Human Resources Officer Full Time NEW

1/ CONTEXT AND MISSION

A/ About Expertise France

Expertise France is the public agency for the design and implementation of international technical cooperation projects, a member of the AFD Group. The Agency intervenes around four priority areas:

• Democratic, economic and financial governance.
• Peace, stability and security.
• Climate, agriculture and sustainable development.
• Health and Human Development.

In these areas, Expertise France carries out engineering and implementation missions for capacity building projects, mobilizes technical expertise as well as a project coordinator involving public expertise and private know-how.

With a turnover of €450 million in 2024 and more than 350 ongoing projects in 140 countries of intervention, Expertise France is the leading public agency for French international technical cooperation.

B/ Expertise France in Ethiopia

With more than 120 million inhabitants, hosting the African Union headquarter, Ethiopia is a key country on the continent. In recent years, the country has seen a constant strengthening of its bilateral cooperation with France and benefits from the largest European programme in sub-Saharan Africa.

This has resulted in an increase of more than 140% in the Agency’s portfolio in 2024, which now stands at €32 million and is expected to exceed €45 million by the end of the year. The country is also home to two strategic regional projects in education and heritage, and a team of 3 ITE, which is being reinforced by 6 additional ITE.

The Expertise France country team should increase to nearly 50 people.

To support this development, the Agency has decided to structure a country directorate and a project support unit in Addis Ababa, as of September 2025.

C/ Position and Reporting Line

Based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the position of Human Resources Officer is under the direct reporting of the Support Services Coordinator (SSC) of the Project Support Unit (PSU).

The managerial report line is: SSC / Country Director / Geographical Department / Operations Department.

In addition, the position of Human Resources Officer is more broadly part of the HR Department of Expertise France, which is supervised and functionally managed by the HR Department (International unit) based in Paris, France.

The PSU is made up of four departments: the Procurement and contract, Logistics, Administration and Finance and Human Resources; necessary for the implementation of projects. The HR Officer will therefore collaborate internally with the PSU team and the project teams of the PSU portfolio.

The HR Officer will not be supervising staff.

2/ JOB DESCRIPTION

Coordinate employee-related activities with the third-party employer

• Monitor the employment contracts of national staff and their compliance with national labour law (renewal, extension, termination, etc.) in conjunction with the third-party employer
• Supervise the proper execution of employment contracts by the third-party employer
• Develop a comprehensive tool for monitoring variables for national staff (salaries, bonuses, taxes, payroll costs, paid leave, variable pay, etc.) and monitor its application by the third-party employer
• Control the accuracy of the third-party employer’s invoicing in relation to the services provided
• Ensure that tax and contribution declarations and payments are made to the relevant authorities by the third-party employer
• Collect, check and archive all documentation from the third-party employer and update each employee’s file on a monthly basis

Structuring of the HR department and the PSU

• Structure the office’s HR department, particularly in terms of procedures related to the Support Functions Coordinator (« CFT » in French) and the HR department’s international division
• Support employees from all departments in understanding HR issues
• Ensure that the HR policy defined by Expertise France and all HR-related procedures are known and followed by the national team, suggesting adjustments if necessary
• Ensure access to the intranet (database and training centre) for all relevant staff
• Support the analysis of the implementation of direct employment contracts

Advising and supporting operational staff and managers

• Advising and supporting managers on various HR issues (labour law, training, recruitment, employment contracts, working hours, integration of new recruits, appraisal interviews, career management/mobility, remuneration, management of staff representatives, disciplinary or dismissal procedures, etc.)
• Ensure that operational staff comply with all HR procedures
• Provide projects with budgetary information relating to human resources in order to facilitate budget monitoring

Human Resources management

• Ensure compliance with local labour law and suggest adjustments if necessary
• Draft local procedures for the HR management of employees provided by the third-party employer, in accordance with the local regulatory framework and EF rules)
• Support operational managers by coordinating all recruitment of national staff (supporting in drafting job descriptions, validating salary conditions, distributing recruitment notices, supervising the organisation of tests and interviews, ensuring follow-up to the candidates)
• Centralise the information and documents required for the preparation, monitoring and signing of employment contracts and forward them to the third-party employer
• Regularly update employee files using the PSU’s digital filing system and create physical personnel files in accordance with local regulations
• Propose social protection schemes (supplementary health/life insurance) and/or validate the schemes proposed by the third-party employer
• Organise the induction of new employees (integration, briefing, equipment and supplies requirements, office life, etc.)
• Monitor working hours and absences
• Send payroll variables to the third-party employer and check the individual payslips issued by the service provider
• Provide technical support to managers in terms of teams’ management (monitoring/supporting goal setting, individual appraisals, support with disciplinary procedures, etc.)
• Identify collective and individual training needs and draw up a training and skills development plan, in conjunction with the HR department’s Training division
• Regularly update the team’s organisational chart and ensure that job descriptions are up to date
• Participate in the preparation of audits (gathering of documents) with the person in charge of audits
• Ensure regular HR reporting locally and with the HR department’s international division, based on HR indicators monitored by EF and the AFD Group

HR support for expatriate staff

• Organise the local onboarding and administrative briefing of expatriate staff, in conjunction with the International Mobility team of the HR department in Paris
• Ensure the administrative management of the Agency’s expatriate staff and any necessary procedures with the authorities (files, visas, plane tickets, etc.)

Cross-functional activities

• Ensure, lead and facilitate internal communication within the team, acting as an interface between management and employees (drafting and distributing memos, intranet, HR newsletters, information brochures, collaborative spaces, etc.)
• Ensure compliance with the rules of conduct within the Agency’s office teams.
• Maintain a positive social climate and develop a corporate culture by actively and confidentially listening to employees and participating in their development.
• Propose the organisation of events.
• Identify individual risk situations for all staff present and report them to the SSC
• Ensure the archiving of all HR documentation for national staff.

This job description may be subject to changes depending on the evolution of the agency’s activities and the need to adapt to them.

Furthermore, the content of the activities is not exhaustive and you may be asked to perform other tasks related to your area of expertise and in line with your workload.

3/ EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS

• Employee contract under local law, via a third-party employer company
• Duration of the contract: Fixed-term contract of six months renewable with the possibility of renewal or extension and/or perpetuation before the end of the contract depending on the performance evaluation and available budget.
• Job Location: Addis Ababa
• Start date: 15 December 2025

Qualifications and experience

• Advanced university degree in Human Resources, Administration, or a related field
• At least 2–3 years of experience in a similar HR or administrative position
• Minimum 2–3 years of relevant experience in the field of international cooperation or development.
• Good knowledge of donor rules and compliance requirements is an asset

Competencies and technical skills

• Strong work ethic, rigor, and excellent organizational skills
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines
• Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills
• High level of adaptability and flexibility in multicultural environments
• Proficiency in standard office and accounting software (MS Office suite or equivalent)
• Excellent written and spoken English; Proficiency in French is a strong asset.