Jobs at British High Commission

Main purpose of job:

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has a Regional Finance, Human Resources, and Procurement Hub based in Pretoria overseeing corporate services for all High Commissions, British Embassies and Consulates (also referred to as Posts/Missions) across the Africa region.

The Regional HR Hub is an integral part of the global HR team supporting staff working in the overseas network for the UK Government.  The role of Regional HR Hub is to be a   strategic partner for Posts and deliver country-based staff (CBS) HR services in the areas of recruitment, pay and reward, HR  advisory.

The role of the Regional HR Advisor is to support HR policy and operations for CBS working in Posts/Missions and other offices in the region. The role is responsible for providing HR advisory services through exercising initiative in the processing and analysis of relevant information (ie CBS policy, terms and conditions, local employment legislation); applying sensible judgement and discretion in the application of  policies, procedures and regulations; and ensuring HR policies and processes are applied through a consistent, locally appropriate and globally aligned approach.  The Regional HR Advisor is a member of the HR Hub team and is expected to demonstrate strong teamwork as well as the FCDO and BHC Pretoria values.

Roles and responsibilities:

• Act as HR Hub lead for allocated Missions/Posts in the region on all HR advisory related tasks.
• Engage with a wide network of internal and external contacts to understand and keep up to date with workforce regulations, HR policy compliance and related issues across the region.
• Liaise with colleagues and legal advisers in diplomatic missions to ensure CBS Handbooks (ie terms and conditions), policies and procedures are consistent with local employment law and practices.
• Liaise with CBS Policy leads, HR Direct UK and other HR Hubs on CBS HR related matters to ensure consistency and best practice is constantly applied. Support where required on HR projects and actively contribute in providing feedback on the development of new/amended CBS HR policies.
• Advise and share best practices to Posts on CBS Handbook reviews, disciplinary matters, Bullying Harassment and Discrimination (BHD), managing poor performance, grievances, and other HR practices.
• Manage complex CBS HR casework by providing expert advice to Post management,  guiding decision-making, and supporting on policy, procedural and local employment compliance.
• Manage CBS HR Advisory database in the HR Hub for country and network and  ensure accurate collation and continuous updates of information and quality checks.
• Support the CBS HR enquiries function including monthly reporting and analysis of key trends/issues to ensure high standards of customer service and in alignment with the regionalisation model and defined SLAs.
• Support on activities related to Hera CBS HR/HR Hub Management (ie FCDO HR and Finance management system). Liaise with the Hera team on updates and improvement areas for Hera administration in the HR Hubs.
• Manage delivery of regional CBS HR processes (exit interviews, probation, fixed term processes) in alignment with FCDO guidance and policies.
• Support and monitor appraisal/review cycles with Line Managers and Senior Management at Posts
• Consult with various levels of Post Management on strategic and proactive implementation of various CBS HR programmes to ensure compliance with ongoing initiatives such as Global People Principles, Good Line Manager Campaign, and upcoming changes in local employment legislation.
• Support the HR Hub in providing updates for the HR SharePoint – recent activity, performance management communication, etc.
• Support in the development and delivery of appropriate communications to support the delivery of CBS HR services in the region.
• Contribute to, drive and manage operational CBS HR projects under the guidance of HR Hub Senior Management.
• Support in the preparation of business cases and provide data/supporting evidence for recommended decisions.
• Highlight and manage operational bottlenecks in the delivery for CBS HR services in the region.
• Implement decisions taken at a senior level and adjust services provided for CBS HR operations accordingly.
• Support and guide Posts on restructuring and/or organizational change in keeping with relevant CBS policies.
• As appropriate, line manage the Regional HR Officer(s). 
• Deputise during absence of the Deputy Head of HR Hub.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

• Possibility of line managing the Regional HR Officer(s). 

