Job Title: Head Human Resources, Ecobank Rwanda
Reports to: Managing Director (Country); functional / matrix reporting to Regional and Group Human Resources
Location: Rwanda
Direct Reports: HR Manager, HR Business Partners and other HR team members in line with the approved organisation structure
JOB PURPOSE
The Head Human Resources is the Bank’s senior people leader and a member of the Executive Management team, responsible for translating business strategy into an integrated people, organisation and culture agenda. The role serves as a trusted adviser to the Managing Director, Executive Committee and leadership team on workforce strategy, organisation effectiveness, leadership, talent, performance, reward, employee relations, culture and people risk.
The role provides strategic leadership of the Human Resources function while ensuring disciplined execution of core HR operations and a consistent employee experience. It balances business growth and productivity priorities with strong governance, fair people practices, cost stewardship and long-term capability building.
In a regulated banking environment, the Head Human Resources is accountable for ensuring that people practices comply with applicable labour laws, banking and regulatory expectations, internal policies and Group standards. The role maintains effective engagement with internal and external assurance stakeholders, supports Board and management governance, and ensures that material people risks are identified, escalated and mitigated.
The role also connects the country organisation to Regional and Group Human Resources, ensuring alignment with enterprise-wide people priorities while adapting them appropriately to the local market and business context.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
People Strategy & Executive Business Partnership
• Develop and execute the country people strategy and annual HR priorities aligned to the Bank’s business strategy, financial objectives and Group people agenda.
• Advise the Managing Director, Executive Committee and senior leaders on organisation, workforce, leadership and people implications of business decisions.
• Provide forward-looking people insights, challenge constructively and translate business priorities into clear workforce actions and accountabilities.
• Act as the country interface with Regional and Group HR, ensuring alignment, timely escalation and effective implementation of Group initiatives.
Workforce Planning, Organisation Design & Productivity
• Lead strategic workforce planning, headcount governance, organisation design and role architecture to ensure the Bank has the right capabilities and cost structure to deliver its strategy.
• Partner with Finance and business leaders on people budgeting, staff cost management, productivity analysis and workforce optimisation.
• Review structures, spans of control, critical roles and capability requirements, and recommend changes that improve effectiveness, agility and accountability.
• Oversee succession risk and workforce continuity for business-critical and regulated roles.
Talent Acquisition, Succession & Leadership Development
• Ensure the Bank attracts, selects and retains high-quality talent, with particular focus on scarce, specialist, leadership and business-critical roles.
• Lead country talent reviews, succession planning, high-potential identification and development planning, with clear visibility of readiness and critical gaps.
• Strengthen leadership capability and management effectiveness through targeted development, coaching and succession interventions.
• Ensure recruitment and promotion decisions are merit-based, well-governed, market-informed and aligned to approved structures and compensation frameworks.
Performance, Compensation, Benefits & Reward
• Lead the Bank’s performance management cycle, ensuring clear objectives, appropriate differentiation, quality feedback, development actions and disciplined management of underperformance.
• Lead the Bank’s compensation and benefits agenda, ensuring alignment with Group frameworks, market competitiveness, affordability, internal equity and regulatory expectations.
• Oversee salary structures, job grading and evaluation, market benchmarking, annual salary reviews, promotions, retention adjustments and other compensation interventions.
• Advise the Managing Director and senior leadership on compensation decisions for leadership, specialist and business-critical roles, ensuring appropriate governance and consistency.
• Partner with Finance on staff-cost planning, compensation budgeting, cost-to-company analysis and assessment of the financial impact of reward decisions.
• Oversee employee benefits, including pension, insurance, medical and other reward programmes, ensuring competitiveness, sustainability and appropriate employee value.
• Monitor pay positioning, compression, internal equity and market gaps and recommend corrective action where required.
• Ensure appropriate approval authorities, controls and documentation for salary changes, exceptions and compensation decisions, and maintain a clear linkage between performance, reward, recognition and accountability.
Employee Relations, Culture & Employee Experience
• Shape and sustain a high-performance, ethical and inclusive culture aligned to the Bank’s values and conduct expectations.
• Oversee employee engagement, listening mechanisms and action planning, ensuring that feedback is converted into practical leadership and workplace improvements.
• Provide executive oversight of complex employee relations, grievances, disciplinary matters, exits and restructuring, ensuring fairness, consistency, legal compliance and appropriate documentation.
