People and Culture Business Partner

Location: Globally flexible, fully remote with option to be based from ARK’s offices in countries where candidates have the pre-existing right to work (Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen). Occasional international travel to ARK Offices and project teams.

Reporting to: Chief Operating Officer

Contract type: Permanent/1-year renewable FTC as per local labour laws

Hours: Full time, 40 hours per week

Salary: Salary and employment benefits will be set according to market compensation rates in your location and therefore it is not possible to include full details here. However, as an indication if this role was based in the UK, for example, the range would be £43,000 – £53,000 per annum on a full-time employment contract

Closing date: Thursday 18th July 2024 (early applications are encouraged, as we may amend this closing date once sufficient applications are received)

About ARK

ARK is a social enterprise, empowering local communities through the provision of agile and sustainable interventions to create greater stability, opportunity and hope for the future.

We believe that strong, resilient communities are the foundation of local, national, regional and international development and stability – and ultimately a safer, peaceful and more prosperous world. At ARK, we have delivered research and programmatic interventions validating this approach in over twenty countries since 2008. As a social enterprise we work in partnership with communities, our donors, and other implementers to build local capacities, generate opportunity and bring about sustainable change.

Learn more about our impact here: https://www.ark.international/impact

About The Role

ARK’s HR Department is responsible for the employee lifecycle across the organisation, supporting business strategy and project delivery. We focus on fostering a culture that reflects our organisational values, aiming to build an engaged and motivated workforce that drives success across all of ARK’s international development projects and internal initiatives.

ARK is now expanding, and we’re looking for an experienced People and Culture Business Partner to join the HR team, reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer. In this exciting new role, you’ll oversee employee engagement, performance, learning and development, workforce planning and talent management. As People & Culture Business Partner, you will work closely alongside the Senior Management Team, Project Managers, and the wider HR Team to build strong relationships, understand business priorities, and create an engaged workforce. Your strategic insights will help anticipate and meet our resourcing needs.

What you’ll be doing as People and Culture Business Partner

Workforce Planning and Organisational Design

• Drive a culture of high performance, identifying skills gaps and developmental needs and requirements through review of organisational design and workforce planning.
• Partnering with managers to identify future recruitment needs and skills gaps, to ensure effective staffing of their teams.
• Promoting equity, diversity and inclusivity in how we recruit and develop staff, working closely with HR Team and Talent Acquisition Specialist.
• Lead on organisational design, designing roles and structures to enable better organisational performance
• Maintain a standard bank of role profiles and leadership and competency frameworks to support recruitment and employee development, ensuring behaviours and skills are consistent with organisational culture.

People Development

• Regularly review with COO and Talent Acquisition Specialist organisational strategy for talent acquisition and employee development.
• Lead on training and development, identifying the current and future skills requirements of the organisation, and creating flexible learning interventions (through digital and other means) to meet the diverse needs of the workforce.
• Working closely with different project managers, and departmental leads, to organise and manage training content on the HRIS platform
• Collaborate with HR Operations and Internal Audit on the design of annual compliance training and reporting for audit and donor requirements
• Responsible for the design of the annual performance review process on the HRIS platform in collaboration with HR Operations and Compliance Manager, ensuring employees receive regular feedback and coaching.

Employee Relations and Organisational Culture

• Lead on employee engagement surveys and action plans with relevant teams and departments.
• Build leadership capabilities to ensure line managers are accountable for the well-being and productivity of their teams and provide coaching and support on all ER issues.
• Identify HR trends so that attention can be directed to key issues and resources.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders across the business to achieve high levels of trust, respect and professionalism
• Develop and maintain extensive external network to stay updated on industry and sector best practice, trends and developments

Reward

• Lead on the organisation’s Reward strategy and annual salary review process, liaising with HR Operations and Compliance Manager and COO.
• Provide recommendations on Reward and Benefits in new markets, in collaboration with Talent Acquisition Specialists and HR Operations and Compliance Manager.
• Lead on job evaluation process for new and existing roles.

Requirements

Essential Experience

• Significant HR business partner experience within a multinational and multi-cultural organisation.
• Strong awareness of developments within relevant sector (HR, new practices)
• Track record of building effective relationships with business leadership teams and managing a range of stakeholders in the delivery of high quality and effective professional HR services
• Track record of leading on learning and development and driving a culture of high performance and engagement

Competencies for Success

• People and Talent Development: Ability to identify and plan learning, targeted to specific developmental needs. Encouraging of others to take on new responsibilities to support professional development, giving feedback that is constructive and precise based on facts
• Building and Maintaining Coaching Relationships: Skilled at using earned trust to challenge values, assumptions, and business practices. Ability to create an atmosphere of accountability and ongoing support
• Skilled in actively listening, empathising, and fostering open dialogue, facilitating mutual understanding and collaboration among stakeholders
• Ability to identify, implement, and measure improvements to enhance processes and performance
• Possesses an in-depth understanding of ethical principles and their implications, applying ethical reasoning and judgment effectively in complex and ambiguous situations and acting as a role model for ethical behaviour
• Ability to develop and implement innovative organisational strategies to optimise efficiency and productivity

Desirable

• Experience working on USAID-funded projects
• Experience in Reward and Job Evaluation
• HR qualification (e.g. CIPD or equivalent)
• Learning & Development qualification

Benefits

Why join ARK?

• Comprehensive Benefits: Life and private medical insurance, communications allowance, flexible working
• Impactful Work: Your expertise will directly impact the lives of those in need.
• Global Reach: Collaborate with international experts and local stakeholders.
• Innovation: Engage in pioneering solutions for sustainable change.

Our People

Our team covers a diverse range of professional backgrounds, from diplomacy, humanitarian, development and the military, to the UN, civil society groups, multilateral organisations, journalism and the private sector.

An ARK Person Is:

Smart: We think deeply about things. We’re proud of our institutional knowledge and our grounding in rigorous research, which we use to make informed decisions.

Humble: Our work leaves little room for pride or arrogance. Our operating environment is constantly evolving, and we recognise out limitations. We believe in and rely on the education and experiences of others while remaining quick to read, invite feedback, and ask sensible questions.

Accountable: Each of us want ARK, its partners, and beneficiaries to succeed. This means taking initiative, assuming ownership when necessary and never giving up on our beneficiaries. We are committed and accountable, to both our donors and the communities we serve.

Collegiate: We know we are stronger together and that every contribution counts. We trust each other and always support each other.

Outspoken: We tackle diverse challenges and we always want to find the best solution to a problem. We aren’t afraid to share our opinions and we want to hear those of others too.

ARK Group is an equal opportunity employer. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. ARK Group does not discriminate on the basis of ability, age, gender identity or expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs or sexual orientation. We welcome all kinds of diversity. ARK Group places human dignity at the centre of its development and stabilisation work and is this committed to the protection from sexual exploitation and abuse of children and adults. All ARK Group employees and related personnel are expected to share this commitment and only those who also uphold these values will be recruited as part of our team. This vacancy is therefore subject to a range of due diligence checks.