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About Mercy Corps 

 

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have a long-term impact. 

 

Program Summary 

 

Mercy Corps has been responding in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war in February 2022. The team is providing emergency cash assistance to refugees in neighboring countries and people displaced inside Ukraine so they can meet their basic survival needs. We also fund local organizations that know their community best and are working quickly to address their most urgent needs. 

 

General Position Summary 

 

The Director of HR will be critical in the coordination of the multi-national response and support the settling of long-term operations, including staffing, people operations, and local labor law navigation. The Director of HR will ultimately support the team members’ employment lifecycle. This includes the following key functions: recruitment, onboarding, policy adjustments, compensation and performance, safeguarding, culture of care, and off-boarding. For this role, it is particularly important to understand the Culture of Care/Wellbeing, Safeguarding, and local context/regulatory requirements with emphasis on diverse talent and inclusive team environment (GDI-related policies). HRD will be supporting rapid change, with a focus on supporting organizational structure shifts – Change Management Capabilities. Drives impact by building high-performing teams, with emphasis on being a positive role model as an individual and within teams and mobilizing people and processes to achieve rapid change. Broadens influence by role-modeling and leveraging networks promotes a culture of feedback and can advocate and influence key HR issues at the country level internally and externally with partners, government, and other INGOs. Nurtures innovation across the team; makes data-driven decisions and can communicate across the team. 

 

Essential Job Responsibilities 

 

STRATEGIC OVERSIGHT 

 

● Develop and implement a multi-national People Strategy for Mercy Corps’ Ukraine response and liaise with HQ, regional, and country offices to support and contribute to global/regional People/HR strategy. 

● Establish an annual HR work plan, set priorities, monitor work progress, and ensure results are achieved according to schedule and set standards. 

● Support and contribute to the development and implementation of Mercy Corps Ukraine’s regional strategy. 

● Provide strategic leadership and oversight of all MC Ukraine Response HR processes. 

● Oversee the interpretation and application of labor laws, human resources systems, practices, and procedures as well as complementary procedures that reflect the multi-national needs of programming as required. 

● Ensure that the National Employee Handbook is set up in each country where Mercy Corps supports the Ukraine Response and is in line with the Labor Law and that clarity is provided accordingly. 

● Remain informed, on an ongoing basis, about current and changing HR-related laws, policies, and “best practices” to ensure that current and future staff policies, employment practices, and compensation packages are within the limits of established standards. 

● Keep up to date on international mobility opportunities, supporting the deployment if international team members across the response countries. 

● Advise departments on organizational structure challenges and improvements. 

 

CULTURE 

 

● Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence and continued learning. 

● Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews. 

 

TALENT ACQUISITION AND ONBOARDING 

 

● Help design optimal program and shared services staffing plans to deliver programs and strategy effectively. 

● Support the HR team to develop and implement a country-level recruitment strategy that is inclusive of gender and diversity, etc. This includes setting clear performance indicators and regularly monitoring progress. 

● Ensure recruiting and hiring practices are following government regulations and organizational policies. 

● Ensure all hiring requests are completed according to Recruitment Policies and Procedures. 

● Ensure that the exit process for staff departing Mercy Corps is conducted in line with the HR policies and Mercy Corps requirements. 

● Ensure strategic reviews of the organizational charts and structure for all positions across all programs and departments are conducted regularly, covered within budgets, and shared with the team 

● Oversee the implementation of consistent systems in the orientation and induction of new national and international staff. 

 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS 

 

● Oversee structure and implementation of compensation policies and procedures in the region, in line with Global Compensation Philosophy 

● Ensure all country staff are covered by all relevant insurance 

● Benchmark and review the salary scale and benefits packages against the market to ensure competitiveness within the job market. 

● Conduct job evaluations on new and existing positions and manage country-wide job audits to ensure equity and competitiveness within the job market. 

● Provide required support during assigned expatriate recruitment activities. 

 

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND MANAGEMENT  

 

● Using available HR data work with the team to deploy annual employee surveys to promote employee engagement within our offices. 

● Ensure effective implementation of MC Ukraine Response performance management system. 

● Support management’s goal of continuous capacity development of national team members through the provision of internal and external training. 

● Coordinate with the HR team during internal compliance activities including routine audits, investigations, and disciplinary meetings. 

● Alongside our legal counsel, support the management of all human resource-related legal issues in compliance with labor law. 

● Proactively update senior management on any issues and grievances and ensure efficient and transparent solutions that protect both Mercy Corps Team members and the organization’s interests following policies, regulations, and procedures. 

● Promote the Mercy Corps goals and targets in support of global initiatives. 

 

TEAM MANAGEMENT 

 

● Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles, and assist with career development. 

● Promote accountability, communicate expectations provide constructive feedback, and assist team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance and reach objectives. 

● Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence. 

● Hire, orient, and lead team members as necessary. 

 

SECURITY 

 

● Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.  

● Regulate National Employee Handbooks in line with the latest Labor Law updates and clarify as necessary with team members. 

● Monitor HR-related laws, policies, and “best practices” to ensure that personnel policies, employment practices, and compensation packages are within the limits of established guidelines, procedures, and policies of Mercy Corps and national laws. 

 

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT 

 

● Provide HR support to leadership as needed. 

● Spearhead incoming requests from HQ related to national or expatriate staff. 

 

LEGAL 

 

● Guide labor law regulations and support for country registration in close coordination with the in-country legal team. 

● Understands employment law (clarifies employment categories, compensation, and benefits in a dynamic context, and obtains local legal counsel) 

 

OTHER TASKS 

• Any other related tasks to be assigned by the supervisor. 

 

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY 

HR Manager Ukraine, Wellbeing Liaison Officers, and HR teams in neighboring countries 

 

ACCOUNTABILITY 

Reports Directly To: Ukraine Country Director 

Works Directly with Deputy Country Director, Country teams, RDBP for Middle East/Europe, Relevant departments at HQ, and Global People Teams 

 

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE 

● 10 years+ of HR experience (this includes conducting salary scale review and benefits package review) required 

● Understanding and experience navigating multiple regulatory sources (labor laws, donor requirements, etc) and developing HR policies and procedures that ensure compliance with each. 

● Demonstrated understanding of complex emergencies, related security concerns, and appropriate responses with experience in insecure environments. 

● Demonstrated attention to detail, following procedures, meeting deadlines, and working and problem-solving independently and cooperatively. 

● Knowledge of donor regulations including USAID, EC, DFID regulations is an added advantage. 

● Excellent negotiation and representation skills. 

● Effective verbal and written communication, organizational, prioritization, and Microsoft Office applications. 

● Demonstrated experience in promoting and leading organizational learning, culture, and well-being. 

● Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment. 

● Demonstrated understanding of complex emergencies, related security concerns, and appropriate responses to such emergencies. 

● BA/BS or equivalent in HR; MA/S in HR is preferred. 

● Excellent oral and written English skills required. 

● Proficiency with MS Office software required (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).