Human Resource Director - Jhpiego

Jhpiego is an international, non-profit health organization affiliated with The Johns Hopkins University. For 40 years and in over 155 countries, Jhpiego has worked to prevent the needless deaths of women and their families.

Jhpiego Corporation in Ghana has been providing technical support to the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service for the past 40 years in a variety of technical areas including cervical cancer treatment and prevention, community health, HIV and AIDS, maternal and newborn health, health workforce capacity development (both pre-service and in-service), family planning, malaria, and IPC/WASH.

As the leading global partner for the Momentum Country and Global Leadership program (MCGL), funded by USAID, Jhpiego and consortium partners are preparing for a series of activities in Ghana. MOMENTUM is a suite of USAID projects that aims to accelerate reductions in maternal, newborn, and child mortality and morbidity in high-burden countries by increasing host country commitment and capacity to provide high-quality, integrated health care. 

Job Description

We are currently looking for a dynamic individual to fill the position of Human Resource Director.

Contract Duration: 1-year renewable 

Job Overview

The HR Director provides leadership for planning, guiding and management for the overall provision of HR services, policies, and programs in Jhpiego Ghana in accordance with Ghanaian labor law, terms and conditions of current awards and internal organizational policies and standards. 

He/she is responsible for providing strategic inputs to the Senior Management Team for managing HR processes in Jhpiego Ghana. This involves coordinating staff recruitment and selection, devising staff compensation and benefits, and guiding managers to conduct staff performance appraisal, employee relations and separation.

The HR Director also acts as the liaison with specialized law firms to ensure legal compliance. He/she supervises the HR team and guides the Jhpiego staff, ensuring the integrity and effective performance of all human resources operations.

The HR Director offers HR support to other country offices on an as needed basis.

The HR Director reports to the Country Director with functional reporting to the Global Human Resources Office in Jhpiego Baltimore. 

General HR Duties and Responsibilities

• Analyze the country’s HR needs and establish specific HR objectives for country office to ensure that HR policy/procedures and standards are met
• Ensure country level management team members are well-versed in country-related as well as organization-wide HR policies and that policies are implemented consistently
• Advise Country Director and SMT on all HR related issues
• Review salary and benefits policies for local nationals/local hires to ensure that the organization is able to attract and retain highly skilled staff in coordination with the Country Director and the Global Human Resources focal point
• Coordinate annual merit review process in consultation with the Country Director
• Review and update local employment policies as per local laws and best practices in the international NGO community, or as required
• Liaise with Global Human Resources Focal Point as required
• Analyze the country's HR needs and establish specific HR objectives for country office to ensure that HR policy/procedures and standards are met; biannually update the country employment manual, collaborating with Global Human Resources
• Ensure country level management team members are well versed on country-related HR policies and that policies are implemented consistently

Compensation and Benefits Responsibilities

• Provide advice to the Country Director on all local compensation related issues
• Review salary scales and benchmark to market data on a regular basis in collaboration with the Country Director and the Global Human Resources Focal Person; biannually update the country salary scales, collaborating with Global Human Resources 
• Manage the implementation and administration of compensation programs and policies
• Conduct job evaluations on new and existing positions, including reviewing job descriptions and recommending appropriate grade assignments
• Evaluate jobs for internal equity and external competitiveness against salary survey data
• Develop detailed knowledge of Jhpiego expatriate compensation and benefits policies and practices administered by Baltimore, HQ
• Support Country Director by addressing compensation related questions
• Administer all employee benefits and addresses all related queries 
• Review Jhpiego Ghana benefits packages from time to time to ensure compliance with local laws and competitiveness with other international NGOs, in collaboration with the Country Director and the Global Human Resources Focal Person 

