Senior Manager – People & Culture

Job Title: Senior Manager – People & Culture

Reporting To: Chief Executive Officer

Location: Nairobi

Contract Term: One-Year Renewable Contract

Introduction to Generation

Generation is one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing global demand-driven youth employment programs, providing young adults with the opportunity to launch successful careers and change their life trajectories. We recruit, train, and place diverse adults of all ages — whether unemployed or underemployed — into careers that would otherwise be beyond their reach.

We started with a focus on youth, who are keen to launch their careers from non-traditional pathways (e.g. youth with no higher educational qualifications and require support to mitigate challenges due to socioeconomic backgrounds, individuals seeking to enter professions where their profile is traditionally underrepresented), and have now expanded to mid-career workers seeking jobs in demand (e.g. workers who have been displaced potentially due to automation or economic downturn, rejoining caretakers who have been out of the workforce for a significant amount of time).

Our goal is to deliver for job seekers and employers simultaneously: supporting the individual’s personal and financial well-being, while helping businesses acquire entry-level hires who have higher productivity, are of higher quality, are retained longer, and are faster to promotion than peers.

To date, Generation is active in 17 countries: the USA, Kenya, Brazil, Spain, Mexico, India, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, the UK, France, Italy, Ireland, Thailand, Chile, Colombia, and Ghana, with plans of expanding to a few more countries.

Since launching in May 2015, Generation Kenya has trained over 35,736 candidates across 6 different industries. 85% of whom have been placed in meaningful employment with our over 350+ employer partners. We currently train for entry-level roles in three sectors: Customer Service and Sales, Skilled Trades, and digital jobs.

Driven by our vision, “a meaningful career and sustained well-being for every person anywhere in the world,” and mission “we transform education to employment systems to prepare, place and support people into life-changing careers that would otherwise be inaccessible,” we aim to address the skills gap that hinders growth in the formal sector.

Job purpose:

The purpose of this role is to advance Generation Kenya’s people strategy by leading workforce planning, talent growth, and efficient HR operations. It collaborates with the Senior Management Team to ensure staffing, career development, and compensation align with the organization’s strategic objectives. The role is responsible for implementing People & Culture policies, promoting an inclusive and high-performing work environment, and overseeing core HR functions, including recruitment, onboarding, compliance, performance management, and learning, to shape a resilient and adaptable workforce prepared for the future.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Workforce Planning Support and Analytics

  • Work with the Senior Management Team (SMT) to develop workforce plans by analyzing current staffing levels, future needs, and providing relevant data to inform strategic planning.
  • Work with SMT to understand staffing requirements based on Generation Kenya’s 5-year strategic plan.
  • Establish and maintain a People & Culture dashboard and KPIs to track workforce trends, retention, and effectiveness of human resource-related initiatives.

Policy Implementation and Process Improvement

  • Implement People & Culture policies, procedures, and practices across functions in line with organizational priorities
  • Recommend and execute operational improvements to enhance efficiency and legal compliance
  • Provide input to SMT on policy updates for best practice and legal compliance
  • Oversee HRIS management and digital transformation initiatives within the function

Recruitment and Employee Lifecycle Management

  • Manage end-to-end recruitment process, ensuring fair, transparent, and merit-based hiring practices that attract and select the best talent
  • Coordinate onboarding and orientation initiatives to ensure new staff integration
  • Oversee offboarding procedures, compile exit interview insights with the Employee Resource Group (ERG), and identify improvement opportunities

Employee Relations & Culture

  • Serve as a resource for managers and staff on day-to-day People & Culture matters, including conflict resolution and employee well-being
  • Provide coaching to mid-level managers on performance management and upholding organizational processes and values
  • Work with line managers and ERG to promote an inclusive workplace culture through engagement initiatives and recognition programs

Compliance and Risk Management

  • Ensure HR operations comply with labour laws and employment regulations.
  • Maintain employee documentation and records per legal requirements.
  • Liaise with legal advisors where applicable on HR compliance matters.
  • Conduct internal training and refreshers on HR policies and Generation Tier One policies, in collaboration with function leads.

Learning Culture and Performance Management

  • Support the execution of learning and development plans by identifying growth opportunities with managers
  • Facilitate performance review processes, ensuring consistency in documentation and follow-up
  • Assist in embedding a learning culture by developing and cascading training materials.

Career Development and Succession Planning

  • Oversee the organization’s job evaluation process to ensure internal equity and external competitiveness.
  • Develop and maintain organization-wide career progression frameworks for various job families and functions.
  • Design tools and processes to support employees in understanding and navigating career development opportunities.
  • Drive the implementation of succession planning and internal promotion pipelines aligned with career path structures.

Budget & Stakeholder Management

  • Manage the People & Culture budget and oversee relationships with external service providers
  • Partner with leadership on workforce-related budget planning and change management initiatives

Any other responsibilities may be assigned from time to time.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Knowledge, Qualifications, and Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree in human resources, social sciences, or related fields
  • CHRP-K or IHRM
  • Minimum of 7 years in a similar role
  • Experience in leading and implementing a Job Evaluation process
  • Experience in working directly with executive leadership
  • Experience in developing and implementing career pathways

Core Technical and Behavioral Competencies

  • Strong understanding of employment laws and regulations.
  • Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and conflict resolution skills.
  • Experience implementing inclusive workplace practices and creating environments where all employees can contribute effectively
  • Strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities.
  • Demonstrated ability to foster a positive organizational culture
  • Strong coaching and leadership development skills.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and HR software.
  • Analytical skills
  • Negotiating skills

Key Working Relationships

  • All Generation Programme Kenya (GPK) employees
  • The GPK Board

INTERESTED candidates, please submit your applications to genkcareers@generation.org, attaching your latest resume and cover letter. The deadline for submissions is 8th July 2025. Kindly indicate in the Email subject: Senior Manager – People & Culture. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Equal Opportunities: Generation is committed to fair employment practices and equal opportunities for all. We make all employment decisions based on merit, qualifications, and job-related criteria. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and ensure our hiring process is free from discrimination. Generation does not ask for payment from job applicants at any stage of the hiring process. If you have any specific queries, please feel free to contact us at genkcareers@generation.org.

To report instances of fraud or unethical business practices by any of our staff, vendors, or mobilisers, please reach out on this link for our Ethics hotline and/or the executive leadership team at kenyasmt@generation.org.

About Generation

Generation is a global employment nonprofit network that supports people to achieve economic mobility so they can change their lives. We train and place adults into careers that would otherwise be inaccessible and seek to improve how education to employment systems function. Generation launched in 2015 and consists of a global hub and a network of in-country affiliates that span countries. To date, Generation has more than graduates who have earned more than in wages, and works with more than employers, implementation partners, and funders.