HR Business Partner/ (Senior HR Business Partner) - International Projects

Job Description

DAI Global UK Ltd is seeking looking to recruit an experienced HR Business Partner - International Projects to join our busy and expanding Human Resources Team. The position will be full-time, permanent role. The role will be based from our spacious, bespoke offices in Apsley, Hemel Hempstead, adjacent to fast rail links to London and southeast England, with scope to work remotely as necessary.

Reporting to the Director of HR for UK & Europe, you will be responsible for providing an array of consultative HR services for our Corporate and International Project teams.

Scope of work includes:

1. Providing advice and counsel during bid/proposal process, project start-up and project close-down
2. Serving as point of contact for assigned projects on employee relations matters during the project life cycle
3. Developing and communicating HR tools and information on in-country HR topics
4. Working on project talent management and talent mobility initiatives
5. Delivering a variety of duty of care services. Responsibilities also include periodic travel to project site locations, and related duties, as assigned.

Key Tasks, Duties and Responsibilities:

The incumbent provides advice and counsel in a business partner design to leaders and managers of UK and Europe business-driven international development projects. Scope of expertise includes providing guidance on best practices in HR management in compliance with FCDO or other HMG government regulations for contractors as well as compliance with in-country labour, employment and benefits laws.

Project Life Cycle

• Work closely with DAI Project Managers/Directors and in-country project HR teams to ensure that global policies and handbooks are interpreted and implemented fairly, in line with country legislation.
• Keep abreast of key country employment legislation/trends and collaborate with local project HR teams to develop policies and procedures where there are none or are not fit for purpose. Communicate new policies/changes to Project Managers/Directors to ensure they have a good understanding.
• Work with Project Managers/Director to anticipate, manage and administer fixed term project contracts – expiring, renewing and filing, as appropriate.
• Customise employment agreements for senior key staff, develop employment agreement templates for use by project teams in hiring and on-boarding in-country local nationals.
• Conduct benefits reviews across the projects and recommend updates on benefits to ensure competitiveness in local talent markets.
• Point of contact for IR35 related matters including the creation of clear, easy to follow guidelines and decision trees and internal policies, to providing training and guidance to staff, as required.
• Respond to reference requests from current and ex-project staff/consultants, as requested.

Project Employee Relations

• Work closely with Project Managers/Directors to advise and help resolve employee relations issues for project staff and provide supporting document templates and process guidance to ensure issues are dealt with appropriately and promptly and recorded in line with HR best practice.
• Work closely with DAI Project Managers/Directors and in-country project HR teams to ensure that best practice performance management processes and documentation is followed, and mandatory training is taken by all project staff e.g., annual Anti-Harassment, Ethics and Safeguarding training.
• HR point of contact for Projects for any Ethics or Safeguarding issues.

Project Talent

• Field travel to country offices to ensure HR compliance when/where needed.
• Co-ordinate DAI’s response to immigration requirements and ensure this is highlighted when considering inter-company working and General Visa applications, research requests, respond to enquiries, issue letters etc…

Project Metrics

• Management of accurate project headcount metrics both for internal DAI Global UK requirements and as required by DAI Global head office, eg quarterly board report.

Duty of Care

• Work with Global Security/Global Workforce Co-ordination Team and assist the global crisis management team when needed.
• Provide awareness of DAI’s Employee Assistance Programme to project offices.

Core HR Team

• Support and deliver ad hoc HR projects as specified by the Director of Human Resources.
• Collaborate with the HR team and update them regularly on any areas of mutual interest.

Knowledge, Experience and Attributes:

Minimum qualifications:

• CIPD qualified or degree/equivalent in an International Business/HR related field.
• Demonstrated business partner experience, preferably in the International Development Sector.
• Ability to communicate and work effectively in a results-oriented environment with a strong customer service and consultative orientation.
• Act as an expert advisor on professional and technical HR issues and to adapt that knowledge to a variety of situations.
• Commitment to quality and accuracy with strong IT skills including Microsoft Office, HR Databases (ideally Oracle) and good spreadsheet skills.

Desirable:

• Experience living and working outside of the United Kingdom is helpful.
• Foreign language(s) skills helpful.
• Understanding of rules and regulations applicable to FCDO (former DFID) and EU government contractors that implement foreign assistance projects.
• Understanding of expatriate and local national workplace.

Personal Attributes

• Self-motivated, goal-oriented with a sense of urgency and the ability to support the opportunity to grow.
• Take the initiative to develop an understanding of a complex business model and processes and to create and apply the appropriate HR solutions.
• High integrity.
• Excellent professional presence, communication and interpersonal skills; highly autonomous and self-directed.
• Strong customer service orientation that reflects a sense of commitment to driving results.
• Non-political, handles highly confidential information, and willing to challenge leadership and conventional thinking.
• Intelligent, resourceful, diplomatic and tactful.
• Excellent consulting, diagnostic and proactive problem-solving skills.

The salary offered will be commensurate with relevant experience. DAI offers a generous benefits package and there are several day-to-day perks of working at DAI that help keep us happy and motivated! Closing date for applications is 15th March 2021 and interviews will be held progressively.

Candidates must be eligible to live and work in the United Kingdom. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin. This job description details the key elements of the role and is not an exhaustive list of duties. Job roles evolve over time and job-holders may be required to complete additional tasks in line with business needs.

You will be pleased to know that we strive to uphold the highest ethical standards and that we are working with our clients to reduce the opportunity for people who are known to have breached ethical standards to work in our field.  Any staff and/or consultant contract with DAI, therefore, will be subject to satisfactory reference checking and vetting.

If this role sounds interesting and you would like to be part of DAI’s growing business, bidding for and managing donor-funded projects round the world, we look forward to hearing from you.

About the Organization

DAI is an international development company with corporate offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Nigeria, and project operations worldwide. We tackle fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability. Named one of the world’s top 40 international development innovators, DAI has delivered transformational development results in more than 150 countries for clients including development agencies, international lending institutions, private corporations and philanthropies, and national governments.