Essential qualifications, skills and experience 

• Qualification in HR, Industrial Psychology or a HR-related field
• At least 5 years in a HR generalist/advisory role, including working with local employment legislation
• Strong proficiency in spoken and written English
• Strong verbal, written, interpersonal and organisational skills 
• Strong proficiency in IT skills, including Microsoft Office Suite, SharePoint ability, HRMS

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience 

• Further HR qualification (OD, IR etc) would be beneficial
• HR experience across Africa
• Experience in a shared services environment will be an advantage
• French or Portuguese would be an advantage 

Required behaviours 

• Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace, Working Together

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Main purpose of job:

Based in the British High Commission in Johannesburg, this role is an exciting opportunity to work with business and government in an international setting covering the entire Africa region at the UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT). DBT is the UK Government’s department for economic growth. DBT supports businesses to invest, grow and export, and the work we do has a real impact on jobs and growth across the UK.

This role is part of DBT’s Export Support Service – International Markets (ESS-IM), a free government service which supports UK Small-Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) to export across the world, with market-specific insight and guidance, provided by DBT teams based around the world. As part of DBT’s global ecosystem of export support for UK businesses, the ESS-IM MEaP Hub is the first port of call for SME’s looking to explore MEaP’s extensive trading opportunities. ESS-IM is part of the UK Government’s commitment to support UK businesses ‘sell to the world’ and grow the UK economy through exports by reaching the ‘Race to a Trillion’ challenge, laid out in the 2021 Export Strategy: Made in the UK, Sold to the World.

It is an exciting time to join the ESS-IM team in MEaP – with the service having launched only a year ago (April 2022), this role offers the opportunity to drive the operations and support the development of ESS-IM in the Africa network. The postholder will be expected to deliver an excellent service for UK businesses, manage the hub team and ensure the ESS-IM network in Africa has the tools required to work effectively.

In addition to your responsibilities, you will be part of a high-performing, ambitious global ESS-IM team. This role is ideal for existing or aspiring trade professionals looking to make a difference and develop their careers at DBT.

Responsibilities include:

Delivery:  

• Working with the Head of the Africa International Markets Team, you will support the running of the Africa Enquiry Hub which essentially manages directs and triages all SME enquiries for Africa to the International Market advisors throughout Africa.
• You will provide overall governance and oversight for the operational effectiveness of the ESS-IM Africa Hub, driving continual improvement of the service. Improvements and oversight will come from ensuring the people, process and tools available to the ESS-IM Africa team are effective, for example managing the Operations Officer, to planning on staffing and recruitment linked to changes in enquiry volumes.

Strategy:

• You will provide operational assessments (essentially what are the key growth countries and sectors within Africa) into the team’s strategy, working with colleagues in ESS-IM UK team to ensure ESS-IM Africa’s support for UK SMEs contributes to growing UK exports to the region.
• Leading the Africa operations hub team to ensure the hub provides actionable intelligence in support of decision making in the HMTC Africa team and for the ESS-IM service.

Leadership:

• You will manage one member of the hub team, while leading the approach to triage, data management, performance and reporting.
• You will promote the profile of the ESS-IM team within the Africa network by communicating the hub team’s work and demonstrate potential opportunities for collaboration on shared objectives.

Communications & Insight:  

• Promoting ESS-IM internally, such as through secretariat of the ESS-IM Africa and UK working group, and identifying opportunities to boost client referrals to ESS-IM Africa, using  communicating the hub’s operational data to meet its engagement objectives.
• Act as an advocate for the ESS-IM Africa team externally and internally where needed

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

• 1x A2

Essential qualifications, skills and experience 

• Experience of working in a commercial, business-focused team to deliver value for money outcomes
• Line management experience or task management experience
• At least three years’ experience working in trade and investment
• Experience managing a team working remotely
• Fluent in written and verbal English 

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience 

• Experience of operational delivery in triaging and allocating staff to work schedules
• Experience and/or understanding of DBT Africa’s priorities and activities
• Experience of working with UK SMEs to enter African markets
• Experience working in an international organisation