Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor Jobs 2020

This is an exciting new opportunity to play a key role in WSUP’s transformation stage as we enter the next phase of our organizational development.

The People & Support Services Officer reports to the Country Programme Manager (CPM) and will work closely with the People and Support team in the UK-based Secretariat, to deliver wide-ranging responsibilities that ensure the people and support services functions in the Ghana office are responsive and efficient. It is a varied role that covers everything from office facilities to the full employee life cycle, including employee relations and supporting line managers with advice particularly relating to our policies, legislation, and best practice.

Job Description

Job Title: People & Support Services Officer

As the role will have an overview of WSUP’s activity in Ghana through the above, they will also play a coordination role between the Ghana team and the Communications team in the Secretariat, supporting the use of national and international communications as part of WSUP’s influencing strategy.

Main responsibilities:

The People & Support Services Officer will report directly to the CPM, with a responsibility to inform and consult with the UK-based Secretariat, including relevant staff members as follows:

IT and Facilities – Support Services Officer

Employee relations – HR Officer

Training and staff development – Head of People & Support

Non-financial compliance – Head of People & Support

Communications – Communications Officer

The People & Support Services Officer will continuously monitor processes to identify inefficiencies and work with local and Secretariat staff to find and implement solutions. They will maintain a close relationship with Secretariat support staff, relaying any concerns or queries in order to receive support as needed.

The key tasks and responsibilities of the People & Support Services Officer will include the following:

Support Services

This role will lead proactive and service-focussed delivery of the back-office support required for WSUP to deliver its vision and mission.

1. Facilities support

• Deliver professional and productive work environments for the Ghana team across all locations
• Support the Country Programme Manager to ensure the smooth running of the Ghana office, including office administration and compliance with WSUP systems and processes
• Ensure all legal registrations and other requirements are in place for all offices
• Responsible for facility, maintenance, and H&S issues, liaising with building management or third-party providers when necessary
• Account manage all 3rd party office suppliers such as cleaners, IT support, contractors to ensure a consistent level of service in line with Service Level Agreements
• Maintain overview of all office contracts to ensure all services are current, planning reviews in good time to ensure WSUP is securing value for money as well as maintaining continuous and adequate cover
• Ensure the security of WSUP assets, including an asset register for all assets and liabilities held >GBP1,000, computer & office equipment and vehicles, and appropriate management of vehicles.
• Work with the Secretariat to identify any services needed, documenting a request for proposal and reviewing incoming bids in line with our procurement procedure (subject to available budget)

2.    Travel and logistics

• Coordinate and support staff’s domestic and international travel arrangements, providing training where required so that they are able to self-manage their own trips
• Support staff with logistics for internal and external events where necessary, such as arranging venues or catering
• Work closely with the Secretariat and other WSUP offices to support staff and external parties visiting Ghana

3.    Health, Safety & Security

• Maintain local and national Health, Safety & Security procedure, reviewing and updating when relevant including carrying out risk assessments on a regular basis and responding to any corrective action
• Ensure there are appropriate trained first aiders and fire wardens for all offices
• Ensure staff remain up to date on their H&S and other training

4.    IT

• Coordinate with Support Services in the Secretariat to get the best value from WSUP’s global IT support provider, identify any additional IT services required locally and put them in place
• Act as the ‘IT Champion’ for Ghana, taking on a ‘train the trainer’ role whereby you are able to provide training and support for colleagues in country on organisational platforms such as ShareFile and Podio, with support from the Support Services team
• Work with the IT Assistant in the Secretariat to facilitate the team’s use of organisational platforms in a safe and secure manner

Human Resources

This position will be responsible for managing the employee life cycle, in line with WSUP’s standards and processes, and will play a key role in supporting line managers in understanding the frameworks in place to help them manage their team, for example, performance management, absenteeism, etc.

1.    Recruitment

–      Provide a responsive and efficient end to end recruitment administration service for the Ghana team

–      Liaise with the HR Officer in the Secretariat office on all recruitment processes to ensure consistency of approach in line with WSUP’s standards and that correct approvals are obtained

–      Support managers to draft reflective and comprehensive job descriptions, person specifications, adverts, interview questions and tasks

2.    Starter and leaver process

–      Responsible for pre-starter processes, including sending out of welcome email, requesting references, carrying out right to work checks, etc.

–      Prepare offer letters, contracts and contract change letters for signature

–      Responsible for inductions with new starters in Ghana and working closely with HR Officer in Secretariat on developing consistent induction processes for Ghana team.

–      Help with DSE assessments for new starters (training will be provided)

–      Oversee probation process, ensuring all new starters have probationary objectives and issue confirmation in post letters after probation is passed

–      Improve and oversee leaver process, ensuring necessary steps are followed

3.    Staff welfare and employee relations

–      Work alongside the Head of People & Support on organisational change projects

• Develop and coach managers so that they confidently and consistently encourage performance and address underperformance as well as support them with routine Employee Relations cases including capability, disciplinary and grievance issues, and absence management
• Liaise with the HR Officer in Secretariat to pro-actively seek new efficient ways of making HR processes more effective and streamlined
• Coordinate and apply policy frameworks and knowledge to assess regular HR activities including the performance and development reviews
• Maintain appropriate medical and life insurance for the Ghana team, including regular reviews
• Use workforce analytics, such as absence and turnover data, to identify and prioritise initiatives to improve staff well-being or engagement
• Establish strong relationships with staff to encourage open communication, feedback, and discussion that promotes staff welfare across the Ghana office.

4.    HR Compliance

–      Keep up-to date with Ghana employment law and inform HR team in Secretariat if any changes affecting the organisation arises, taking pro-active steps to incorporate any changes in law into WSUP documents/policies.

–      Work with the Head of People and Support to ensure HR policies and procedures are relevant, up-to-date, compliant with current legislation and embedded within the organisation,

–      Maintain employee records according to policy and legal requirements

5.    Payroll and pension

–      Monthly payroll administration, including notifying Finance of salary changes, deductions, and any calculations in final salary payments for leavers

–      Administration of WSUP Ghana pension schemes, including new starters, salary changes and leavers

–      Acting as the first point of contact for all payroll and pension queries liaising with payroll and pension providers as necessary

Communications

• Act as the in-country focal point for the Communications team in the Secretariat, using your overview of programme activity to identify communications opportunities, share, advise and plan these with the Communications team, and collect content for them to develop and disseminate.
• Lead on communications within Ghana, identifying and developing opportunities to build WSUP’s profile within the WASH sector, engaging urban stakeholders, funders and potential funders.
• Act as a brand guardian, helping to ensure that all outputs produced by the Ghana team are consistent with WSUP’s communications policies.