Human Resources Director

Jhpiego is an international, non-profit health organization affiliated with The Johns Hopkins University. For more than 50 years and in over 155 countries, Jhpiego has worked to prevent the needless deaths of women and their families. Jhpiego provides technical support to Ministries of Health across the globe in areas including HIV/AIDS, maternal and newborn health, family planning, health workforce development, cervical cancer prevention, malaria, and IPC/WASH. In Eswatini, Jhpiego is implementing the Reaching Impact Saturation and Epidemic Control (RISE) project. RISE is a multi-country project funded by the U.S. Government to save lives and improve health through integrated, evidence-based approaches to address urgent gaps in lifesaving services. RISE works across all levels of the health system to strengthen the HIV/TB epidemic response, to limit the spread of deadly disease outbreaks through Global Health Security (GHS) programming, and to reduce preventable morbidity and mortality through integrated maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH), nutrition, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria services. Since 2019, RISE has supported programs in more than 25 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.  

The HR Director is the most senior Human Resources leader within the RISE Eswatini Country Office, reporting to the Country Director. This role leads and directs all HR operations for the country office. The HR Director serves as the strategic business partner to the Country Director and Senior Management Team (SMT), providing guidance on all people management matters.

The HR Director has two direct reports: the HR Manager and the Senior HR Officer. The HR Manager in turn oversees Admin Assistants and HR Assistants. Together this team is responsible for all HR functions including large-scale recruitment, compensation and benefits, employee relations, organisational development, change management, and compliance. This is a senior leadership role requiring deep expertise, sound judgement, and the ability to lead HR through a period of significant organisational growth and change.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategic HR Leadership & Advisory

• Serve as the principal HR advisor to the Country Director and SMT, providing strategic counsel on people management, workforce planning, and organisational effectiveness.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive country HR strategy aligned with Jhpiego's global vision, RISE project objectives, and local labour law requirements.
• Lead HR planning for RISE Eswatini's major expansion phase, workforce planning for project implementation across all four regions of Eswatini.
• Partner with the Regional HR Business Partner (HRBP) and Global HR office to align country HR operations with organisational standards and best practices.
• Identify organisational risks related to HR and people management and proactively advise the CD on mitigation strategies.
• Champion a culture of respect, inclusion, and zero tolerance for sexual harassment across all levels of the organisation.

2. Leadership & Team Management

• Directly supervise and develop the HR Manager and Senior HR Officer, providing ongoing mentorship, coaching, and performance management support.
• Oversee the HR Manager's management of their own team (Admin Assistants and HR Assistants), ensuring clear delegation, accountability, and quality of work at all levels.
• Lead and develop the full HR team, setting clear performance expectations and building staff capacity to meet organisational standards.
• Establish HR best practices across the team, SMT, and line managers, ensuring consistent application of policies and procedures.
• Oversee the HR team's day-to-day operations, ensuring accountability, quality, and timely delivery across all HR functions.
• Represent the HR function at Senior Management Team level, contributing to organisational decision-making.

3. Large-Scale Recruitment & Talent Acquisition

• Provide senior oversight and strategic direction for end-to-end recruitment across all staff cadres
• Lead the development and implementation of robust, compliant, and streamlined hiring processes appropriate for high-volume recruitment, including drawing on best practices from comparable large-scale mobilisations.
• Ensure all recruitment practices comply with Eswatini labour law, Jhpiego policies, and donor requirements.
• Oversee job posting, screening, interviewing, background/reference checks, and offer processes to ensure quality, speed, and fairness.
• Counsel and coach hiring managers and the HR team on interviewing best practices and safe recruitment standards.
• Lead the benchmarking and grading of new roles to ensure appropriate placement in the salary structure.

4. Compensation, Benefits & Workforce Planning

• Lead compensation strategy and analysis, including salary benchmarking, benefits management, and annual merit review, ensuring RISE Eswatini remains competitive within the NGO sector.
• Oversee administration of all employee benefits, leave, and pension in compliance with Eswatini law and Jhpiego policy.
• Develop and monitor the HR budget, ensuring value for money and appropriate resource allocation.

5. Employee Relations, Onboarding & Organisational Development

• Design and oversee structured onboarding programmes for all incoming staff across all cadres, including orientation packages and probationary period objectives.
• Lead employee relations across the country office, advising supervisors on managing performance, disciplinary matters, grievances, and conflict resolution.
• Consult with the Country Director and SMT on confidential and complex HR and employee relations issues.
• Advise management on disciplinary and grievance procedures; represent Jhpiego in HR-related forums and with external legal counsel as required.
• Lead initiatives to maintain high staff morale, motivation, and engagement, particularly during the expansion and transition period.
• Design and facilitate staff engagement mechanisms in collaboration with the Regional HRBP.

