Search for Common Ground
In a world often divided, Search for Common Ground stands for the power of bringing diverse people together to find solutions. By meeting this moment with Search, you join a powerful global peace movement that believes in the profound impact of courageous multipartiality – that all voices should be heard and respected in shaping a better, more connected world and collaborative vision is essential for lasting peace.
Search for Common Ground takes a dynamic approach by building solutions based on communities’ needs. We engage with leaders and elected officials to advance dialogue and collaboration. We are community leaders. We are youth activists. We are women. We are Peacebuilders. We have been doing this work for over 40 years, and we have developed an understanding of what peace looks like, being able to quantify our impact and design more effective programming. Peace moves at the speed of trust, so we invest for the long haul. When we’re no longer needed, we leave, leaving behind people and institutions with the ability to manage future conflicts.
Department Summary
The Global People and Culture department oversees the employee total life cycle functions at Search. These functions include Recruitment and Retention, Employee Engagement, Learning and Development, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Employee Relations, Compensation, Benefits, Staff Care and Wellbeing, and Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS). Within these functional areas, Search’s People & Culture team is focused on aligning work with organizational values and purpose, recruiting and retaining the best talent, and delivering services to support an organizational culture that makes Search a great place to work.
Geography Summary
Search West Africa team is a dynamic and committed team that coordinates Search for Common Ground efforts currently in seven countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger and Nigeria. It is a region of continuous strategic growth in which Search implements peacebuilding and conflict transformation programs and operations in contexts of political and social change, including a growing desire among youth and women to participate more actively in the promotion of peace, socio-economic and political management of their country; as well as the negative effects of climate change and pressure on resources, contribute to a fragile and unstable environment.
Position Summary
The Regional P&C Business Partner plays a key role in supporting Regional and Country Office leadership and staff by delivering strategic HR services in partnership with P&C focal points in both the countries and HQ. This role is responsible for aligning organizational objectives (OKRs) with regional HR priorities. Acting as a trusted advisor to management on HR-related matters, the Regional P&C Business Partner assesses and addresses regional HR needs. Additionally, the position focuses on fostering consistency and alignment in regional and global HR systems and practices, ensuring they reflect and strengthen Search’s culture and employer brand.
Applicant can be based in any office where Search for Common Ground is registered in Africa.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Partner to Regional and Country Leadership: The Regional P&C provides strategic leadership and direction to the People and Culture function across the Region, ensuring that P&C strategic framework and good practices are applied, and reflect local considerations such as contexts, culture, and employment laws. Partner with the Regional Director to nurture agile organizational culture, change management practices, drive organizational performance, sustainability, and effectiveness through our people.
- General HR Support: Enable Country Programs through a globally integrated P&C function. Drive P&C through consistent execution of P&C strategic initiatives in the region with appropriate contextualization to enhance the organization’s performance.
Policy and Compliance Oversight:
- Ensure each country maintains an up-to-date employee handbook, HR policies and procedures, and compensation structures.
- Ensure all offices comply with local labor laws and adhere to Search’s Code of Conduct.
- Workforce Planning and Talent Development: Advise Regional Directors and Country Office leadership on workforce planning strategies and initiatives to foster talent development.
- Ethics and Investigations Management: Oversee and manage EthicsPoint investigations related to misconduct within the region, ensuring timely resolution.
- Policy Implementation: Facilitate the rollout and adoption of organizational policies in country offices, promoting consistency across the region.
- HR Capacity Building: Ensure that the Country Programs have P&C capacity and capability to deliver their strategic and operational plans. Integrate P&C capability into the global P&C department (i.e., sharing of skills and expertise across the region/s).
Key Area 1: HR Support
- Strategic Alignment: Contribute to developing the regional P&C strategy, priorities, and annual plan, ensuring alignment with the Global Strategy and Regional OKRs.
- Support for Country Programs: Assist Country Programs and P&C focal points in crafting HR strategies, plans, and priorities that align with regional and global P&C objectives.
- HR Standards and Compliance: Conduct periodic audits to ensure all country offices meet established HR standards and practices.
- Implementation of HR Initiatives: Design and provide hands-on support for implementing HR projects and plans across country offices, including:
- Recruitment processes
- Performance management systems
- Staff development initiatives
- Compensation and benefits programs
- Annual employee engagement surveys
- Learning and development opportunities
- HRIS optimization
Key Area 2: Staffing and Recruitment
- Strategic Staffing and Succession Planning: Facilitate talent management and succession planning in the region in coordination with the regional director, country directors and country P&C. Ensure short and long-term succession bench strength for organizational leadership and strategic leadership roles.
- Recruitment Oversight:
- Manage the recruitment process for key roles across the region, including local, regional, and international hires.
- Ensure P&C representation on panel interviews to uphold hiring standards and practices.
- Onboarding: Ensure effective implementation of onboarding processes for all new hires, fostering a smooth transition into their roles.
