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Global People Specialist

The Global People Specialist plays a key supporting role in WITNESS’ employee lifecycle and experience for its globally distributed team in line with WITNESS’ mission.

They will assist with developing the policies and practices to support the WITNESS employee experience across many different countries all around the globe. This requires balancing the need for an overarching, equitable employee experience with the complexities of local culture, expectations and employment regulations. 

The role will coordinate processes and systems that support a Human Resources operations infrastructure for a global remote team. It will also support the design and implementation of policies, processes and practices that foster a collaborative, productive and sustainable work culture so WITNESS employees are engaged and able to deliver on the organisation’s vision and goals.

 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Manage the employee lifecycle, management of systems and employee data, recruitment support and other activities.

• Executes the delivery of global payroll and benefits administration for over 10 countries
• Executes the management of employment related data, documentation, and HR systems
• Executes the development and application of Recruitment and Onboarding practices

 

Support the delivery of WITNESS’ employee experience and support in conjunction with the Senior Global People Partner.

• Act as front line of general staff queries or issues, including resolving sensitive HR issues and managing conflict resolution 
• Coordinate team engagement surveys and analyze results to flag any patterns
• Support the delivery of team-wide communications

 

Support the continued development and implementation of WITNESS’ global employment structures and resource planning to support the organization’s Strategic Vision 

• Support the Senior Global People Partner with the coordination and development of job descriptions and employee growth planning processes
• Research effective and innovative approaches to People policies and processes
• Coordinate team input, feedback, and collaboration
• Coordinate with strategic partners including PEOs, external advisors and consultants 

 

Support the development and consistent application of global employment policies

• Support the upkeep of WITNESS’ employment policies, process, systems, and employee handbook
• Work with PEO/EOR partners and legal counsel to ensure compliance with local employment regulations
• Work with the Director of People and Systems on implementing our compensation philosophy and policies

 

Support the Performance Management and Learning and Development programs 

• Assist with the delivery of L&D needs of the organization, teams and individuals in collaboration with managers and external partners.
• Executes the effective development and delivery of the Performance Review processes.
  • Support and manage review outcomes, including
    • Assisting developing processes for individual goal setting.
    • Promotions and development conversations.
    • PIPs / supportive action around performance concerns.

 

Support the Senior Global People Partner, Director of People & Systems, and staff liaison group in the development and implementation of activities to support and build organizational culture and ensure a continuing focus on integrating DEIJ principles, and best practices across all People related activities.

 

PRINCIPAL RELATIONSHIPS:

• Senior Global People Partner (Supervisor)
• Knowledge Management & Operations Coordinator
• Senior IT Manager
• Director of People & Systems
• All Staff

 

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

Education: 

• You can tell us about your degrees, but we’re more interested in what your passions are and what you can do. If your degrees are part of that story, great!  (But no formal education required).

 

Work Experience:  

• A minimum of 3-5 years of experience in Human Resources,
• Ideally 1 year of experience supporting Human Resources work in an international setting or a context involving complex employment regulations.
• Experience in a nonprofit setting preferred.

 

Functional Experience, Knowledge and Skills:  

• Demonstrated experience in compliance with HR regulations and policies and implementation of benefits and leave systems; 
• Demonstrated experience in recruitment for a diverse, global team;
• Knowledge of employment laws, ideally with experience working in multiple countries;
• Ability to work independently and to research solutions on a broad array of HR disciplines and make sound, thoughtful recommendations on actions and policies; 
• High level of emotional intelligence, empathy and curiosity; 
• Ability to completely maintain confidentiality and discretion in relationships;
• Excellent judgement in a variety of situations and contexts

 

JOB LOCATION

• We are a globally distributed remote workforce and this key role will involve working with staff across our whole team, to help facilitate this, a candidate based around the Eastern Atlantic regions of the Americas, Europe, or the Western / Southern Africa will have the most crossover and collaborative time with the majority of staff and with this role’s key collaborators;
• Ideally this means candidates will be between the timezones UTC/GMT+5 and UTC/GMT+2;
• At this time, our team members are working through hybrid office arrangements, combining remote at-home work with intermittent use of offices and/or co-working spaces;
• The successful candidate must have the legal right-to-work in the location in which they will be based.

