Head of Human Resource

Job Description

CAREER WITH BRAC INTERNATIONAL

BRAC International is a leading non-profit organisation with a mission to empower people and communities in situations of poverty, illiteracy, disease, and social injustice. Founded in 1972, by Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, BRAC is the largest non-governmental development organisation in the world and is present in 15 countries across Asia and Africa today. BRAC designs proven, scalable solutions that equip people with the support and confidence they need to achieve their potential. BRAC’s institutional expertise in various programmes, including health, agriculture, microfinance, education, and youth empowerment.

BRAC International Holdings B.V. (BIHBV) was set up in 2010 as a private limited liability company under the laws of the Netherlands and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Stichting BRAC International (SBI). BIHBV is a socially responsible-profit organisation, engaging people in sustainable economic and income-generating activities. The core focus of BIHBV is to provide microfinance services to people, particularly women, living in poverty in rural and hard-to-reach areas to build their financial resilience and improve the quality of life for them and their families.

BRAC has been one of the pioneers of microfinance since it first started in 1974. BRAC first expanded its microfinance operations internationally in 2002 and now operates microfinance (MF) activities in 8 developing countries, over 1 million clients, 97% women, a loan portfolio of $277 mln+ and 70000+ staff, 87% women.

BRAC Microfinance Sierra Leone (SL) Limited BRAC Microfinance Sierra Leone Limited (BMSLL) is looking for a dynamic and strategic leader as the Head of Human Resources (Head of HR). The incumbent will be reporting to the Chief Executive Officer. The Head of HR provides strategic leadership and oversight of all human resource functions to support the organisation’s mission and long-term goals. The role ensures the attraction, retention, and development of critical talent, drives performance management, workforce planning, and succession strategies, and fosters a high-performing, inclusive, and values-driven culture across BMSLL. The Head of HR leverages HR analytics, technology, and data-driven insights to inform decision-making, ensure compliance with local labour laws, safeguarding standards, and organisational policies, and leads organisational change and capability-building initiatives. Acting as a trusted advisor to the Microfinance Management Team (MMT), the role enhances operational efficiency, strengthens workforce capability, and delivers measurable HR impact aligned with BMSLL’s strategic priorities.

The Head of HR will serve as a core member of the Country Management Team (CMT), which brings together the management teams of BMSLL and BRAC Sierra Leone NGO and work collaboratively with the NGO HR, BI HO HR and with Technical Leads from BRAC International Microfinance (BI MF) to align on cross-cutting initiatives reflecting BRAC’s holistic development approach and strengthening impact for poor and marginalised communities.

Position : Head of Human Resource

Number of Position : One (1)

Employment Type    : Full Time

Job Location : Country Office, Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic HR Leadership & Execution

• Develop and implement HR strategies aligned with organisational goals, mission, and growth plans.
• Lead talent acquisition, retention, and succession planning to ensure critical roles are filled with the right talent.
• Drive performance management, coaching, and leadership development initiatives to strengthen workforce capability.
• Lead organisational change, structure redesigns, and workforce planning to optimise efficiency and operational effectiveness.
• Benchmark compensation, benefits, and HR practices to maintain competitiveness and alignment with organisational objectives.

People & Organisational Management

• Set performance objectives, conduct appraisals, provide coaching and mentoring, and recognise high-performing staff.
• Implement the Performance Management System (PMS) and guide managers on goal setting, feedback, and reward calibration.
• Identify staff development needs, plan leave, and optimise workforce deployment for efficiency.
• Advise management on benefits, staff deployment, branch expansions, and coverage optimisation.
• Maintain engagement with frontline staff and managers to address people-related challenges effectively.

