Farm Africa Corporate Services Manager Job

Farm Africa is an international non-governmental organization whose mission is to reduce poverty permanently by unleashing farmers’ abilities to grow their incomes and manage their natural resources sustainably.We work to increase the incomes and improve food security of smallholder farmers, pastoralists, agro-pastoralists, and forest dwellers in East Africa.
Job Title: Corporate Services Manager
Reports To: Country Director
Staff Reporting to Post holder: Logistician, Administrative Assistant
Location: Nairobi country office with the probability of field travels
Purpose of the Role:
To ensure that Farm Africa support service functions efficiently, effectively and professionally by delivering high quality corporate services to the country office and the project sites, as well as ensuring adherence to corporate policies and procedures.
Key Tasks and Responsibilities
The corporate services manager (CSM) will serve as the single point of coordination and accountability for the delivery of key services in support of the delivery of Farm Africa’s programmes in Kenya.
He/she will directly supervise and support the key support functions which include HR, logistics, procurement, asset management, IT and office administration.
1. Human Resource Management
The CSM will directly provide generalist HR function to Farm Africa’s Kenya country programmes and will be responsible for:

Recruitment: Ensure that recruitment processes are in line with Farm Africa policies and procedures as well as good practice. Co-ordinate placing of adverts in the press/online; schedule interviews; invite the candidates; checking references and communicating the offer to the successful candidate.

Induction: Plan and co-ordinate the whole induction process; on-boarding new employees to the organization

Staff records: Ensure that all personnel files, both physical and digital,are up to date with all relevant information

Contracts’ management: Prepare staff and consultants contracts, ensuring that these are valid at all times while maintaining a tracking system to enhance this

Performance management system: Ensure that performance objective for all incoming staff members are set within the first month of joining the organization while at the same time ensuring that all other staff members set their annual objectives in a timely manner.

Staff appraisals: Ensure that probationary, quarterly and annual performance reviews are completed for all staff in a timely manner and in accordance with the Farm Africa’s review timetable and that all tracking systems are updated appropriately.

KPI data: Collect and report on KPI data on a monthly basis, while analyzing these and flagging up issues arising

Learning & Development: Follow up on the L&D needs from the annual appraisals and other performance reviews, ensuring that these are well articulated and addressed in a timely and cost effective manner.

Employee relations: support, guide and advise managers and employees on a variety of HR issues including employee relations issues

Staff benefits management: effectively manage staff benefit plans i.e. medical, pension, GPA and WIBA, ensuring that staff members receive optimal benefits in the most cost effective manner

Policies and procedures: support the HR development advisor and the UK HR Manager in the design, development, implementation and regular reviews of HR policies and procedures as documented in the staff handbook to ensure legal compliance and best practice within Kenya and working with managers to ensure proper application of policies, procedure, practice and adherence to the Kenyan employment legislation

Separation management: ensure exit interviews are conducted, collated and lessons learnt disseminated in close collaboration with the Country Director

Capacity building: Build the capacity of the team in their various functional areas.

Also build the capacity of managers and all employees in people management issues as well as policies and procedures2. Office administration
The CMS will be responsible for the efficient and effective running of the office through:

Property management: liaise with the landlord on any issues as per our lease agreement

Office maintenance: working with the administrative assistant, ensure the office environment is conducive for staff to work in. This includes ensuring that high standards of hygiene are maintained.

Supplies & stationery management: working closely with the Logistician to ensure that there is enough office supplies and stationery

Management of agreements: maintaining service agreements current and striving for best value for money

Legal compliance: maintaining positive and up to date relationship with the NGO

Coordination Board and ensuring that Farm Africa is in full compliance with related legal requirements.3. Logistics
The CSM will be responsible for the line management of the administrative assistant in charge of general administrative tasks and logistics and will have the overall responsibility to:

Ensure efficient and effective services are provided to the country office, visitors, as well as any support as required to project teams.

Ensure the country office is run in an efficient and effective manner, and the office is physically maintained to a high standard, with risks of accident/ health and safety breaches kept to a minimum.4. Procurement, fleet and asset management
The CSM will be responsible for the line management of the support staff and will have responsibilities in these three areas as follows:
Procurement:

Ensure the smooth and effective functioning of the procurement function in the country office as well as in the project sites, building the capacity of the pertinent staff members to ensure that procurement processes are conducted in compliance with the Farm Africa policies and procedures

Oversight of key reforms and reviews to improve the procurement procedure in the country programmeFleet management:

Ensure the cost-effective management of Farm Africa’s vehicles, including ensuring comprehensive maintenance of appropriate paperwork and schedules

Ensure repairs and maintenance is conducted cost effectively, and the fleet and drivers are deployed in the most efficient manner.

Ensure that Farm Africa motor vehicle and asset insurances are renewed, while achieving value for moneyAsset management:

Ensure compliance to policies and procedures and transparency in asset management and disposal.

Ensure that all Farm Africa Kenya assets are acquired, maintained and secured effectively and in line with value for money5. Information technology:
Through the management of the support staff, the CSM will be responsible for ICT for the country programme, working closely with the ICT support service providers, and will oversee responsibility for:

The smooth provision of internet and other technical services in the country office and support the same at the project sites as needed

Management of the key points of contact with the internet service providers in Kenya and in London

Act as a champion for yammer (Farm Africa’s intranet system) within Kenya

Provide induction & other training on ICT systems for Kenya staff.6. Other

Effectively line manage the administrative assistant and the logistician, developing a high performance team that contributes to the Farm Africa strategy by offering high quality support to the country office and the projects

Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with other HR colleagues and other partners and stakeholders that work with Farm Africa e.g. the NGO bureau, FKE, etc

Liaise with key personnel in the London office including HR manager, Office co-ordinator and governance assistant.Education, Qualifications & Other Knowledge
Essential

Degree in human resource management or other relevant field

Fluent written and spoken EnglishDesirable

Certified Public Secretary (CPS) Part 2,

Diploma in HRM or similar relevant qualificationExperience

Significant working experience in a management capacity, ideally across the NGO, and/or private sector.

Experience in procurement, IT systems management and logistics management

Strong experience of providing a broad range of high quality HR policy advice (including disciplinary and grievance) to managers and staff

A proven ability of implementing policies and procedures

Able to take a flexible approach to managing and prioritising a high workload and multiple tasks in a fast paced environment with tight deadlinesSkills & Abilities

A commitment to client orientation

Excellent communication skills

Excellent interpersonal and consultative skills, including the ability to communicate, present, negotiate and influence a variety of audiences High level administrative and organisation skills and attention to detail

Ability to proactively identify and address issues

Excellent interpersonal and consultative skills, including the ability to communicate, present, negotiate and influence a variety of audiences

High level administrative and organisation skills and attention to detail ValuesFarm Africa seeks to employ those who believe, as we do, that farmers can and will play a key role in achieving long-term rural prosperity in Africa and who seek to deliver on those beliefs by:

being experts in our field, delivering insightful/impactful evidence-based solutions

pushing boundaries, being creative with new and old solutions acting for the long-term, building relationships and delivering long-lasting change for farmers

working flexibly, taking advantage of the most effective solutions, whether from the communities, private sector or government

sharing knowledge with others, reaching more farmers than we do alone, ensuring effective technologies are widely accessed.If you would like to apply please visit submit a CV and covering letter that explain how you are suitable for the role tokenyarecruitment@farmafrica.org by 17:00 on 28th January 2015.