Who is Water Mission?
Water Mission is a rapidly growing Christian engineering nonprofit working to end the global water crisis by building safe water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions in developing nations and disaster areas. Guided by love, excellence, and integrity, we are driven to share clean, safe water and God’s love with all. To date, we have served more than 5 million people in 56 countries. Working at Water Mission is as much a calling as it is a career, and we are searching for people with the courage, passion, and drive to help us change the world. Read more about What We Believe, our Statement of Faith, and our Christian Mission.
What is the opportunity?
Water Mission’s International Human Resources (HR) Manager will lead the strategic development and implementation of all human resource programs and services across 9 different international country programs with more than 300 staff members outside the US. This individual will have the opportunity to select and lead a small team of field HR staff to support the execution of global HR programs, training, and services. In partnership with country program leadership and HR field staff, the International HR Manager will manage all aspects of international HR including employee relations, development and implementation of policies and procedures, recruiting and staffing support, country specific handbooks, and training initiatives. The ideal candidate will have proven international experience developing sustainable HR business strategies and managing the effective execution of those strategies. This is a full-time position based in Charleston, SC, that reports to the Director of Human Resources. A successful International HR Manager will:
- Provide guidance to field staff on international HR related matters including hiring, onboarding, separation/termination, performance evaluations, recruitment, compensation, benefits, employee relations, and organizational policy for all international Water Mission country programs
- Work with the HR Director to develop a global standard for core HR processes (interviewing, onboarding, offboarding, performance management, compensation reviews) and then deploy and manage compliance
- Select and directly manage up to 3 globally dispersed HR field staff
- Work with field HR and accounting staff to ensure proper administration of benefits, statutory requirements, payroll data, and ensure compliance with global employee data integrity standards
- Work with country programs to customize the Water Mission Global Employee Handbook with local laws and manage rollout
- Conduct annual compensation and benefit reviews and make recommendations for improvements
- Select and manage global HR consultants as directed
- Work with Country Directors, HR field staff, and local labor attorneys to draft standard employment contracts for all country programs
- Work with local labor attorneys and HR field staff to ensure compliance with national and international labor laws and statutory requirements
- Work with HR Director and country management teams to investigate, resolve, and document employee relations issues
- Maintain working relationships with international labor attorneys
- Manage external resources, including independent contractors, agencies, and vendors that support global HR initiatives
- Communicate effectively with a diverse, multi-cultural group of managers and staff to achieve organizational objectives
- Foster a culture of collaboration and engagement to drive team and ministry goals
- Work to improve systems and processes to better serve global staff
- Other duties as assigned
What is required?
- Personal and growing relationship with Jesus Christ
- 8 to 10 years of experience as an HR generalist and preferably at least 2 years of experience in international HR management working with developing countries
- Effective manager with at least three (5) years of experience leading professional staff
- Experience with managing remote, cross-cultural employees preferred
- Bachelor’s degree required; preferably in Human Resource Management, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or field relevant to HR; Master’s Degree preferred
- SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP certification a plus
- Project management experience involving concept development through implementation and measurement
- Demonstrated competence in employee benefits, compensation, employee relations, performance management, and human resource practices and related laws
- Excellent customer service skills with the ability to present information, make recommendations, and influence positively across various levels of the organization
- Fluency in English required; Spanish or French language proficiency is a plus
- Nonprofit experience preferred
- Ability to work independently and in a team environment
- Ability to travel internationally at least 3-4 weeks per year. International travel is typically 7-14 days at a time to developing countries and requires riding in long car rides on difficult terrain.
- Ability to excel in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities while remaining positive
- Ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines
- Ability and willingness to work outside of normal working hours to support global managers and HR staff in various time zones