Acumen is looking for a Human Resource Associate to join Acumen’s growing Talent team. We are looking for someone with at least 3 years of experience who is interested in a career in Human Resources. This role is based in Nairobi and reports to the Talent Manager. The team works in the Nairobi office 3 days a week.

About Acumen
At Acumen, we’re working to solve problems of poverty and build a world based on dignity. We invest patient capital in businesses whose products and services help people living in poverty to transform their lives. To date, Acumen has positively impacted over 500 million lives by investing $154M in 167 innovative, early-stage companies in Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and the United States. But investment isn’t just about capital, we’ve been investing in relationships for years, connecting with emerging leaders in their own countries and engaging them in extended collective dialogue, moral inquiry, and skill building.

About Acumen in Africa
In Africa, Acumen has primarily focused our capital in energy, agriculture, and education. Although we’ve made these investments through different vehicles—from our early-stage pioneer work across East and West Africa, to two separate, pooled investment funds, Kawisafi and Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund (ARAF), and the emerging efforts in Hardest to Reach—our purpose across these vehicles remains the same: serving people living below, at, or slightly above the poverty line. Thus far, we’ve made the biggest dent in energy. For example, Acumen has invested in more off-grid renewable energy companies in Africa than any other investor in the region. We’ve also run successful Fellows Programs in East and West Africa that are networked with similar programs in Pakistan, India, and Latin America. We refer to them as locally rooted, globally connected.

About Talent
The Global Talent Team oversees the employee lifecycle across seven countries in eight cities. Our employee value proposition is focused on equity, transparency, representation, and working across lines of difference. Our hiring processes may be perceived as unconventional. For example, we share Total Rewards in the first screen and agree on compensation right up front. We have found that it is better for candidates to have that information from the start and it’s better for Acumen as we have fewer failed searches where candidates decline our offers. The Talent Team is also responsible for Acumen’s People strategy and culture, performance management, compensation, benefits, learning and development.

About the role

This role will work to support the Global Talent Team, with specific focus on East and West Africa. The selected candidate will learn norms and compliance across all geographies. On the job training will be provided. Accountabilities include but are not limited to:

Global Recruiting (50%)

• Learning our unique recruiting process; being mindful of the candidate experience; becoming an expert in our recruiting software, Greenhouse; conducting application reviews and shortlisting candidates; scheduling interviews with the hiring panel. The role will grow toward 1:1 screening of candidates and sharing total rewards right up front. Eventually, you will own the entire Recruiting cycle (from job posting to offer) on searches assigned to you.

Employee Engagement

• Support the onboarding and orientation of new employees, ensuring timely completion of the Onboarding Checklist and participation in New HIre Orientation.
• Support the planning of team retreats and team celebrations.
• Account for Talent expenses related to team events and learning & development.

Benefits

• Support the Talent Manager in enrolling people up for benefits in their respective geographies.
• Support the Talent Manager in answering questions about benefits and tending to administration of them when asked (providers and employees require timely information to facilitate pay and benefits).
• Support documentation for renewal and update of policies, ensure appropriate memberships for team members & their dependants and facilitate transitions.

Compliance

• Issuing written offers under supervision, issuing transition letters when probationary periods expire.
• Filing and documenting onboarding new hires according to established protocols in our various software applications and digital filing systems.
• Auditing employee files in G suite Drives and Bamboo (our HRIS), ensuring all required documentation is in place, maintaining naming conventions and updating as necessary.

Immigration and travel visa letters

• Supporting the Talent Manager in pursuing immigration needs of East and West African employees
• Issuing travel letters for visas for those coming to both offices

Skills and Qualifications

Acumen is a high-performing environment. There are general expectations of excellence and very high standards for ethical behavior.

• A bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management, Business Administration or equivalent.
• At least 3 years of work experience in a busy HR department.
• An ability to be candid and transparent
• An ability to learn HR and Recruiting software (multiple applications)
• An ability to manage confidential information with discretion
• An ability to get and stay well organized. Attention to detail is a must.
• An ability to understand compliance across different offices and issue offer letters and benefits in line with local laws.
• A curiosity about people, skills, and experiences… looking for key skills and being open to people who can surprise you and deliver on the role even if they don’t “fit” your initial ideas
• Healthy interpersonal skills: an ability to listen, an ability to stay focused on finding solutions, an ability to speak directly and communicate needs and barriers, an ability to treat everyone with dignity.
• Can take initiative independently, can follow through, can communicate with stakeholders, can deliver on a deadline, or can communicate about the needs to shift deadlines due to competing priorities
• Someone who generally enjoys making other people feel successful and find work that suits them
• Self reflective and aligned with Acumen values
• Authorized to work in Kenya. Available to work in the Nairobi office 3 days a week.

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