- Employment Compliance and Legal Management: Adhere to local labor laws and manage legal issues related to employment contracts, terminations, and other HR matters.
- Office Openings and Closures: Develop and execute P&C plans for office openings and closures, addressing employee relations issues in coordination with local Country Representatives and P&C focal points.
- Employee Relations Management: Manage employment relations for international employees and Country Directors, escalating issues to senior leadership as needed.
- International Assignments: Oversee and coordinate international assignments, working with relevant teams to ensure compliance with local regulations and cost-effective solutions in regions where Search has limited or no registration.
- Safety and Security Coordination: Partner with the Safety and Security team to implement protocols that ensure staff security and safety, aligned with Search’s security framework.
Key Area 3: Rewards
- Oversee the design and implementation of compensation and benefits programs in-country offices.
- Liaise with HQ to communicate and align on changes to terms and conditions for international staff.
- Manage and monitor the regional Performance Review program, ensuring it is effectively implemented.
- Provide guidance to Line Managers on performance management issues, supporting consistent and fair practices.
- Coordinate regional learning and development initiatives in collaboration with the Global P&C Business Partner Lead for Talent Management.
- Facilitate opportunities for staff growth and skill enhancement aligned with organizational priorities.
Key Area 4: Offboarding
- Exit Interviews: Conduct exit interviews with key staff to gather insights and feedback for organizational improvement.
- Quarterly Reporting: Ensure Country Programs provide quarterly updates regarding staffing and HR activities.
Key Area 5: Capacity Building
- Coaching and Training: Provide coaching, advice, and guidance to P&C teams, Regional Directors, and SMT country offices on global HR policies, standards, and best practices.
- Policy Implementation: Offer technical assistance to Country P&C focal points for rolling out global policies, implementing HR standards, and revising national HR policies to align with Search procedures.
- Training on Organizational Values: Ensure country teams are well-trained on Search values, the Code of Conduct, and related organizational policies.
- Talent Development and Mobility: Facilitate staff secondments within and across regions to promote talent management, knowledge-sharing, and regional support.
- Organizational Culture Oversight: Monitor and report on organizational culture across the region, addressing non-compliance.
- Recruitment Training: Coach and train recruitment staff on best practices and ensure adherence to equal opportunity principles as outlined in Search’s policies.
Key Area 6: Linkages and Networking
- Regional Collaboration: Build and maintain relationships with other I/NGOs working in the region to foster coordination and collaboration.
Competency Behavior Indicators (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)
- Works collaboratively with senior managers and colleagues sharing senior expertise; builds teams to implement projects and programs successfully.
- Influences vendors, organizations, professional associations, partners, funders, and Search’s network of experts critical to the area of purview effectively.
- Makes decisions on existing information when it may need to be completed.
- Adapts to colleagues’ personal style and preferences to assess their needs and preferences; tolerates ambiguity.
- Articulates Search/function program/project goals and objectives within and external to Search; develops program objectives, indicators, and results; and participates in strategy development for the team.
- Provides input for standards across functions globally within Shared Services teams with the ability to create a best fit that considers international norms and compliance while supporting an organizational culture for work.
- Overcomes obstacles, including personal biases, by following Search’s ethics code in complex situations. This code is displayed in activities as ethical principles and values that guide professional interactions.
- Assesses risks and opportunities in a complex environment and convenes discussions to lead to a favorable outcome.
- Establishes tools to monitor the quality of work and verification of information.
- Has knowledge of project management tools, including technology as resources, and applies delegation skills to support the development of others, increase efficiency, and reduce stress.
- Supports employees in their efforts to achieve job goals (e.g., by providing resources, removing obstacles, acting as a buffer).
- Engages with Shared Services, cross-functional teams, and colleagues to produce innovative solutions.
- Uses analysis (costs, benefits, risks) to manage within a global standards and best practices framework.
- Guides colleagues, shared services teams, and cross-functional teams and directs reports toward learning resources for purposes of broadening skill sets and understanding for continued growth in both breadth and depth of knowledge for organizational functions, standards, and objectives.
- Remain alert and responsive to any safeguarding risks, acquire relevant knowledge and skills that will enable you to promote strong safeguarding practices, understand the safeguarding policy and procedures, and conduct yourself in a manner consistent with the Safeguarding Policy.
Type and Nature of Contacts
- The Regional P&C Business Partner will communicate proactively with the HQ People & Culture department, Senior Leadership in the region, and the P&C focal person in the country program.
- Routinely coordinates with colleagues and consultants on-site and in the field and resolves problem situations tactfully.
- Represents, as assigned, selected programs or projects and other organizations, including donors, vendors, and international and local partners.
Education and Experience
BS/BA with a minimum of 11 years’ experience. Must be fluent in both French and English. Knowledge of other languages commonly used in the region is a plus.
Working Conditions and Physical Requirements
Usual office environment conditions; ability to travel internationally at least 20%
Supervisory and Budget Responsibility
Typically manages one or more direct reports and/or consultants and/or manages one or more functional areas.