Job details

Human Resources Manager, Emergency Response

Location: Amman, Nairobi, London, US-Remote, or other locations where Mercy Corps is registered

Valid unrestricted work authorization in the country in which you will be based is required at the time of application for this position. We are open to considering candidates based in other locations, depending on work authorization and our registration status.

Position Status: Full Time Regular

Starting Salary Range: The salary range for this role is $76,800 - $91,200 US-based candidates. The salary range will be based on local benchmark for candidates outside of the United States and will be provided upon request.

Please note that the selected candidate must be able to deploy on short notice and for extended periods of time. This role requires up to 65% of time spent on assignment, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement and access to amenities is limited.

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

The Program / Department / Team (Program / Department Summary)

Our One People Team ensures that Mercy Corps has the people, HR systems, and culture in place to support our managers and allow our team members to thrive. We comprise of teams of HR professionals at country, regional and global level who work together to foster engaged, equitable, inclusive, diverse, and high performing global teams. We do this through building systems and supporting managers to recruit and retain the diverse and high-performing talent we need to meet our goals, shaping this talent into our future leaders through equitable development opportunities, and by driving strategic partnerships at all levels within and outside of our organization. We work with others to steward the organizational culture through our systems, structure, and processes, to create safe, diverse and inclusive teams, and to ensure a positive employee experience for all our people.

The Emergency Response HR Manager is a key member of the Global Emergency Response Teams (ERT’s) deployable team for emergency response. The Emergency Response HR Manager plays a key role in the overall emergency response from the early relief stage through to recovery and transition into long-term development. This is a deployable role, and the team members will have multiple assignments throughout the year in support of or to lead their functional area during the emergency response. The role may also deploy or provide remote support for emergency preparedness work.

As a member of the Global People Team, the Emergency Response HR Manager will work closely with People Team members and the ERT and with other internal and external stakeholders to ensure effective HR support is provided before, during and after an emergency.

The Position

The primary function of the Emergency Response HR Manager will be deploying to provide effective HR support for our Country and Regional Offices managing an emergency response. The deployment will typically take place at the onset of emergencies as soon as travel can be arranged but may also be required at other stages of the emergency, Travel is anticipated up to 65% of the time, and remote support may also be provided.

Once deployed, the Emergency Response HR Manager will work with others to assess the current and upcoming HR needs. Key activities on deployment may include, but will not be limited to, helping to ensure staff wellbeing, safety and security, tracking and supporting proposal development, organizational design and workforce planning, supporting international and national surge recruitment, rapid onboarding and orientation of team members, defining relevant and compliant HR policies and procedures including those pertaining to compensation and benefits entitlements, supporting change processes (e.g., restructuring from relief to recovery), and helping to provide training in key organizational policies and procedures, such as Code of Ethics and safeguarding. The Emergency Response HR Manager may also be deployed to provide support for phase down and close out of the emergency response program, including related downsizing and retrenchment. Following deployments, the Emergency Response HR Manager will play a key role in capturing, communicating and documenting lessons learned and contributing to addressing them in a systematic way,

While not on deployment, the Emergency Response HR Advisor will partner with the HR Advisor and other stakeholders to provide inputs for after action review and support the development of HR related tool kits, guidances, policies, and trainings needed to develop the capacity of HR teams in our Country Offices to be better positioned and prepared for emergencies or other crises. The Emergency Response HR Manager will regularly coordinate and partner with the International HR Director and the HR Advisor to keep them informed of all developments in the field, get the needed support, and ensure alignment with P2P strategies and Safe Diverse and Inclusive and Locally led Organizational Commitments.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Safeguarding Responsibilities

Actively models safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding HR risks and mitigations.

Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members

Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.

Works with others to ensure that the need for speed in an emergency is balanced with measures intended to ensure that we meet our organizational safeguarding standards, particularly but not limited to recruitment.

Supporting Start Up Response

During the startup phase of a program, the Emergency Response HR Manager plays a crucial role in establishing the foundation for effective human resources management as follows:

Talent Acquisition and Recruitment – Support with developing a Recruitment Strategy, Job Descriptions and Posting, Candidate Screening and Interviews, Onboarding etc.

