Deadline: 29 January 2021 (11pm)

Position Location: Southern Africa

Reporting to: Head People & Culture

Contract Type: 3 Year Fixed Term

Organisational profile

Urgent Action Fund-Africa (UAF-Africa) is a feminist, pan-African, Rapid Response Fund committed to transforming power relations through resourcing African feminists and women human rights defenders and their formations as an act of solidarity. Recognising the need to move resources rapidly on a continent where opportunities and threats arise and decline quickly, UAF-Africa uses a Rapid Response Grantmaking mechanism to support unanticipated, time-sensitive, innovative, and unique initiatives that promote women's agency in peace and political participation, social and economic power building as well as natural resources governance and stewardship. The Fund works to support African Women Human Rights Defenders (AWHRDs), particularly in the feminist and women’s rights movements, in their actions, which enable them to support and sustain themselves, each other, and their work before, during, and after urgent situations.

UAF-Africa mobilises resources from a broad base of international and increasingly local funders committed to protecting and advancing women’s rights and feminist agendas in Africa. Our primary purpose is to provide funding to AWHRDs and their groups, organisations, and movements to help them prepare for and navigate urgent situations with appropriate actions. This puts them in the position to support and sustain themselves, each other, and their work during and after the urgent circumstances they find themselves.

UAF-Africa is registered in Kenya and Zimbabwe. Operating as a virtual organisation, the Fund boasts of strategic physical presence in East Africa: Nairobi, Kenya, and Kampala, Uganda; North Africa: Cairo, Egypt; Central Africa: Bujumbura, Burundi and Yaounde, Cameroon; Southern Africa: Harare, Zimbabwe; Antananarivo, Madagascar, and West Africa: Abuja, Nigeria, Cotonou, Benin and Dakar, Senegal.

Position Overview

The People & Culture Assistant will perform a range of HR tasks to support accurate formulation, analysis, and implementation of UAF-Africa’s policies and procedures and facilitate the effective functioning of a people-focused, culture-oriented, and strategy-driven HR service within UAF-Africa. Working on the African continent to support the mandate of the Fund, the People & Culture Assistant position will be based in the successful candidates’ Southern African country of residence. The candidate reports directly to the Head of People & Culture.

Specific Responsibilities

HR Administration: Effectively extract, input, compile and arrange personal data from different sources in the human resource database; Review supporting documentation for processing various actions; Maintain accurate attendance registers, leave reports, and other related HR forms and reports; Drafting of detailed Terms of Reference for inclusion within the body of all employment contracts; Answer various enquires and supply readily available information from office files, databases, working closely with other organisational portfolios as appropriate; Draft routine correspondence and initiate process for the preparation of all staff support documentation (visas, identification, bank accounts, etc); Assist supervisor in auditing the contractual status of all employees on various appointments; Ensure the timely preparation and issuance of contract renewals and annual personnel action forms; Ensure that physical and online personnel files for all staff are maintained and all documentation is complete; Update confidential personnel information and documents, and ensure relevant documents are kept in their respective files; Assist in drafting administrative reports; routine correspondence; arrange for briefings and debriefings and take notes at meetings; Keep abreast of UAF-Africa issued human resource manuals, rules, regulations, guidelines, and circulars to enable effective, accurate and consistent administration of same.

Benefits and Entitlements Administration: Ensure that staff salaries, payslips, leave policy, entitlements, health insurance, pension benefits, travel claims, and allowances are administered accurately and consistently with appropriate record-keeping and reporting to the Head People & Culture; Working closely with Finance, verify benefits and other human resources related claims for accuracy and conformance with HR rules and regulations.

Staff Training & Development: Assist supervisor to administer the annual 360 Degree Performance Management tool throughout the Fund; Search for, retrieve, compile, assemble and archive statistical data from computer files, records, reports, or from other sources for internal & external use where need be; Collect and maintain information on various training schedules and institutions (course schedules, curricula, and cost) both regionally and internationally to support staff development; Assist supervisor plan for and coordinate internal staff trainings i.e. induction, orientation, policy and procedures refresher sessions, and any other HR-related trainings; Maintain a current database of expert consultants in various fields for consultancies where the need arises.

Qualifications

Degree in Human Resources Management, Social Sciences, or other relevant qualifications.

HR Profession Knowledge

Knowledge of general HR administrative work practices and methods gained through relevant technical training and experience; Good communication skills and a basic understanding of HR principles and their application in order to respond to and resolve general HR queries; Ability to develop and maintain relationships with a wide range of individuals in order to provide a high-quality support service; Ability to monitor and record personnel files and documentation in an organised manner and in line with compliance standards.

Skills and Experience

Minimum of 3 years’ relevant work experience working in or with organizations in Africa, preferably women's rights or social justice-oriented organisations; With initiative and good judgement produces organized, accurate and well detailed records and well analysed data; Addresses unforeseen situations seeking advice and direction from supervisor, as required; Ability to review a variety of data, identify and adjust data discrepancies; Identify and resolve day to day HR operational problems with substantial independence and offer efficient alternatives of working; Ability to acquire or give factual information of a non-routine nature involving interpretation of facts and requiring clarity of expression; Ability to perform detailed work, frequently of a confidential nature and/or to handle a large volume of work systematically, optimally and accurately; Ability to train, orient other staff regarding relevant HR processes and policies; Ability to work and contribute on a team and coordinate assignments to achieve common goals; Excellent written and verbal communications in English. French, Portuguese, Kiswahili, and Arabic a plus; Some knowledge and understanding of women's human rights issues in Africa; Passionate about UAF-Africa’s mission, committed to teamwork, and achieving results; including a commitment to trust-based transformative grantmaking, community-led development, and grassroots movement building; Experience working in a virtual set up with seamless task coordination, managing multiple deadlines; Strong analytical, presentation, planning and organisational skills; Self-starter and proactive, with an ability to make decisions under conditions of uncertainty; Proven experience working effectively in a cross-cultural team; Flexible and willing to perform other tasks as assigned, in a fast-paced, team-oriented work environment; UAF-Africa is a part of a global UAF-Sisterhood network and staff are expected to occasionally work collaboratively with UAF-Sister Funds.

Work Environment

This is a regional position that involves some national, regional, and international travel. UAF-Africa is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate in its hiring practices. In order to build the strongest possible workforce, UAF-Africa actively seeks a diverse applicant pool. The Fund is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. The position can be based in Southern Africa.