View Vacancy – Regional HR Advisor (23/24 PTA)

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow.

Job Category

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Operations and Corporate Services)

Job Subcategory

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

Main purpose of job:

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has a Regional Finance, Human Resources, and Procurement Hub based in Pretoria overseeing corporate services for all High Commissions, British Embassies and Consulates (also referred to as Posts/Missions) across the Africa region.

The Regional HR Hub is an integral part of the global HR team supporting staff working in the overseas network for the UK Government. The role of Regional HR Hub is to be a strategic partner for Posts and deliver country-based staff (CBS) HR services in the areas of recruitment, pay and reward, HR advisory.

The role of the Regional HR Advisor is to support HR policy and operations for CBS working in Posts/Missions and other offices in the region. The role is responsible for providing HR advisory services through exercising initiative in the processing and analysis of relevant information (ie CBS policy, terms and conditions, local employment legislation); applying sensible judgement and discretion in the application of policies, procedures and regulations; and ensuring HR policies and processes are applied through a consistent, locally appropriate and globally aligned approach. The Regional HR Advisor is a member of the HR Hub team and is expected to demonstrate strong teamwork as well as the FCDO and BHC Pretoria values.

Roles and responsibilities:

Act as HR Hub lead for allocated Missions/Posts in the region on all HR advisory related tasks.
Engage with a wide network of internal and external contacts to understand and keep up to date with workforce regulations, HR policy compliance and related issues across the region.
Liaise with colleagues and legal advisers in diplomatic missions to ensure CBS Handbooks (ie terms and conditions), policies and procedures are consistent with local employment law and practices.
Liaise with CBS Policy leads, HR Direct UK and other HR Hubs on CBS HR related matters to ensure consistency and best practice is constantly applied. Support where required on HR projects and actively contribute in providing feedback on the development of new/amended CBS HR policies.
Advise and share best practices to Posts on CBS Handbook reviews, disciplinary matters, Bullying Harassment and Discrimination (BHD), managing poor performance, grievances, and other HR practices.
Manage complex CBS HR casework by providing expert advice to Post management, guiding decision-making, and supporting on policy, procedural and local employment compliance.
Manage CBS HR Advisory database in the HR Hub for country and network and ensure accurate collation and continuous updates of information and quality checks.
Support the CBS HR enquiries function including monthly reporting and analysis of key trends/issues to ensure high standards of customer service and in alignment with the regionalisation model and defined SLAs.
Support on activities related to Hera CBS HR/HR Hub Management (ie FCDO HR and Finance management system). Liaise with the Hera team on updates and improvement areas for Hera administration in the HR Hubs.
Manage delivery of regional CBS HR processes (exit interviews, probation, fixed term processes) in alignment with FCDO guidance and policies.
Support and monitor appraisal/review cycles with Line Managers and Senior Management at Posts
Consult with various levels of Post Management on strategic and proactive implementation of various CBS HR programmes to ensure compliance with ongoing initiatives such as Global People Principles, Good Line Manager Campaign, and upcoming changes in local employment legislation.
Support the HR Hub in providing updates for the HR SharePoint – recent activity, performance management communication, etc.
Support in the development and delivery of appropriate communications to support the delivery of CBS HR services in the region.
Contribute to, drive and manage operational CBS HR projects under the guidance of HR Hub Senior Management.
Support in the preparation of business cases and provide data/supporting evidence for recommended decisions.
Highlight and manage operational bottlenecks in the delivery for CBS HR services in the region.
Implement decisions taken at a senior level and adjust services provided for CBS HR operations accordingly.
Support and guide Posts on restructuring and/or organizational change in keeping with relevant CBS policies.
As appropriate, line manage the Regional HR Officer(s).
Deputise during absence of the Deputy Head of HR Hub.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

Possibility of line managing the Regional HR Officer(s).

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

Qualification in HR, Industrial Psychology or a HR-related field
At least 5 years in a HR generalist/advisory role, including working with local employment legislation
Strong proficiency in spoken and written English
Strong verbal, written, interpersonal and organisational skills
Strong proficiency in IT skills, including Microsoft Office Suite, SharePoint ability, HRMS

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

Further HR qualification (OD, IR etc) would be beneficial
HR experience across Africa
Experience in a shared services environment will be an advantage
French or Portuguese would be an advantage

Required behaviours

Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together

Application deadline

24 May 2024

Grade

Executive Officer (EO)

Type of Position

Full-time

Working hours per week

40 hours

Region

Africa

Country/Territory

South Africa

Location (City)

Pretoria

Type of Post

British High Commission

Number of vacancies

Salary

R 417,444.61 per annum

Start Date

1 July 2024

Other benefits and conditions of employment

Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):

Induction and mandatory organisational and e-learning (as per terms and conditions)
In-the-job learning, coaching and developing transferable skills via in house courses
As identified through the Development Plan of the FCDO Performance Management process

Working patterns:

Monday to Friday (Friday practice is half day)
Flexible working hours based on policy and operational guidelines/approvals
Work From Home (WFH) – up to 40% and subject to central policy

Benefits:

The British High Commission, Pretoria provides:
The Key Care Plus option on Discovery Health for staff including spouses/partners and dependants.
The British High Commission will make a 9% employer contribution of annual salary in addition to 7.5% employee contribution upon successful completion of probation.
Annual leave entitlement of 25 days per year
Funeral and risk cover

Additional information

Please complete the application form in full as the information provided is used during screening.
Please check your application carefully before you submit, as no changes can be made once submitted.
The British High Commission will never request any payment or fees to apply for a position.
Employees recruited locally by the British High Commission in Pretoria are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in South Africa.
All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit.
It is the responsibility of the successful candidate to:
Obtain the relevant work permit
Pay fees for the work permit
Make arrangements to relocate
Pay for the costs to relocate
The British High Commission does not sponsor visas/work permits except where it may be local practice to do so.
Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.
Information about the Civil Service Success Profiles can be found on this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles. Please note the following job grades: AA=A1, AO=A2, EO=B3, HEO=C4, SEO=C5, G7=D6
Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted on successful candidates.
Appointable candidates who were not selected may be placed on a ‘reserve list’ if they consent. If during the reserve period of 12 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to a candidate on the reserve list.

Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.

To apply please copy and paste this link: https://fco.tal.net/vx/appcentre-ext/candidate/jobboard/vacancy/1/adv/
To help us track our recruitment effort, please specify on the application form/indicate in your cover letter where (globalvacancies.org) you saw this job posting.

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