, preferably working with diverse team members
• Ability to adapt to a changing environment, working well as part of a team
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple project at once, experience with project management preferred
• Demonstrated leadership experience at work, or outside of work, enthusiasm for learning, and openness to feedback
• Humility. We are looking for passionate professionals who combine with good humor, patience, and a humble approach to service to join our growing family of leaders
• Ability to build teams and collaborate with colleagues from diverse backgrounds
• Educational background; HR background (academic or ZIHRM eligibility) required
• Strong computer skills, particularly in MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, and ) and Google applications (Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Gmail)
• Language: Excellent written and spoken English required. Fluency in Chichewa is required.

PREFERRED START DATE

As soon as possible

JOB LOCATION

Zomba, Malawi

COMPENSATION

Commensurate with experience

DURATION

Full-time job.

BENEFITS 

Health insurance, paid time off

SPONSOR INTERNATIONAL CANDIDATES

No; Must have existing rights to work in Malawi. 

One Acre Fund never asks candidates to pay any money or pay for tests at any stage of the interview process. Official One Acre Fund emails will always arrive from an @oneacrefund.org address. Please report any suspicious communication here (globalhotline@oneacrefund.org), but do not send applications or application materials to this email address.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.