JOB DESCRIPTION
Title: Associate Director, People and Culture, Kenya
Reports to: Country Director, Kenya, with a functional link to the global People and Culture function
Employment Type: Full-time
About Impact Water
Want to help make safe drinking water a reality for every student, everywhere?
Impact Water is a nonprofit that provides point-of-use water treatment systems and safe water education to public schools in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. Today, we support more than 24 million students in over 60,000 schools.
Our model is simple and practical. We install point-of-use water treatment systems in schools, keep them resupplied, and maintain them so they keep working year after year. Our field teams visit schools regularly to train teachers on safe water practices, check that water is actually being treated, and teach students why they should only drink treated water.
We work closely with national and subnational governments, and over the next five years we are supporting them to take greater ownership of safe water in their schools, from budgeting and procurement to delivery and monitoring. Our goal is for every public school in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda to have safe drinking water by 2030, provided as a routine government service.
Position Overview
The Associate Director, People and Culture is Impact Water Kenya's senior people leader and a member of the Kenya leadership team. The role owns Kenya's people strategy and HR operations, leads the People and Culture team, and advises the Country Director on workforce, organisational and employment-law risk. This is an individual contributor role at present, with scope to take on line management responsibility for a People Operations Officer as our people function grows.
In the near term, the role is accountable for hiring, onboarding and retaining great Field Agents in every sub-county where we operate, on time and to a consistently high standard. In parallel, it is responsible for building the HR foundations that keep a growing, field-based team fair, compliant and well led: pay structures, performance management, policies and records, employee relations and leadership development.
Kenya is rebuilding its team now, so the Associate Director has a clear mandate from the first day: to run Kenya's HR end to end, to set the technical direction for people practice in the programme, and recommend systems that work. The role works alongside the global People and Culture function, which sets standards across Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda. The Associate Director applies those standards in accordance with Kenyan law and operations, and moves first where a global standard is not yet ready.
Field Agent hiring is the largest and most urgent part of the role, and it comes first. In the first six months, expect hiring and onboarding to take most of the team's capacity, led from the front by you, while the wider foundations are set up in parallel, building on the job profiles, and existing hiring process. As hiring stabilizes, the role shifts from delivery to leadership and system-building: performance, compliance, employee relations and staff development.
Key Responsibilities
Own Field Agent Hiring & Onboarding
Be accountable for Field Agent hiring: Take accountability for Impact Water hiring great Field Agents in all sub-counties where we operate, and for meeting hiring timelines. Set the hiring plan against programme needs, assign work across the team, and run every vacancy through a single tracker
Improve Field Agent hiring: Work with the Operations Department to make the process faster and fairer while continuously raising the quality of new recruits. Refine interview and assessment exercises, offer templates, and track time to hire the agents
Recruit across the Kenya team: Support and oversee hiring for new roles while working with hiring managers on job profiles, selection and offers. Approve offers within agreed grades and pay bands
Improve employee onboarding: Build and manage the onboarding and orientation programme with the global People and Culture function, so that every new hire has a positive, well-organized start, with contracts, induction, equipment and probation plans in place from day one
Protect the integrity of hiring: Ensure recruitment is transparent, documented and free of favoritism, with clear selection criteria and conflict-of-interest checks
Lead the People & Culture Function
People strategy: Develop and own Kenya's people strategy and annual workplan, covering workforce planning, hiring, performance, development and culture
Leadership across the organisation: Lead the people agenda for all Impact Water Kenya staff. Coach and equip managers to lead their teams well, set clear standards for how we manage and support people, and role-model the behaviours we expect. Build trust so that staff see People and Culture as a credible, fair and approachable partner, and document systems and processes so that the function never depends on one person
Budget and resources: Prepare and manage the People and Culture budget, including recruitment, in-house training, benefits and HR systems, and keep costs controlled without compromising quality or compliance
Advise leadership: Advise the Country Director and the leadership team on workforce planning, organisational design and people risks, and contribute to decisions that affect staff across the programme
Represent Impact Water: Act as the organisation's main contact with labour officers, statutory bodies and recruitment partners where needed
Build & Run the HR Operating System
Run Kenya HR end to end: Oversee the full employee cycle in Kenya, from offer to exit, through the team: contracts, leave, benefits and health insurance, payroll inputs (working with Finance on PAYE, NSSF, SHIF and the Housing Levy), and offboarding