• Strengthen employee experience across the lifecycle while maintaining appropriate management discipline and accountability.
Governance, Regulatory Compliance & People Risk
• Ensure HR policies, procedures, decisions and records comply with applicable labour legislation, banking regulation, data protection requirements, internal controls and Group standards.
• Maintain oversight of HR risk registers, control issues, audit findings, regulatory commitments and remediation actions, with timely escalation of material people risks.
• Serve as the senior HR liaison for Internal Audit, Risk, Compliance, Legal and external/regulatory reviews on people-related matters.
• Ensure fit-and-proper, governance, succession, secondment, employment and other people-related regulatory requirements are appropriately managed where applicable.
• Oversee HR business continuity, confidentiality, data privacy and operational resilience arrangements.
Board, Management & Regulatory Reporting
• Prepare clear, accurate and decision-oriented people reports and papers for Executive Management, Board committees and other governance forums as required.
• Provide Board and management visibility on workforce trends, succession, talent, engagement, performance, staff cost, productivity, key people risks and material employee matters.
• Ensure people data and management information are reliable, reconciled and supported by appropriate controls and audit trails.
• Represent HR credibly in meetings with regulators, auditors and other external stakeholders when required.
HR Operations, Data & Service Delivery
• Provide overall leadership and control of payroll, HRIS, employee records, onboarding, offboarding, leave, benefits administration and other core HR operations.
• Ensure HR service delivery is timely, accurate, employee-focused and supported by clear processes, controls, service standards and segregation of duties.
• Drive continuous improvement, digitisation and simplification of HR processes while preserving appropriate control standards.
• Use people analytics and management information to identify trends, anticipate risks and support evidence-based decisions.
HR Team Leadership
• Lead, coach and develop the HR team, setting clear priorities, accountabilities and service standards.
• Build strong HR business partnering capability and ensure the team operates as one integrated function rather than separate administrative silos.
• Create effective delegation, succession and continuity within HR so the function remains resilient and responsive.
• Model sound judgement, confidentiality, integrity, courage, collaboration and professional independence.
JOB PROFILE
Key Skills & Competencies
• Strong commercial and strategic HR leadership with the ability to connect people priorities to business growth, productivity, risk and financial outcomes.
• Executive presence and credibility to advise, influence and challenge senior leaders, Board stakeholders and control functions constructively.
• Strong knowledge of contemporary HR practice across workforce planning, organisation design, talent, performance, reward, employee relations and culture.
• Strong compensation and benefits capability, including salary structures, job grading, market benchmarking, benefits management, staff-cost analysis and reward governance.
• Sound understanding of governance, operational risk, internal controls and regulatory expectations in a banking or other regulated financial services environment.
• Excellent judgement in complex and sensitive people matters, with high levels of integrity, confidentiality and professional independence.
• Strong analytical capability and ability to convert people and financial data into concise management insights and recommendations.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication and change leadership skills in a matrixed and multicultural environment.
• Ability to balance strategic leadership with disciplined execution and to build a high-performing HR team.
Qualifications & Experience
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Management, Psychology, Law or a related discipline. A relevant postgraduate qualification is desirable but not mandatory.
• Recognised professional HR certification (e.g., CIPD, SHRM or equivalent) is an advantage.
• Typically 8+ years of progressive HR experience, including significant experience leading an HR function or a broad HR portfolio at senior management level.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with executive leadership and managing complex people, organisation and governance matters.
• Experience in banking, financial services or another highly regulated sector is strongly preferred; candidates from other sectors should demonstrate clear experience operating in a comparable governance and risk environment.
• Experience working within a regional, multinational or matrix organisation is an advantage.
• Strong knowledge of applicable labour legislation and employment practices in the country of operation.
Success Measures
• Delivery of agreed people strategy and workforce priorities against business objectives.
• Quality and timeliness of succession, talent and workforce planning for critical roles.
• Improvement in employee engagement, leadership effectiveness and organisational capability.
• Effective staff cost and headcount management, with clear productivity visibility.
• High-quality performance management and appropriate management of underperformance.
• Accuracy, timeliness and integrity of HR operations, payroll and people data.
• Timely closure of HR audit, risk and regulatory actions with no material control breaches.
• Quality of HR advice and stakeholder confidence across management, Board and Group/Regional HR.