6. Change Management & Organisational Transition

• Lead the development and implementation of a change management framework to support RISE Eswatini's transition and expansion phase.
• Support managers in holding effective conversations with staff regarding role realignments, new reporting structures, and organisational changes.
• Provide guidance to leadership on communicating organisational changes clearly and consistently to all staff cadres.
• Develop and oversee long-term workforce sustainability frameworks, including professional development and staff financial wellness programmes.

7. HR Compliance, Policies & Records Management

Establish, maintain, and continuously review robust HR policies and procedures that comply with Eswatini labour law, Jhpiego global standards, and donor regulations.

• Oversee the management and integrity of all employee records and HR information systems (JEMS, iCIMS), ensuring accuracy, confidentiality, and completeness.
• Lead all HR audits (internal and external), ensuring timely corrective actions and audit finding closure.
• Ensure completeness of personnel files in accordance with Jhpiego, donor, and Eswatini labour law requirements.
• Oversee timely and accurate processing of timesheets, leave records, and all HR documentation.
• Develop employment contract frameworks for all staff cadres, in particular ensuring fixed-term and project-funded roles are clearly articulated; coordinate with legal counsel.
• Compile and report HR metrics (recruitment, retention, attrition, exit interview data) to the Country Director and HQ as required.

8. New Programme Development

• Provide expert HR inputs into new business development opportunities, including the recruitment of executive and key personnel.
• Support the CD and SMT in setting workforce standards for programme expansion and sustainability planning.

• Master's degree in Human Resources Management, Business Administration, Organisational Development, or a related postgraduate qualification. (A relevant Bachelor's degree with exceptional experience may be considered.)
• Active membership in a recognised professional HR body (e.g. CIPD, SHRM, or equivalent) strongly preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive HR experience, with at least 5 years in a senior HR leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience leading HR operations in an international NGO or donor-funded environment, preferably with USG-funded projects.
• Proven experience managing high-volume recruitment and large-scale workforce mobilisation.
• In-depth knowledge of Eswatini labour law, employment regulations, and HR best practices.
• Experience managing and developing HR teams, including direct supervisory responsibility.
• Familiarity with HR information systems (JEMS, iCIMS or equivalent) and advanced proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).

KEY COMPETENCIES & SKILLS

• •  Strategic leadership: Ability to translate organisational goals into effective HR strategies and influence senior leadership on people management decisions.
• Change management: Demonstrated ability to lead organisations through complex transitions, restructuring, and rapid expansion.
• Stakeholder engagement: Exceptional ability to build trust and maintain effective relationships across all organisational levels, including government counterparts, donors, and senior management.
• Judgement and integrity: Proven ability to handle sensitive, confidential matters with the highest level of discretion and ethical standards.
• Communication: Superior written and verbal communication skills; able to present complex HR matters clearly to diverse audiences.
• Problem-solving: Strong analytical capability with the ability to use HR data and metrics to drive sound decisions.
• Team development: Track record of coaching, mentoring, and building the capacity of HR teams.
• Resilience: Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously, maintain composure under pressure, and deliver to deadlines.

This position is based in Mbabane, Eswatini. The role may require occasional travel within Eswatini and regionally. The HR Director is expected to be available and responsive during a period of intensive organisational growth, including workforce mobilisation target by October 1^st, 2026.

Jhpiego offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive employee benefits package.

Please apply at www.jhpiego.org/careers

Applicants must submit a single document for upload to include: cover letter, resume, and references. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis due to the urgency of the appointment

For further information about Jhpiego, visit our website at www.jhpiego.org

Note: The successful candidate selected for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation.

Jhpiego is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

Jhpiego, a Johns Hopkins University affiliate, is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, other legally protected characteristics or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. Jhpiego promotes Affirmative Action for minorities, women, individuals who are disabled, and veterans.

EEO is the Law

RECRUITMENT SCAMS & FRAUD WARNING

Jhpiego has become aware of scams involving false job offers. Please be advised:

• Recruiters will never ask for a fee during any stage of the recruitment process.
• All active jobs are advertised directly on our careers page.
• Official Jhpiego emails will always arrive from a @Jhpiego.org email address.
• Please report any suspicious communications to Info@jhpiego.org

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