The Senior Employee Relations Manager is responsible for formulating and implementing Employee Relations and Wellness HR strategies. The role involves advising on complex employee matters, ensuring compliance with labor laws, managing disciplinary and grievance processes, coordinating investigations, and safeguarding the bank from legal and reputational risks.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategy Formulation: Formulate input to the Employee Relations and Wellness HR Strategy relating to own HR Area.
- Policy Implementation: Implement the Group HR Policies, procedures and processes relating to own HR area (refer to the Policy Execution Matrix) and provide staff and line management with guidance on matters arising thereof.
- Employee Advisory: Advise on complex employee matters, including disciplinary processes, grievances, investigations, and dispute resolution, while safeguarding the organization against legal and reputational risk.
- Investigations Support: In liaison with the Forensic Department and/or other concerned Departments, line management and staff, investigate or coordinate the investigation of staff cases relating to disciplinary and grievance matters and see to their conclusion and/or determination.
- Separation Management: Manage staff separation procedures and communication, ensuring that internal policies and related statutory requirements are observed and fulfilled.
- Litigation Management: Internally manage lawsuits filed against the Bank involving former staff. This includes liaising with the internal legal department for technical legal advice/guidance, collating appropriate case documentation and evidence, and contacting witnesses to corroborate the organization’s legal position.
- Stakeholder Management: Manage and maintain relationships with internal and external customers, stakeholders, and suppliers relating to own HR Area, including Heads of HR Departments, Survey Consultants, Trade Unions/Committees, medical, wellness, and industry bodies (e.g., Kenya Bankers Association, Federation of Kenya Employers), lawyers, Functional Directors, Heads of Departments, Branch Managers, staff, and line managers.
- Reporting & Documentation: Prepare substantive management papers, reports, recommendations, opinions, briefs, presentations, proposals, and meeting minutes relating to own HR area.
- Secretariat Support: Provide secretarial support for business and/or staff committees, schemes, initiatives, or forums relating to own HR Area (e.g., Disciplinary and Grievance Handling Committees, Job Description Document Appeals Committees, Union/Management Meetings, Staff Visits, and Engagement Forums).
- Data Integrity: Maintain accurate and consistent data, records, and statistics relating to own HR area.
Minimum Position Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized university (Required).
- Professional qualification in HR: (Certificate, Diploma, Higher Diploma, or Postgraduate Diploma in HR – general or specialized) (Required).
- Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management or a Business-related field is an added advantage.
- Minimum of 7 years’ progressive experience in Human Resources or a related field.
Mandatory Experience Areas
Candidates must demonstrate strong, proven hands-on experience in the following areas:
- Performance Management (Minimum 2 years)
- Employee & Industrial Relations (Minimum 4 years)
- Disciplinary & Grievance Handling (Minimum 4 years)
- Labour Law (Minimum 4 years)
- People Risk Management (Minimum 2 years)
- People Management (Minimum 3 years)
- Relationship Management (Minimum 4 years)
