Deputy Director – Human Resources (DDHR)

Status: UK – National Hire (requires right to work in the UK) OR International Hire based in Afghanistan

Type of Recruitment: Full-Time

Line Manager: Director of Finance and Operations

Overview Manager: Managing Director

Coordinating with: All Directors and Deputy Directors; Managers, Coordinators and UK team

Staff reporting directly to this position: HR Operations Manager, HR Development Manager, Training Manager, Inclusion Specialist

Sex: Female / Male

Work base: The position could be based either in Kabul, Afghanistan or in London, United Kingdom. Afghanaid’s London Office employs a hybrid work model, with 1-2 days per week in the organisation’s office in Caledonian Road. Remote working arrangements will be considered for the right candidate.

Travel Requirement: If based in Afghanistan, occasional visits to Afghanaid provincial offices. If based in the UK: annually, 25% or more of the year in Afghanistan

Contract length: 24 months contract

Anticipated Starting Date: 1st May 2025

Salary Range: £50,000-£60,000 per annum

THE ORGANISATION

Afghanaid is a British humanitarian and development NGO established in 1983. We are headquartered in Kabul and currently implementing projects in five provinces: Badakhshan, Samangan, Ghor, Daykundi, and Herat. We also work through partners in nine others: Faryab, Jawzjan, Sar-i-Pul, Balkh, Bamyan, Takhar, Khost, Nangarhar and Paktia. For four decades, Afghanaid has developed its thematic expertise and the capacity of its staff in correspondence with the evolving needs of the country, international best practice, and opportunities for innovation. Our work supports four pillars of sustainable development: providing basic services; strengthening sustainable livelihoods and food security; adapting to climate change and reducing disaster risk, and emergency humanitarian assistance. Three guiding principles are mainstreamed in all our work to ensure its contribution to sustainable development: gender and inclusion, good governance and community development, and conflict mitigation and peacebuilding.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Afghanaid is seeking a highly skilled Deputy Director of Human Resources (DDHR) who is passionate about mentoring, capacity-building, and fostering a culture of excellence, inclusion, and continuous learning, to lead strategic HR initiatives, ensuring effective people management, talent development, and operational excellence. This is a unique opportunity for an HR professional to make a lasting difference for the most vulnerable communities in Afghanistan while advancing their career in the international humanitarian and development sector.

Reporting to the Director of Finance and Operations, over a 24-month period the DDHR will play a pivotal role in strengthening Afghanaid’s HR capacity through:

• coaching and mentoring, building the capabilities of identified HR management talent to enable them to develop into the role upon completion of the contract
• leading the Afghanistan-based HR team to review and upgrade HR policies, structures, systems, and processes, aligning them with Afghanaid’s mission and values;
• providing expert guidance on all aspects of HR management, including talent acquisition, employee relations, performance management, leadership development, gender and inclusion and HR compliance.

The role requires regular travel to Afghanistan, working closely with the local HR team and senior leadership.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Reporting to the Director of Finance and Operations and serving as a member of the Board of Directors, the Deputy Director of Human Resources (DDHR) leads the human resource department and will be responsible for mentoring the HR team based in Afghanistan to build their capacity across all HR functions. The role involves working closely with the local HR team and senior leadership by implementing HR strategies to support Afghanaid’s mission and objectives, while enhancing the skills and capabilities of the HR team. As a member of the Board of Directors, the DDHR supports the Managing Director and Board of Trustees in overall strategic and operational leadership of the organization.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the review, enhancement, and implementation of HR policies, structures, and frameworks to align with international best practices and regulatory requirements.
• Develop long-term HR strategies that support Afghanaid’s mission, focusing on workforce planning, retention, HR development and succession planning.
• Establish HR governance and compliance frameworks, ensuring adherence to Afghan labour laws, UK regulations and international standards.
• Provide high-level HR advisory support to the Managing Director and Board of Trustees on strategic people management initiatives.
• Lead change management efforts, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation**.**
• Serve as a mentor and technical advisor to the Afghanistan-based HR team, equipping them with the knowledge and skills required to assume leadership roles, and the deputy director role in particular.
• Facilitate knowledge-sharing and best practice adoption through structured learning pathways for HR staff.
• Guide the HR team in Afghanistan on handling complex employee relations issues, grievance redressal, and disciplinary actions.
• Strengthen the effective implementation of HR operations, including talent acquisition and development, on-boarding, performance management, employee relations, compensation, and benefits administration.
• Strengthen HR systems, processes, and documentation, ensuring consistency, transparency, and efficiency.
• Lead compliance and risk management efforts related to employment law, safeguarding, and ethical recruitment practices.
• Conduct regular HR audits and risk assessments, implementing corrective actions where necessary.
• Oversee the performance management system, ensuring alignment with organisational goals and staff development needs.
• Design and implement succession planning, trainings and leadership & professional development programmes to build an internal pipeline for future leadership across all departments and teams.
• Develop strategies to enhance employee engagement, workplace culture, and team cohesion.
• Lead diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, ensuring equal opportunities and representation across the organisation.
• Oversee the implementation, integration, and optimisation of the HR Management Information System (HRMIS), ensuring data accuracy and operational efficiency.
• Develop HR analytics and reporting tools to support data-driven decision-making.
• Provide training to HR and senior management on HRMIS utilisation and best practices.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Education & Professional Qualification

The position holder should hold a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management, Psychology, Social Science or Business related subjects, or have equivalent experience.

Work Experience

• Minimum of 6 year’s proven experience in Human Resources or a relevant field, including at least 3 years in senior-management role, ideally with an international organisation.

Professional Skills, Competencies, Values and Attitudes

Afghanaid is in search of a reliable and proactive Human Resources leader, demonstrating strong initiative, judgment, and adaptability. The ideal candidate should possess excellent communication, organisational, and cross-cultural interpersonal skills, along with proficient decision-making abilities and knowledge of financial management and reporting. Specifically, the individual in this role should also exhibit the following attributes:

Essential:

• Demonstrates personal integrity, initiative, and drive to achieve results in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to think strategically, plan effectively, set priorities, work autonomously, work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Displays considerable initiative and independence with the ability to take the lead without additional support.
• Flexible and dynamic, adept at creatively solving problems and managing challenging situations.
• Exceptional conceptual and analytical abilities, adept at distilling key ideas with clarity.
• Excellent communication skills, capable of persuasively presenting ideas and influencing others diplomatically.
• Proficient in preparing and laying out clear and succinct presentations and reports for diverse audiences.
• Outgoing personality, able to build trust and manage relationships with stakeholders.
• Cultural sensitivity and ability to work in a diverse, multicultural environment.
• Ability to build effective working relationships, both internally and externally with people at all levels.
• Committed to continuous learning and professional development, aligned with Afghanaid’s vision and mission.
• Skilled in managing conflicting priorities in personal workload.
• Highly flexible in style with the ability to produce creative and pragmatic solutions to complex HR problems.
• Commitment to building Afghanaid’s agility and growing its reputation as an excellent employer.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.

Desirable

• Master’s degree in human resources management.
• Fluency in written and spoken Dari/Pashto is preferred.

OTHER INFORMATION

Afghanaid’s core values are creativity, fairness and honesty. Our staff are passionate about and proud to work at Afghanaid. Teamwork is fundamental to our standards and demonstrated by taking initiative, assisting others and taking on additional responsibilities and tasks if necessary. We are results driven, committed, and motivated to achieve targets and take accountability for our own actions. Our remuneration and benefits package is competitive with other similar organisations.