Performance management: Review and implement the existing performance system, including scorecards, probation reviews, quarterly check-ins and annual calibration, and hold managers accountable for using it
HR strategies, policies and structures: Lead the development and review of new and existing HR policies, processes and structures. Review and operationalise the staff handbook and all requisite policies, and set up the systems that make them work in practice
Compliance and records: Advise on Kenyan labour law and regulations, including the Employment Act and the Data Protection Act, and be accountable for contracts, policies and personnel files that are compliant and audit-ready. Make sure staff know and follow our HR policies
Employee relations and discipline: Set clear criteria and procedures for disputes, grievances and discipline. Establish and convene a disciplinary committee, handle escalated and sensitive cases including investigations, and manage legal and reputational risk
Develop Our People & Culture
Leadership development: Design first-time manager training and coaching
Build employee skills: Advise on and oversee employee training programmes that respond to gaps identified through performance reviews
Culture and engagement: Define the behaviours and values we expect from every team member and keep them visible in how we hire, recognise and manage people. Listen to field and office staff through pulse surveys, exit interviews and regular check-ins, and act on what you learn
People data and reporting: Maintain accurate people data, and report regularly to the Country Director and the global team on headcount, hiring progress, attrition, performance and open employee relations risks
Partner with the Global Team
Apply global standards locally: Work with the global People and Culture function so that HR services are implemented consistently across Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda. Adapt global standards and tools to Kenyan law and operations, and flag gaps
Move first where needed: Where a global standard is not yet ready, develop Kenya's own version, share what works, and help shape the standards used in other countries
Required Qualifications
Experience & Track Record
At least 7-8 years of progressive experience in human resources or People and Culture, including at least 3 years leading an HR function or team
At least 2 years leading high-volume or field-based recruitment
Proven experience building or overhauling HR systems in a growing organisation, including performance management and policy frameworks
Experience handling complex grievances, investigations and disciplinary processes, including legal escalation
Experience preparing and managing a budget and advising senior leadership
Skills & Competencies
Strategic judgement: Sees the whole programme, anticipates people risks early, and gives the Country Director clear, well-reasoned advice
Leadership and accountability: Sets direction, builds and develops a team, delegates effectively and takes responsibility for results
High integrity and discretion: Handles confidential information and sensitive cases with sound judgement, fairness and strong ethical standards
Builder mindset: Comfortable creating systems where few exist, and able to deliver practical solutions quickly without losing sight of quality
Influence and communication: Builds trust and influences at every level, from field staff to senior leaders and external bodies, in writing and in person
Cost-consciousness: Uses budgets, time and other resources carefully while maintaining quality
Resilience and adaptability: Works effectively in a fast-paced, changing environment and stays focused on results
Strong people-management, coaching and delegation skills
Strong written, verbal, interpersonal and presentation skills, with sound personal and professional judgement
Willingness to travel to field locations as needed
Knowledge & Network
A bachelor's degree in Human Resource Management, Business Administration, Social Sciences or a related field
Strong working knowledge of Kenyan employment law and statutory requirements, including contracts, discipline, termination, payroll deductions and data protection/safeguarding
Preferred Qualifications
A postgraduate qualification
A Higher Diploma in HR or membership of the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM Kenya)
Experience in a non-profit, development or multi-country organisation
Experience managing a dispersed or field-based workforce
Compensation & Benefits
Competitive salary, commensurate with experience
Health insurance for you and up to three dependents
21 days of paid time off (PTO)
Career growth and professional development opportunities
Regular performance feedback and learning opportunities
The opportunity to contribute to improving access to safe drinking water for schoolchildren
Location & Travel
This position is based in Nairobi, Kenya. Regular travel to field sites and sub-county hiring locations will be required, particularly during hiring waves, and the successful candidate should be comfortable with extended field trips, long working days when required, and varying transport and road conditions. Target start date: January 2027.
Reporting Structure
The Associate Director, People and Culture reports to the Country Director, Kenya and has a functional link to the global People and Culture function. The role works closely with the Operations Department and Finance Department and other departmental leads. It requires discretion, clear communication, reliable follow-through and the ability to build trust across a geographically dispersed team.
Application Process
To apply, please submit an application here. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Impact Water is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, particularly those with lived experience in our countries of operation.