 

COMPENSATION

• WITNESS operates a salary localization policy using a combination of regularly reviewed foreign exchange rates and location adjustment multipliers; 
• Based on current rates, gross salaries for some of our current locations are given as an example: 
  • USA – USD 55,100
  • Brazil – BRL 193,450
  • UK – GBP 43,050
  • South Africa – ZAR 621,600
• Note: Currency conversions of these salaries would not apply in different locations. If your location is not listed, and you are shortlisted we will be happy to confirm the local salary which will be applicable.

 

BENEFITS

Health:

• WITNESS also offers competitive and robust medical benefits that cover an individual’s medical, dental and vision at 100% and covers a % of the individual’s dependents.

 

Life Insurance & AD&D: 

• WITNESS provides life insurance and AD&D payable at one time (1x)  the employee’s salary, to the beneficiary, in the event an employee were to expire while employed by the organization.

 

Remote Work Stipend: 

• WITNESS recognizes that flexible working arrangements are key to equity and inclusion in the workplace and we provide a $175 USD monthly remote work allowance, we are happy to talk about the type of flexible arrangements that might work best for you. This remote work stipend is provided to all staff members to pay for extra equipment, electricity, stationery, internet, wellness,  or whatever an employee deems necessary in order to work remotely. Please note that a computer and basic accessories are provided to all employees at the time of hire.

 

Pension Contributions: 

• After 1 year of service at the organization, WITNESS will contribute 3% of an individual’s gross salary towards a global retirement fund.

 

Paid Time Off: 

WITNESS has a range of paid time off types that support our staff.

• Vacation leave: that meets local statutory levels or 15 days whichever is higher, in addition to staff’s local public holidays.
  • The vacation allowance increases by 5 days after 3 years of service.
• Personal / Wellness leave: 5 days staff can use at any time to recharge in recognition of the importance of supporting positive mental well being.
• End of Year closure: which usually is equivalent to a minimum of 5 days leave in addition to any public holidays across the last week of December and early January.
• Sick Leave: follows local statutory guidance however; 
  • WITNESS ensures a minimum of 10 days paid time off for occasional sickness and health related absences.
  • A minimum of 6 weeks of full pay in instances of longer term absence.
• Sabbatical Leave: At the 10 year mark we offer staff 10 weeks of paid time off in order to take a break, gain new insights and expand their horizons.

 

Work/ Life Balance: 

• WITNESS believes in creating a healthy work environment in which flexible schedules are available, we also understand that sometimes an employee may just require a few hours to take care of personal issues in which case they can adjust their hours to make up for the time instead of taking a full day of leave. Both are allowable once agreed upon with the departmental supervisors.

 

Mental Health Policy: 

• WITNESS feels that all employees should feel supported both physically as well as mentally while they are at work and realizes that many times the issues that we deal with, the materials that we watch and the events surrounding some of the work that we do, can lead to feeling “unwell” and not in a “good space”.
• Should a situation arise in which an Employee requests support on mental health, WITNESS will award (10) days of “WITNESS” paid leave.

 

Professional Development: 

• In support of the growth and development of our staff, WITNESS regularly seeks opportunities for professional development, exposure to new skills and supports a culture of learning. 
• As part of this we offer staff Reading Days (1 day per month) where staff can take a day to read, study and connect more deeply with peers, partners and colleagues to further functional knowledge relevant to their role or deepen their general understanding and ability to support human rights work. 

 

HOW TO APPLY

If you are interested in joining the WITNESS team, please apply through BambooHR. You will need to attach your resume, cover letter, and contact information for 3 references.

In your cover letter, we are interested in hearing about what you’ve done, what you can do, and what you want to do at WITNESS.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:  Applications accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled; early applications encouraged. Please note that due to the volume anticipated, we will not be able to respond individually to each applicant.  We kindly ask that you do not send duplicate applications via mail or email, and no phone calls. 

WITNESS is a global human rights organization and aims to build an inclusive workforce that is reflective of the communities we work with. We are interested in building a talented team that brings their true selves with diverse backgrounds, cultures and perspectives. We are interested in receiving applications from those who are marginalized and underrepresented. 

WITNESS is an equal opportunity employer. People of all ages, races, ethnicities, national origins, religions, genders, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, and individuals protected by any other statuses under international federal, state or local laws, including but not limited to, disability, marital, domestic partnership, familial, caregiver, transgender, military or veteran statuses, are encouraged to apply.