About this role

Our ideal candidate brings:

Battle scars: You’ve run a large portfolio at scale, with a complex architecture. You know what breaks at 1,000 people, 5,000 people, and beyond - because you've lived through it.
The ability to speak "Finance" and "Legal": You don't just speak HR. You can sit across from our CFO to debate payroll, audit footprints, and multi-country compliance risks without skipping a beat.
Systems-first thinking: You don't look at HR as a series of administrative tasks. You see it as an interconnected engine where data integrity, localized labor laws, and smooth logistics directly unlock our global impact.
Trust and care: You care deeply about the humans at BURN, and you earn the trust of everyone around you through putting people over results.

Key responsibilities: Owned directly

People Helpdesk. Run a single front door for employee and manager HR queries, with tracking, response standards and escalation routes.
Recruitment sits with Talent.
Training content is built by Learning & Development; this role defines what operational training is needed.
HR data architecture and systems sit with Data & Systems; this role keeps records accurate at source.
Payroll processing sits with Payroll; this role provides accurate inputs.
Commission-based agents sit with the Agents team.

What this role does not cover

Clear boundaries keep this role focused on employees and casuals.
Experience in a social enterprise or high-growth company.
Experience implementing an HRIS or moving HR processes onto digital platforms.
Experience with ISO management systems or lender environmental and social requirements.

Desirable

French or Portuguese.
Fluent English and willingness to travel occasionally.
Experience leading a team spread across several countries.
Experience designing and rolling out standard HR processes across countries.
A track record of handling labour inspections, HR audits and complex employee relations cases.
Experience with manufacturing, factory or other large shift-based workforces, including casual and fixed-term workers.
Deep knowledge of Kenyan employment law and working knowledge of employment law in other African markets.
Knows when and how to leverage AI tools to automate processes and enhance output.
Strong data discipline: confident in Excel and insistent on accurate employee records.
8+ years of experience, including 4+ years in a leadership position.
IHRM membership (Kenya).

Essential

Team leadership

Lead the HR Operations Team.
Work with Learning & Development so every new or changed policy comes with training.

Policy and documentation

Maintain the HR policy suite and its country annexes, and run policy sign-off for all employees.
Engage casual workers compliantly: contract form, duration limits and statutory obligations.
Ensure statutory employment compliance across all ten markets, working with Payroll on statutory deductions.
Keep BURN ready for labour inspections and audits, including ISO and lender environmental and social requirements.

Employee relations and compliance

Oversee employee relations, disciplinary and grievance cases, escalating disputes to in-house legal and external counsel.
Performance processes, including check-ins and annual reviews, delivered on time with clean data.
Accurate, complete employee records and documentation in every market.

Employee lifecycle

Contracting of new employees, onboarding, probation and contract management, leave management and offboarding.
In-country HR standardisation. Replace market-by-market practice with one group process set, with country annexes only where local law differs.

Check how your CV matches this job

Head of HR Operations