Staff Recruitment Responsibilities

• Offer guidance/partner with hiring managers and Country Director to evaluate needs and determine specific position responsibilities 
• Develop job descriptions and advertise via appropriate channels in Ghana 
• Evaluate and benchmark new jobs to place them appropriately in the organization’s salary scale
• Coordinate recruitment and selection process 
• Counsel hiring managers on staffing and recruitment related matters, including legal considerations and coaching on interview techniques
• Organize, lead and document post-interview debrief/feedback with interview teams and candidates
• Perform detailed reference checking and/or reference analyses on selected candidates and review results with hiring managers
• Ensure recruiting and hiring practices are in compliance with government regulations and organizational policies
• New Hire Orientation and Employee Relations Responsibilities:
• Coordinate and ensure that the orientation of new staff is done according to laid down organizational guidelines, policies and procedures
• Conduct follow-ups with new staff to ensure adaptation and identification of problem areas
• Work closely with Supervisors to address issues affecting new staff
• Develop and maintain a healthy employee relations environment providing staff avenues to discuss their work-related problems and concerns
• Advise and assist staff with disciplinary and grievance issues
• Mediate in staff conflict situations
• Review salary and benefits policies for local nationals to ensure that organization is able to attract and retain highly skilled staff
• Coordinate annual merit review process
• Review and update local employment policies as per local laws and best practices in the international NGO community.
• Review Jhpiego Ghana benefits packages from time to time to ensure compliance with local laws and competitiveness with other international NGOs.

Strategic Planning Responsibilities

• Develop organization strategies by identifying human resources issues; contributing information, analysis, and recommendations to organization strategic thinking and direction; establishing human resources objectives in line with organizational objectives.
• Implement human resources strategies by establishing department accountabilities, including talent acquisition, staffing, employment processing, compensation, health and welfare benefits, training and development, records management, safety and health, succession planning, employee relations and retention.
• Performance Improvement Responsibility 
• Design, review and implement the annual performance management system in consultation with the Country Director and the Senior Management Team.
• Identify potential staff for promotion, adjustment, revising roles and responsibilities to attain employee engagement.
• Guide Managers to manage staff motivation and productivity of staff resulting staff retention.
• Identify and provide solutions for employee relations issues.
• Identify and assess training and development needs of employees
• Compliance and Regulatory Responsibility 
• Comply with statutory requirements by studying existing and new legislation; anticipating legislation; enforcing adherence to requirements; advising management on needed actions.
• Provide HR information as required by Government authorities, donors and partners.

Regional Work 
Offers HR support to other country offices on an as needed basis.

Employee Records Maintenance

• Ensure that employee files are complete and all required documentation is maintained in a confidential and secure manner
• Ensure that HQ receives new employee documentation in a timely fashion
• Maintain recruitment and attrition statistics for staff 

Required Skills or Experience

Qualifications and Requirements

• Master’s degree in Human Resources/Business Administration or related field
• In depth knowledge of current international HR trends 
• In depth knowledge of Ghana employment practices and labor law
• 15+ years’ experience in Human Resources Management 
• Experience with mid-sized to large international organizations/International Development/INGO sector 
• Demonstrated experience working in registration/renewal of International Organization presence in country
• Computer skills demonstrating competency in MS Office Packages such as Word, Excel & Power-Point) 
• Knowledge of international donor policies and procedures (USAID and others), preferred

Abilities/Skills

• Highly organized with keen attention to detail and accuracy in data management, analysis, and reporting
• Highly motivated, energetic, independent self-starter with strong service orientation
• Ability to exercise independent judgment
• Cooperative, competent, hardworking, flexible and dependable in a multi-cultural, open office situation
• Self-motivated and proactive with a positive attitude to work
• Demonstrated ability to exercise confidentiality, tact and professionalism 
• Strong presentation and communications skills i.e. demonstrated excellence in oral and written English skills
• Ability to communicate effectively, instilling trust and confidence with staff across different levels within the organization 
• Excellent organizational skills including the ability to prioritize and handle multiple responsibilities, sometimes under pressure of deadlines.
• A team player 
• Excellent interpersonal skills to work in a multi-disciplinary team setup
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of team members – local and international 
• Cooperative, hardworking, trustworthy, flexible and dependable
• Ability to take initiative to anticipate and resolve problems
• Ability to travel within and outside of Ghana as and when required.