Creative Associates

Overview

Position Location: El Salvador

Background: 

Creative Associates International is a fast-growing, social impact company that specializes in the areas of education, economic growth, democratic transitions, and stabilization in post-conflict environments. Based in Chevy Chase, Maryland (within the DC metro area), this global development organization has a field presence in more than 25 countries and a strong client portfolio that includes the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department. Since its founding in 1977 by four enterprising women, Creative has earned a solid reputation among its clients and is well-regarded by competitors and partners alike. 

Project Summary: The USAID-funded El Salvador Local Governance Activity will aim to support local governance in municipal consolidation, municipal financial sustainability, citizen engagement, improved service delivery (including safety and security) and address climate change and urbanization challenges.

Position Summary: The Human Resources (HR) Manager leads HR practices and objectives that will provide a high-performance team culture that emphasizes employee engagement, performance management, and the recruitment and ongoing professional development of project staff. The HR Manager is responsible for the maintenance of processes and metrics that support the achievement of the project’s goals which includes ensuring compliance with Creative and donor/client human resources policies, procedures, and regulations. 

Reporting & Supervision: 

The HR Manager will liaise regularly with the HQ - HR Associate Director or designee on related projects and corporate HR matters. 

Responsibilities

Primary Responsibilities: 

• Manages HR office operations ensuring compliance with Creative and client HR rules and regulations.
• Leads/coordinates the entire employment cycle, including the recruitment process, finalization of job descriptions, advertisement of vacancies, reviews and sourcing of applicants, scheduling and conducting interviews alongside project senior management, checking candidate references and in-country vetting processes, and collecting new hire documents.
• Partners with program staff to understand skills and requirements for targeting successful candidates, filter candidates to propose a pool of highly qualified applicants 
• Responsible for the onboarding and orientation of newly employed staff. 
• Supports the team in analyzing HR local trends and benefits to recommend competitive solutions to attract quality candidates. 
• Collaborates with project leadership in developing succession plans if applicable 
• Leads the development of employee retention programs and embeds diversity and inclusion into talent, learning, recruitment, engagement 
• Manages the onboarding and orientation of new hires 
• Responsible for staying up to date on local labor laws and effectively managing changes within the project to ensure HR compliance 
• Responsible for developing employment agreements according to local labor laws, including registering agreements with required institutions if applicable 
• Manages local benefits enrollment and ensures all inquiries and challenges employees face regarding their insurance are handled on time 
• Provides information and advice to project staff regarding HR policies and procedures 
• Coordinates the performance evaluation process 
• Responsible for coordinating staff training and establishing staff development plans based on staff appraisals and evaluations. 
• Leads and supports learning and development initiatives for the Youth Advisory Group (YAG) 
• Receives and logs various grievances or complaints from employees; consults with HQ-HR Operations Manager and legal counsel regarding complex cases and provides recommendations and potential solutions before forwarding complaints to management for review. 
• Provides oversight on updating personnel files and other related HR documents, including employment agreements, amendments, timesheets, calendar holidays, and leaves. 
• Provide information as required by Compliance Officers/Auditors during audits. 
• Prepare and provide new employee documents containing Creative rules and regulations. 
• Process and compile employee records confidentially and accurately in files and electronically 
• Ensure individual employees fill in and submit timesheets on time and reconcile with information on leave Forms. 
• Perform other duties as assigned. 

Qualifications

Required Skills & Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration or a related field 
• At least five (5) years of progressively responsible HR experience 
• Demonstrated commitment to staff development, retention, diversity, equity, and inclusion. 
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. 
• Excellent record-keeping and documentation skills. 
• Familiarity with donor/client rules and regulations. 
• Familiarity with local employment law. 
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office. 
• Verbal and written working proficiency in English; Fluency in Spanish is required.
• Candidate must be authorized to work in El Salvador. 

Only finalists will be contacted. No phone calls, please. 

Creative Associates International Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer (gender/race/disability/veteran) and provides equal opportunity to all individuals regardless of their race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state, federal, or local law. Please view Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Posters provided by OFCCP here.