Establish HR Policies and Procedures – Support with development of the National Employee Handbook and Benefits Matrix as per Mercy Corps requirements and compliance with local labor laws. Support the creation of the national salary scales aligned with rapid market assessments and internal rates.

Emergency Response Organizations Structures – Support in country leadership by providing guide on recommended structures in line with previous lessons learned from other emergencies. Support the leadership by providing Position Description templates of similar roles from previous emergencies.

Payroll Management – work with the team to ensure proper payroll process is set in country that allows required tax withholding, deductions and payments.

Compliance with Local Laws – Have a good understanding of the local labor laws and be able to ensure compliance of such into Mercy Corps policies. Ensure that all HR activities comply with local employment laws and regulations, including labor contracts, working hours, and benefits.

Risk Mitigation: Identify potential HR-related risks (e.g., legal, safety, employee relations) and develop strategies to mitigate these risks.

Documentation and Record Keeping – Guide the country HR team to key requirements on archiving HR documents and ensuring confidentiality.

Establish HR Networks in Country – Collaborate with local authorities, NGOs, and other stakeholders to ensure that HR practices are aligned with the broader context of the program.

Continuous Improvement: Use feedback and data to continuously improve HR processes and policies, ensuring that they meet the evolving needs of the program during emergency response.

Supporting Active Response

Staff wellbeing, safety and security:

Work with others to develop and implement systems for regular contact with team members during an emergency (e.g., phone trees).

Work with others to ensure team members working in and / or directly impacted by the emergency receive the timely and locally relevant psychosocial support they need.

Develop and implement resources for use by team members to support their wellbeing, safety and security (e.g., managing stress, dealing with trauma).

Organizational design and workforce planning:

Partner effectively with Programs and Operations colleagues on the organizational design for the emergency response, tracking funding pipelines and using this to maintain organograms and workforce planning tools.

Support managers with job design, including PD (position description) development, where required and development of rapid recruitment strategies during emergency response start-up.

Provide HR&OD technical support for re-structuring and change management processes through the lifecycle of the emergency response.

Support for international and national surge capacity:

Provide technical guidance and support to ensure speedy and safe recruitment for the emergency.

Coordinate with others to facilitate and track international deployments required to support the emergency.

Draft the memos needed to document any recruitment decisions that deviate from standard Mercy Corps recruitment processes and share such memos for review and approval from the International HR Director and the HR Advisor.

Onboarding and orientation:

Work with others to develop and implement the tools, systems and processes to ensure a smooth and efficient onboarding process for new team members (staff, consultants, interns and others).

Ensure that all new team members receive an onboarding and orientation which supports compliance with key organizational standards and practices in Mercy Corps, including but not limited to Safeguarding, Code of Ethics, Safety and Security, Data Protection and Performance Management.

Compliance:

Ensure that processes are properly documented and in compliance with Mercy Corps, donor and country regulations to support compliance and any potential audit requests.

Ensure an effective HR archiving system is in place during the emergency response.

Ensure that an HR Database is maintained such as the data entries within the HR software.

Support the HR Advisor to coordinate with teams responsible for tax, immigration and employment law considerations for areas targeted by emergency response programming and integrate mitigation measures into ongoing response processes.

Benefits and entitlements:

Coordinate with others to make recommendations and develop and secure approval for relevant adjustments to and policies for compensation and benefits which account for the emergency's specific needs and context.

Capacity development:

Work closely with Country Office HR team members, supporting them to build on existing strengths and providing targeted capacity development where gaps are identified.

Develop and implement targeted training on Mercy Corps’ HR policies and procedures relevant to the emergency response.

Support Program Teams to develop HR capacities of partner organizations, where applicable and appropriate.

Work with others to provide relevant training to support leaders and managers to develop their people management capacities and capabilities in emergencies.

Phase out and closure:

Develop and implement robust HR workplans to support phase down and close out of emergency response programs, helping to ensure internal and external compliance, and retention of key staff until the end.