Learning & Development

• Develop and implement an annual Learning & Development (L&D) plan aligned with organisational strategy and operational priorities.
• Oversee the design and delivery of technical, leadership, and soft skills training programs for all levels of staff.
• Manage the annual L&D budget efficiently, ensuring optimal utilisation and measurable ROI.
• Conduct Training Needs Assessments (TNA) and deliver targeted capability-building interventions.
• Ensure active staff participation in learning programs, targeting at least 50% engagement annually.
• Identify critical staff development needs and lead initiatives to build organisational capability and leadership pipeline.
• Implement a training evaluation framework to measure learning impact, performance improvement, and knowledge application.

HR Analytics & Strategic Reporting

• Maintain up-to-date, accurate HR data and employee records through regular audits and supervisor follow-up.
• Generate quarterly HR analytics dashboards covering KPIs such as turnover, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), engagement, and training participation.
• Leverage HRIS and analytics tools to monitor workforce metrics, identify trends, and inform HR strategy.
• Produce quarterly workforce and HR reports to support executive decision-making and Board-level discussions.
• Benchmark compensation, benefits, and attrition to ensure market competitiveness and inform strategic HR planning.

Risk & Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with local labour laws, statutory requirements, and internal HR policies.
• Coordinate regular HR audits and ensure timely closure of identified gaps or issues.
• Consult with legal advisors, labour authorities, and regulatory bodies on employee-related matters as needed.
• Oversee and ensure compliance with all documentation for visitors and expatriate staff, including visas, air tickets, non-resident IDs, resident permits, and work permits.
• Liaise with relevant government and regulatory authorities to secure, renew, and maintain valid permits for both local and expatriate employees.

Culture & Change Enablement

• Foster an inclusive, values-driven culture aligned with BRAC’s mission and strategic objectives.
• Lead organisational change and transformation initiatives, including employee engagement and development programs.
• Champion diversity, equity, and inclusionacross all HR policies, practices, and workforce initiatives.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the primary HR liaison with BI MF Central HR team, BMSLL Board members, investors, and internal governance forums.
• Represent HR in key committees, including Microfinance Management Team (MMT), Operations, and Audit.
• Build and maintain strategic networks with external HR bodies, labour and immigration authorities, and financial institutions to benchmark and implement best practices.

Safeguarding:

• Establish a safeguarding culture by implementing the safeguarding policies, taking programme decisions with the do-no-harm principle, mitigating safeguarding risks and maintaining a safe working environment where staff feel encouraged to voice concerns without fear of retaliation.
• Ensure 100% of team members, partners and service providers have access to and receive mandatory training on the safeguarding policies and reporting channels.
• Report safeguarding incidents witnessed or experiences to the Safeguarding department. For known cases, maintain neutrality, be sensitive and non-judgemental to victims/survivors, and cooperate with organisational investigations providing accurate information as needed.

REQUIRED SKILLS/ COMPETENCIES:

• Strong knowledge of Sierra Leone’s HR regulatory framework, including the Employment Act and relevant labour laws, with the ability to monitor statutory changes and ensure compliant HR policies.
• Ability to partner strategically with the CEO and senior management.
• Strong stakeholder management, decision-making, and conflict resolution skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and familiarity with HRIS, data analytics tools, and digital HR platforms.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all organisational levels.

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s / Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Social Sciences, Organisational Development, Organisational Psychology, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive HR experience, with at least 5 years in senior HR leadership roles.
• Experience in Microfinance, financial inclusion or financial services preferred.
• Proven ability to support frontline operations and drive HR strategy in challenging contexts.
• Experience in West Africa will be an added advantage.

If you feel you are the right match for the above-mentioned position, please follow the application instructions accordingly:

External candidates: Apply directly through the link or email your CV with a letter of interest to recruitment.bi@brac.net

Internal candidates: are recommended to apply with their latest Resume including all job assignments in detail and a cover letter mentioning core competence and career aspiration with BRAC PIN and email to internal.bi@brac.net, copying their immediate reporting manager.

BRAC International is committed to gender equality and strongly encourages qualified female candidates to apply.

Please mention the name of the position in the subject bar. 

Only complete applications will be accepted and short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Application deadline: 28 March 2026