Title: Senior Human Resources Officer - Maternity Cover

Program/Center/Department: Operations / People & Culture

Region: Rwanda

Contract Type: Fixed-Term, 6 Months Maternity Cover

Reports to: Senior Regional People & Culture Manager, WRI Africa

About the Program:

Our vision for Africa is an inclusive transformation so Africa’s people and landscapes flourish. WRI Africa generates actionable knowledge across three strategic pillars: vital landscapes, thriving and resilient cities, and institutional and economic transformation. https://www.wri.org/wri-africa WRI Operations team supports the crucial front-line work of the organization, they directly interact and work with Donors, Partners, Government agencies, Statutory bodies, Trustees, Vendors, and Consultants in fielding their inquiries, providing support at all the fronts and solving problems. So that the WRI programs can be implemented without any hurdles and the program staff and researchers can develop high quality research documents, plans and implement the programs at the field level. WRI Operations team strive for operational excellence across all functions starting with the recruitment, retention and management of WRI’s staff, our most important asset. We manage our endowment, the contributions entrusted to us, and our facilities in ways that are in line with our values and advance our mission. We maintain strict budgetary planning and financial controls to ensure that all contributions are managed in compliance with donors’ wishes.

Job Highlight:

As the Senior Human Resources Officer - Maternity Cover, you will provide seamless HR operational support to WRI staff and managers. You will support the delivery of core People & Culture services, including HR administration, recruitment coordination, onboarding, employee lifecycle support, HR policy guidance, employee relations, and Workday data management. This six-month role requires a detail-oriented, discreet, and service-driven HR professional who can work independently, collaborate across a regional and global matrix, and maintain accurate HR information and processes during the maternity cover period.

What you will do:

HR Operations and Administration (45%)

• Provide day-to-day HR administration, including employee records, personnel files, leave administration, benefits coordination, and contract documentation.
• Prepare employment contracts, contract extensions, offer letters, promotion letters, confirmation letters, and other HR correspondence as required.
• Coordinate onboarding, changes, transfers, contract renewals, and offboarding documentation in line with WRI policies and country-specific requirements.

• Liaise with medical, pension, benefits, legal, consultant, and Employer of Record partners where applicable, ensuring timely follow-up and accurate documentation.
• Maintain confidentiality and ensure accurate, complete, and up-to-date HR documentation.
• Serve as the focal point for Workday-related employee lifecycle processes, including new hires, job changes, transfers, compensation updates, contract changes, terminations, and employee data corrections.
• Maintain accurate HR data in Workday and ensure transactions are completed on time, routed correctly for approvals, and aligned with internal HR processes.

Regional Coordination and Stakeholder Support (30%)

• Collaborate effectively with regional People & Culture colleagues, Operations, Finance, Talent Acquisition, global HR teams, and country teams.
• Support remote and multi-country HR service delivery, ensuring consistent communication and timely follow-up with stakeholders.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of HR processes, tools, templates, and documentation during the maternity cover period.

HR Policies, Compliance and Employee Relations (15%)

• Provide first-line guidance to employees and managers on HR policies, procedures, benefits, leave, and employee lifecycle processes.
• Support the implementation and communication of HR policies and procedures.
• Support employee relations matters by providing timely, accurate, and confidential HR support, escalating complex cases appropriately.
• Monitor contract, probation, leave, and compliance timelines and support follow-up actions with managers and employees.
• Support alignment with applicable labor laws and internal policies across the supported countries.

Talent Acquisition and Onboarding (10%)

• Support recruitment processes for Rwanda and Congo Basin roles, including job posting coordination, candidate screening, interview scheduling, documentation, reference checks, and offer preparation.
• Work closely with the Talent Acquisition team and hiring managers to ensure timely recruitment processes and a positive candidate experience.
• Coordinate new hire onboarding, orientation logistics, HR policy briefings, documentation, and system updates.
• Support internship hiring processes.

What you will need:

• Education: A completed bachelor's degree in HR, business or non-profit management, public administration, or related field with HR qualification at a diploma level or a professional HR qualification
• Experience: You have 5+ years of relevant professional experience working in Human Resources administrative roles, ideally within an international non-profit matrixed organization