International jobs in South Africa

The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to our mission of saving lives and reducing the burden of disease in low- and middle-income countries. We make big changes that challenge what people think is possible to help millions of people stay healthy and live longer.

CHAI was founded in 2002 in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with the goal of dramatically reducing the price of life-saving drugs and increasing access to these medicines in the countries with the highest burden of the disease. Today, thanks in part to CHAI’s efforts, over 20 million people in low- and middle-income countries have access to high-quality medicines. Drugs that used to cost US$10,000 per patient per year now cost US$45 per patient per year.

Over the following two decades, CHAI has expanded its focus. Today, along with HIV, we work in conjunction with our partners to prevent and treat infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and hepatitis. Our work has also expanded into sexual and reproductive health, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and other non-communicable diseases, and we work to accelerate the rollout of lifesaving vaccines, reduce maternal and child mortality, combat chronic malnutrition, and increase access to assistive technology. We are investing in horizontal approaches to strengthen health systems through programs in human resources for health, digital health, and health financing. With each new and innovative program, our strategy is grounded in maximizing sustainable impact at scale, ensuring that governments lead the solutions, that programs are designed to scale nationally, and learnings are shared globally.

At CHAI, our people are our greatest asset, and none of this work would be possible without their talent, time, dedication and passion for our mission and values. We are a highly diverse team of enthusiastic individuals across 40 countries with a broad range of skillsets and life experiences. CHAI is deeply grounded in the countries we work in, with majority of our staff based in program countries.

CHAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and is committed to providing an environment of fairness, and mutual respect where all applicants have access to equal employment opportunities. CHAI values diversity and inclusion, and recognizes that our mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people with diverse experience, backgrounds, and culture.

About the Role:

CHAI’s employees currently work in over thirty countries around the world and are supported by both country and global human resources (HR) partners. CHAI’s Global HR team follows a regional model, with many team members sitting in program country offices. CHAI is currently seeking a Human Resources Business Partner to support staff working in Southern Africa.

The Regional HR Partner, Southern Africa is an integral part of the CHAI Global HR team, serving as a strategic business partner, delivering value-added services to country and regional leadership and to Global HR colleagues in furtherance of CHAI’s mission and the principle that CHAI’s staff is its greatest asset. This person will serve as a key advisor to staff throughout Southern Africa. They will provide generalist HR services and support in the region and as needed worldwide. This will include, but is not limited to employee relations, organizational development, talent development, performance management, onboarding, training, compensation, complaints and investigations, compliance, global mobility, and other disciplines. They will participate in Global HR and (as requested) country team strategic planning and will provide leadership and/or collaboration and support on Global HR projects and initiatives, including but not limited to development and implementation of HR programs, policies, processes, systems, training, guidance, etc. This person will be required to work both independently and as part of the Global HR team.

This position will be based in Pretoria, South Africa, with local, regional, and international travel requirements. Candidates may also be considered for placement in Eswatini or any of our program countries in Southern Africa. Preference will be given to applicants that have the legal right to live and work in South Africa, Eswatini, or any of our program countries in the region.

In partnership with Country Directors, Deputy Country Directors, Senior Program staff, Global HR team, and country HR representatives, the Regional HR Partner, Southern Africa position will directly support and advise CDs, managers, and employees. Some of the responsibilities are:

• Support the rollout of CHAI Talent Strategy across the Southern Africa countries to support CHAI’s mission, vision, and values.
• Provide guidance on procedure and policy interpretation, compensation, and benefits, recruiting and retention strategies, employee relations issues, and local labor laws.
• Support in the designing, planning, and implementation of HR systems, policies, procedures, and best practices to strengthen country and global HR functions.
• Support the development of plans to address succession planning and country team restructuring.
• Develop and execute strategies to improve workplace relationships, build morale, increase productivity and retention.
• Support development of tools and guidelines towards strengthening country HR and leadership capacity and continuity.
• Maintain in-depth knowledge of country Labour and other statutory requirements related to the management of employees, reducing legal risks, and ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Support development, and facilitation of professional development training sessions based on learning gaps and career development in line with CHAI’s Talent strategy.
• Partner with, coach and counsel managers and employees on how to manage and resolve country employee relations issues.
• Provide support to country program and operations management around performance feedback, coaching, counselling, career development, and identifying and executing appropriate actions up to and including terminations.
• Provide mentorship and oversight of country team staff with HR responsibilities.
• Lead learning and development activities to promote a respectful workplace, DEI, talent development, management skills, and other capacity building needs. Develop, facilitate, and deliver training, and train trainers.
• Participate as needed in recruitment, hiring, and onboarding.
• Participate fully in Global HR Projects and Initiatives as delegated by the supervisor.
• Be a strong advocate of Respectful workplace principles and Safeguarding across the country teams.
• Act as the Focal Point for Safeguarding issues and conduct investigations as directed.
• As a Focal Point, receive complaints and counsel (or advise) victims – in addition to conducting investigations in line with CHAI’s Safeguarding procedures.
• Build strong relationships with country and program leadership.
• Collaborate with other members of the Global HR team on various projects and initiatives.
• Ad hoc administrative tasks and assignments in support of overall global and regional HR management.
• This position requires up to 25% international travel, occasionally on short notice and primarily in the Southern Africa region.

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent plus 6 years work experience; or Advanced Degree or equivalent plus 4 years work experience.
• Strong relationship building skills at all levels of the organization.
• Progressive human resources experience with a strong background in employment and selection, training, career development, compensation and benefits, employee relations and employment law.
• Experience in an NGO setting, preferably in an international development organization.
• Ability to lead complex projects and initiatives that require multi-level stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to communicate effectively and build strong relationships with a diverse group of employees, leaders, and external stakeholders, both remotely and in-person.
• Excellent communication skills - written, verbal and presentation.
• Self-motivated and comfortable working independently.
• Familiarity with labor laws in the Southern Africa region and their application to international and national employees.
• Ability to exercise sound and timely judgment and maintain confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Experience with conflict resolution, including conducting effective, thorough, and objective investigations.
• Demonstrated strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while accomplishing departmental and organizational goals.
• Prior experience working in Southern Africa strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in providing HR support in more than three countries.
• Demonstrated experience in working with senior leadership.
• Fluency in English language (spoken and written) required. Proficiency in another language spoken in Southern Africa will be an added advantage.