Human Resources Manager

About the Role

The Human Resources Manager is a senior leadership position tasked with directing and refining the Human Resources function onsite. This role entails complete responsibility for planning, communicating, and administering new organizational structures, HR policies, work schedules, and employment agreements for all workforce categories including permanent, casual, and cooperative workers. Ensuring full adherence to Rwandan Labour Law and fostering positive relationships with employees, local communities, and government entities are critical to success.

This position requires a highly organized, proactive, and resilient individual who can operate independently while overseeing a small HR team and delivering complex projects punctually and to the company’s high standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, approval by Shareholders, and deployment of new organizational frameworks, reporting hierarchies, and working time policies company-wide.
• Manage full implementation of updated HR rules and protocols, ensuring effective communication, staff comprehension, and uniform enforcement.
• Coordinate with legal experts to reissue employment contracts to all employees and labor groups, guaranteeing compliance with Rwandan labour legislation.
• Create and oversee detailed action plans and schedules for organizational change efforts, updating the General Manager on status and risks.
• Meet deadlines and corrective actions mandated by Shareholders without requiring close supervision.
• Maintain an up-to-date suite of HR regulations fully aligned with national laws.
• Ensure all employment-related documents and practices remain compliant with prevailing and evolving Rwandan labor legislation in partnership with legal advisors.
• Keep meticulous, audit-ready records of HR documents, contracts, and employee information for all staff categories.
• Manage statutory compliance aspects such as social security contributions (RSSB), payroll deductions (PAYE), work permits for foreign personnel, and other legal requirements.
• Supervise HR administrative functions for around 200 permanent employees (local and international) and 200–500 casual/cooperative workers from local communities.
• Design fair, compliant, and scalable contractual frameworks for casual and cooperative labor engagement.
• Manage all phases of the employee lifecycle, including hiring, onboarding, contract management, performance assessment, disciplinary action, grievance handling, and terminations.
• Oversee payroll inputs, leave tracking, attendance, and timekeeping systems for all workforce segments.
• Serve as the key liaison between the company and government, cooperative groups, and community representatives on HR and labor relations.
• Establish and maintain positive collaborative relationships with local district and sector authorities and community leaders.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a small HR team of two direct reports, enhancing their capacity to handle complex HR tasks.
• Set clear goals, priorities, and standards for the HR team, and manage their performance rigorously.
• Ensure continuous HR service coverage on a challenging operational site with minimal oversight from upper management.
• Monitor and analyze HR metrics such as workforce size, turnover, absenteeism, utilization of casual labor, and case management to support decision-making.
• Provide frequent, precise reports to senior leadership and Shareholders regarding HR key performance indicators, progress on change programs, workforce data, and potential risks.
• Utilize IT systems competently to safeguard data quality, generate insightful reports, and support fact-based management choices.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Law or related discipline; professional certifications such as CIPD or IHRM are advantageous.
• At least 10 years of progressive experience in HR, including a minimum of 3 to 5 years in a senior HR or departmental management role.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and familiarity with HR information and payroll systems.
• Expertise in drafting policies and technical documents that clearly translate legal requirements into practical organizational guidance.
• Proven history of successfully leading major organizational change, HR policy revisions, and contract management within large industrial or project environments like construction, mining, or agribusiness.
• In-depth knowledge of Rwandan labour laws and statutory requirements covering contracts, social security, permits, and terminations.
• Experience managing diverse workforces including permanent, casual, and cooperative labor is highly preferred.
• Background in remote, rural, or resource-limited project settings, ideally within Rwanda or East African contexts.
• Ability to work independently, meet stringent deadlines, and satisfy Shareholder requirements with minimal supervision.
• Experience engaging with local government bodies and community leadership structures.

Leadership and Behavioral Capabilities

• Decisive and resilient leadership that can enforce challenging and sensitive changes effectively.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills for building trust across a wide variety of employees and community stakeholders.
• High integrity, confidentiality, and sound judgement in managing sensitive personnel and community issues.
• Cultural awareness and a strong dedication to respectful interactions with low-income, rural community environments.
• Excellent spoken and written English; command of French and/or Kinyarwanda is highly desirable.
• Robust organizational and project management skills able to handle multiple tasks concurrently within tight deadlines.
• Comfort operating autonomously on a remote site with minimal supervision, while ensuring accountability and transparent reporting to leadership and shareholders.