Human Resources Officer (Monrovia, Liberia)

Role: Human Resources Officer

Base: Monrovia, Liberia with Occasional travel in field

Reporting Line: Reports to Operations Manager

About GiveDirectly:

GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving -  and millions of lives - by allowing donors to provide capital grants directly to the world’s poorest. The Brookings Institution estimates that $70B of cash transfers would be required to eliminate the poverty gap; the aid sector currently spends $135B each year, much of which is allocated to evidence-free interventions. GiveDirectly wants to change that, establishing a benchmark, and in the process accelerate the end of extreme poverty. GiveDirectly has raised over $650M in revenue and established operations in 10 countries while being recognized as one of the most innovative non-profit companies by Fast Company. The growing movement toward cash transfers and GD’s role in that movement have also been featured in This American Life, Foreign Affairs, The Economist, and Business Insider.

We’re looking for exceptional talent to grow our team and the broader cash movement. Our culture is direct, analytical, non-hierarchical, fast-paced, transparent, and hard working. We are open to candidates from any industry and typically recruit from top organizations - members of our team have come to us from private-sector companies (consultancies, law firms, investment banks, etc.), start-ups, and government. We value ability and willingness to learn over years of experience. We offer a competitive salary and benefits and performance-based bonuses. 

Position Overview: 

Under the direct supervision of the Operations Manager, the Human Resources Officer is responsible for administering and implementing services, plans, and processes covering the array of Human Resources Management service lines for optimal employee and talent management, i.e. recruitment, learning, transition, organizational development, and contract management. The HRO position will award exceptional communication skills, strong attention to detail, and a deep interest in building and scaling GD’s organizational culture and values.

Responsibilities: 

Talent management

• Maintains vacancy announcements on local job boards and tracks status of vacancy announcements;
• Assist with candidate screening, including resume reviews and coordination with candidates
• Support  Operations Manager with onboarding of new staff, including orientation on HR manual and benefits/payroll set-up
• Assist with professional development training and planning
• Monitor status of HR actions to facilitate timely action by supervisor and line management, including on transactions initiated, expiring appointments/contracts, and pending separation actions.

Admin and record-keeping

• Update records in GD HRIS (BambooHR, Payspace and Salesforce)
• Ensure new joiners are set up on all systems within GD
• Facilitate benefits provision and coordinate with insurance providers on new joiners, leavers, and reimbursements
• Maintain up-to-date personnel files (both electronic and paper-based)
• Contribute to HR policy development and corporate HR initiatives by assisting to collect data on trends, risks, and opportunities and sharing local HR best practices.
• Support efficient planning and management of the HR unit, including drafting annual recruitment plans, implementing designated projects in line with the corporate HR strategy, overseeing personnel file systems as well as provision of related statistical summaries and tracking movements of UNOPS personnel within the relevant business units.

Performance management/tracking

• Assist in designing systems for regular performance tracking, including links to payroll where appropriate
• Provide administrative support during review cycles, including scheduling and updating system to reflect changes in title/compensation

Organizational culture building

• Support the Ops Manager on implementing activities and events oriented around team-building

• Support  in brainstorming initiatives to codify and promote GD’s culture and values

Compliance

• Lead on the submission of Government reports at the Ministry of Labor and the Liberia Immigration Services
• Ensure new joiners have all signed on to all mandatory policy documents

Role Requirement:

• Completion of a University Degree is required. First University Degree in Human Resources Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, or equivalent disciplines is desirable.
• Minimum of four years of relevant experience in an international NGO in providing HR advisory, recruitment, and/or HR-generalist services.
• Solid Understanding of Decent Work Act
• HR Generalist Experience
• Experience single-handedly managing an HR department
• Proficiency in computers and office software packages (MS Office or google suite) and experience in handling web-based management systems is required.
• Experience in the use of HR information systems, Enterprise systems including BambooHR is desirable.
• Statistical Experience reqiuired
• Fluency in English is required.
• Ability to travel long distances

 GD Values

Recipients first.

We prioritize recipient preferences over those of donors or ourselves. 

We do not impose our preferences, or judgments, on the beneficiaries; instead we respect and empower them to make their own choices, elevating their voices in the global aid debate. This value is core to GiveDirectly’s identity as the first organization exclusively devoted to putting the poor in control of how aid money is spent. It comes at a potential cost, as it means that neither we nor donors get to set priorities (and we may even lose some “efficiency” in providing this option).

Team next.

We do what’s best for organizational - not individual - success. 

This is a team sport, where we will succeed (or fail) together. The best players are not those with the best individual statistics, but those with the biggest impact on our overall performance. We avoid territoriality, self-promotion, and I’m above this attitude.

Be proactively candid.

We say what we believe, and are honest in sharing information. 

Having confidence that other people are telling us what they truly believe, without gloss or omission, is critical to effective communication and to our ability to learn and grow from feedback. We owe it to each other - and our donors - to instill this confidence even though giving and receiving information candidly are unusual in both professional and social life, and can be very uncomfortable.

Create positive energy.

We strive to be a source - not drain - of energy for our colleagues.

Our work is hard, practically and emotionally, and we cannot overemphasize the importance of maintaining a positive attitude, enjoying the company of our colleagues, and not taking ourselves too seriously.  In doing so, we aspire to generate energy and excitement amongst our colleagues in pursuing our mission. This should not preclude candor, and we grow.

We recognize and accept our imperfections with a focus on growth. 

We are an organization of exceptional people and trust in each other’s abilities, yet we recognize that none of us is perfect. We strive to maintain an accurate understanding of our individual and institutional strengths and weaknesses, in order to position ourselves to maximize our chances of success.

At the same time, we seek personal growth for ourselves and our teammates. Feedback is given with a spirit of helpfulness; and sought out with a desire to learn.e aspire to achieve both.

Think rigorously; act quickly.

We are intellectually rigorous with a drive towards action - not debate. 

We reason from first principles, grounding our decisions in objective claims about the world, rather than hard-to-disprove assertions or hierarchy. We aim to brainstorm inclusively and respectfully, but critically self-vet ideas we put forward, so as to ensure productive and prudent decision making.

Demanding this level of rigor forces us to think harder about decisions and our assumptions than we otherwise might. This is a real cost. It can be taken too far: it is possible to overthink decisions, and we avoid debate for the sake of debate.  We are not here to philosophize or ensure consensus. We decide and act quickly, avoiding getting bogged down in debates.

Accept reality. Propose solutions.

We do not dwell on problems. We work actively to create solutions. 

There will always be an endless list of things to improve. We focus on the things that can be changed; find the most important of those things, and propose actionable answers. We do not allow “problems” to weigh us down and be a source of negativity.  We are forward looking, which we believe not only leads to better team outcomes, but also creates a more enjoyable, energizing environment for all.

Be productively ambitious.

We take the risks to pursue industry-changing success, not incremental progress.

We seek step-change improvements at all levels, and are willing to make big-bets; we do not accept complacency nor do we simply optimize existing processes. In doing so, we allow ourselves to dream big with a belief that perceived constraints are merely opportunities for creativity.

Such ambition not only requires hard work (i.e., this is not a 9-5 job), but also a willingness to accept and learn from temporary setbacks and failures.  In accepting these failures, we’re conscious to not point fingers, nor obsess over “mistakes” made.

GD is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect children, vulnerable adults, and the basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH)” and expects anyone who works for GD to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority.

****The interview process for selected candidates may start while the advert is still active****

  ***GiveDirectly does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process***