Senior Manager - People and Culture
(Kathmandu, Nepal)

Guided by the remarkable legacy of its co-founder, Helen Keller, Helen Keller Intl partners with communities striving to overcome long standing cycles of poverty.  By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition and clear vision, we help millions of people create lasting change in their own lives.  Working in 20 countries – across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States – and together with a global community of supporters, we are ensuring every person has the opportunity – as Helen did – to reach their true potential.

Background  

USAID Integrated Nutrition’s primary goal is to improve the nutrition status of women, adolescents, and children in Nepal’s underserved and marginalized communities. The activity will tackle direct and underlying determinants of malnutrition in Nepal while strengthening the national and local enabling environment to implement multisectoral nutrition programs through four synergistic intermediate results. Achievement of the purpose will be measured by improvements in indicators of nutrition status among women of reproductive age, adolescents, and children. This anticipated five-year position is contingent on Helen Keller being awarded funding.

Position Overview

The Senior Manager, People and Culture will lead Helen Keller Nepal’s People and Culture Department in line with the organization’s principles, and strategic goals. This position will provide strategic leadership for recruitment, hiring and retention strategies for country office and its project offices across remote and diverse geographies, and be responsible for streamlining competitive, equitable, and localized recruitment processes, working closely with the Gender and Inclusive Development Advisor, USAID Integrated Nutrition. This position will also be responsible for identifying capacity building needs of the country office and local partner organizations, developing strategies and plans for its implementation; in addition to establishing confidential grievance and safeguarding systems. 

The Sr. Manager, People and Culture is responsible for ensuring Helen Keller Intl’s best practices are upheld, including adherence to the code of conduct, policies and procedures, and financial accountability.

Functional Relationships

Helen Keller has a matrixed reporting structure. Regular communication and a spirit of teamwork among colleagues, both hierarchically and laterally, are essential to make this structure thrive.

Reporting to the Deputy Chief of Party, Finance and Operation, USAID Integrated Nutrition and the Director of Finance, Helen Keller Nepal, this position will be part of the Country Management Team (CMT) and will supervise a team of professional level staff to provide quality human resource management services at Helen Keller.

This position serves as a national focal person to employee safeguarding, investigation, and capacity building. S/he works with regional/global audit (internal/external)/ HR in terms of safeguarding, Code of conduct, and anti-harassment case management. In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, this position will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.
Direct Line Supervision: Deputy Chief of Party-Finance and Operations
Inter-Line Supervision: Director of Finance and Operations, Helen Keller Nepal
Collaboration with: 

• Internal:  All Staffs
• External: HQ, APRO

Specific Responsibilities 

Overall Management and Leadership  

• As a member of the CMT:
  ➤Participate in strategic planning and direction setting for the country office and its project portfolio, lending unique perspectives and expertise to the process;
  ➤Provide regular updates on the People and Culture portfolio and learning. Make recommendations based on analysis of progress to date and challenges encountered;
  ➤Participate in an intentional approach to making decisions and adjustments in response to new information and changes in context.
• Provide HR leadership, advice, and solutions in analyzing people issues and challenges across the organization.
• Lead the People and Culture team to manage a robust and well-functioning human resource system that meets country office, project, and donor needs. 
• Ensure a productive and positive working environment. Introduce technologies to strengthen HR systems and ensure the use of all systems.
• Represent the organization at task force meetings, assessment missions, coordination meetings, INGO coordination meetings as required.
• Contribute to the creation of a positive image and overall credibility of the organization, notably through the application of the organization's Code of Conduct, ethics, values, and standpoint concerning internal and external actors. 
• Undertake reviews and analysis of the country office staffing and salary structures, and policies and procedures. Ensure any missing policies, procedures, plans and organizational requirements are developed and/or existing improved, regularly updated, rolled out and employees are oriented accordingly. 
• Prepare, manage, and monitor the People and Culture department's budget outlining projected costs for staffing, training, benefits, and other HR-related expenses. Ensure effective allocation of resources for staffing, training, benefits, compliance, and overall human resource operations.
• Investigate issues related to safeguarding, workplace harassment, sexual harassment, staff grievance, and any other policy and code of conduct breaches. Update line managers on all critical cases and ensure documentation. Take appropriate management action based on the investigation.
• Represent the organization at personnel-related hearings and investigations on harassment, child abuse, and safeguarding.
• Coordinate with outside suppliers to provide employee services, such as temporary employees, search firms, or relocation services as necessary.

Recruitment and Retention

• Provide leadership and oversight for the development and review of human resource policies and retention of employees, career ladders, staff professional growth, and skills development are well designed and planned for in compliance with Country Office policies and procedures. 
• Ensure equitable hiring processes and the adoption of affirmative actions in alignment with diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility principles.
• Work with CMT, program leads and technical staff to attract, recruit and retain talented people. Counsel and provide support to hiring managers in the recruitment process.
• Develop a plan and conduct regular orientation/Helen Keller 
• Oversee the timely and effective delivery of annual employee performance exercises. Conduct capacity assessment of Helen Keller country office staff in line with performance evaluation and develop performance improvement action plan for capacity development.
• Coordinate and support project offices in enhancing coordination, sharing, and program implementation.
• Adopt and institutionalize creative staff motivation, team building and retention strategies; specifically for staff located in remote areas.

Capacity Building 

• Work with the CMT to identify training needs and development opportunities for all staff of country programs and develop an annual training calendar and action plan. Provide guidance and support to the People and Culture team to develop a staff capacity development plan, its roll it out, and documentation.
• Develop and implement a staff support plan particularly for province and field-based staff and ensure all Managers in the field are regularly oriented and updated on their management and supervision responsibilities. 
• Provide human resources support to local partner organizations e.g., capacity assessment, review, and development of human resource and other relevant policies and procedures. Conduct orientation and refresher training when needed.
• Build capacity of the HR team to ensure quality management of all HR-related aspects and functions.
• Accountable for upholding the Employee Development Plan, essential standard and organizational policies and ensure Helen Keller’s compliance to the national labor policies.

Qualifications and Competencies:

• Education: Master's degree in human resource management; Business Administration or related field.
• Experience: 8 years of professional management experience in human resource development and management. Minimum 5 years of experience managing large scale development programs and integrating diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility principles.
• Demonstrated track record of:
  ➤Effectively managing human resource operations, including successful recruitment and retention strategies for large scale development programs.
  ➤Developing and implementing human resource policies, managing employee relations, ensuring compliance with labor laws.
  ➤Overseeing training and development programs and maintaining budgetary control.
  ➤Flexibility and adaptability to differing donor needs and compliance requirements.
  ➤Critical thinking and problem solving; change management; organizational development and planning; policy development; capacity building and training; organizational and staff development focus; performance evaluation and monitoring; interpersonal communication, negotiation skills, and team building; leadership; target focused; ability to respond to and manage grievances and conflict.
• Excellent time management, personal organization, capacity building, team building, management, and coordination skills. An ability to delegate responsibilities effectively and coach and mentor staff.
• Excellent coordination and communication skills with a diverse range of stakeholders including partner non-governmental organization. and other collaborators. 
• Excellent English language skills, both in written and spoken forms, complemented by strong communication and negotiation abilities.
• Fluency in Nepali. 
• Highly computer literate with proficiency with software relevant to the job duties.
• Well-established and practiced organizational and planning skills.
• Demonstrable respect for all persons regardless of religion, ethnicity, class, or gender, with a high comfort level working in a diverse environment with a demonstrated commitment to high professional ethical standards.