Representation:

Represents Mercy Corps as required in coordination with the emergency response teams. As an emergency response team member, the Emergency Response HR Manager will have certain representation at the discretion of the Emergency Response Management Team. The level of representation may vary depending on the country context.

Synthesizing Learning and Promoting Best Practices

Support the HR Advisor to develop and maintain an operational toolkit to support HR practices and procedures during an emergency response.

Participate in agency level after action reviews to help promote organizational learning.

Support the emergency preparedness planning at country, regional and global levels (training, materials, calendars etc.)

Partner with the HR Advisor to consolidate People-related learnings and lead processes to implement recommended changes to increase efficiency and effectiveness.

Be available to support when needed with the Alumni Talent Pool expansion.

Security

Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by global and country security management teams.

Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of our duty of care policies.

Liaison and Coordination

Liaise with Key stakeholders on the ground during deployments, which may include, Implementation Partners, Government Officials, INGOs and national NGOs/CBOs, Human Resources cluster/ coordination groups.

Represent the Mercy Corps Emergency Response Team externally as required.

Supervisory Responsibility

None however potentially some supervisory responsibility during deployments

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Dual Reporting – International HR Director, & VP Emergency Response Team
Works Directly With: International HR Director, HR Advisor, Emergency Response Team, Strategic Leadership Team.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

7 or more years’ experience in international human resources, with at least 3 in a managerial role.

Minimum 3 previous deployments / experiences in volatile and challenging context supporting emergency response, of which at least one must be outside of own country context.

Personal passion for and commitment to working in a diverse array of emergencies.

3 to 5 or more years of experience within the humanitarian and international development sector. Experience at the country/ program level is preferred.

Proven experience of organizational design and re-structuring of emergency response programs.

Able to work effectively in a highly stressed and potentially physically challenging emergency response set up in early and later stages of responses

Demonstrated experience with emergency or critical incident response in the humanitarian and international development sector, including familiarity with Sphere and Core Humanitarian standards.

Experience of and comfortable with complex reporting and collaborative relationships, including matrix / dual management. Comfort and familiarity supporting and advising teams operating in complex and rapidly evolving humanitarian contexts.

Familiarity with humanitarian program start up activities, particularly related to the range of People-related activities.

Proven ability to work productively with a wide variety of stakeholders to run participatory processes and meet tight deadlines to deliver results.

Ability to lead teams, influence, handle negotiations and make fast and effective decisions and plans in emergency contexts.

Exceptional written and interpersonal communication skills.

Ability to establish personal credibility quickly with a diverse range of stakeholders and in multi-cultural contexts and teams.

Willing and able to deploy internationally at short notice for assignments.

Availability to work non-standard hours as needed, especially when supporting an active emergency or critical incident response.

Able to read, write and speak English proficiently is necessary. Fluency in additional languages including French, Arabic, Spanish and/or Russian language skills is preferred.

Success Factors

Successful provides meaningful, time-sensitive and impactful People-related advice and direction supporting an agency humanitarian emergency response. Solution oriented and able to navigate diverse teams. Strong skills to adapt to various contexts, cultures, teams. Be able to ensure work life balance independently. They are comfortable navigating complex and ambiguous situations and are willing to adapt within a changing context. They can triage problems and recommend solutions to support the strategic aims of the emergency response. They are confident in their ability to independently identify needed actions and are proactive in resolving them. Finally, they are eager learners and are willing to engage in the individual and collective reflection needed to constantly improve.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This role can be based at an established Mercy Corps office location in the US, Europe (Edinburgh, London or The Hague), Africa or the Middle East. The individual must have the independent right to live and work in their base location (ie., not require visa sponsorship). This role requires up to 65% of time spent on assignment, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. Base location requires ability to deploy within 72 hours, dependent on visa, and connectivity to enable remote work from home.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. By applying for this role an applicant confirms that they have not previously violated an employer’s sexual misconduct, sexual exploitation and abuse, child safeguarding or trafficking policy. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis. 

As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline (integrityhotline@mercycorps.org).  

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