Director of People & Culture : Asar Social Impact Advisors Pvt. Ltd

Apply by 30th Nov 24

Asar Social Impact Advisors Pvt. Ltd Asar Social Impact Advisors works on social and environmental issues by conducting research, ground truthing, and understanding local contexts in order to build innovative strategies that are rooted in reality. Asar convenes conversations and helps build relationships between various stakeholders to be able to sustain collaborations essential to catalyze momentum and result in change.

Reports to: Chief of Planning & Strategy

Aim/ Purpose
As the Director of People & Culture at Asar, you will develop and lead people related strategies and systems, enabling individual, team, and organisational development.

Culture & Values
You will work closely with employees and management to build a cohesive culture that aligns with Asar’s shared values. You will

Facilitate ongoing alignment on Asar’s values and what they mean in practice

○ Build and strengthen a shared understanding of how Asar’s values can be communicated and reflected in our work
○ Carry out regular check ins and conversations to see where this is being done well and where support is needed
○ Identify areas of concern and lead the way in addressing them

Steer listening, learning, and action on culture related consensus areas: eg. decentralisation, learning, collaboration, free discussion, to help the team
○ Understand different perspectives on these areas
○ Co-create ways to build/ enhance Asar’s work culture to embody the consensus
○ Identify barriers and find ways to get past them Management

You will enable managers with the tools and capacities they need to manage their teams effectively and in line with Asar’s values & culture, balancing the flexibility needed for the diverse work teams do with a common set of good practices needed across the board.

You will

Work with managers, senior leadership, and external trainers to ensure that managers are able to deliver on common staff expectations listed below:
○ Clear articulation of goals, plans, and expectations
○ Autonomy to carry out day-to-day work
○ Support to carry out work, for learning goals, and through change
○ Clarity in decision-making; participation where possible
○ Space to debate and disagree
○ Timely sharing of information
○ Accountability for decisions made
○ Respect for work-life balance

• Design and run processes to understand evolving staff expectations and corresponding managerial needs
• Lead ongoing capacity enhancement for managers and leadership
• Facilitate conflict management and resolution between leadership/managers and staff (in line with general approach to conflicts as detailed in the Conflicts & Grievances section below)

Team-building & Staff Engagement
You will work closely with people across the organisation to find ways to keep the team connected, engaged, involved, and encouraged in the context of a remote working organisation.

You will

• Develop and execute strategies and tactics to improve work relationships and build team morale
• Implement different types of ongoing staff engagement
  ○ Work closely with Planning & Ops and other teams to make the most of formal meetings, both digital and in-person
  ○ Drive/nudge informal engagement online and offline
  ○ Use a combination of proven and innovative approaches to bring together people with different personalities, viewpoints, and working styles
  ● Create and run formal mechanisms to get and act on staff feedback on organisational systems and processes
  ● Share organisational information, including information on people & culture topics, with staff on time

Performance & Learning
You will work with the Organisation Development Manager, line managers, and staff to ensure the smooth running of performance and learning management processes. You will

• Oversee all processes related to performance management, including evolution of the processes themselves
• Help staff and managers identify role-specific learning needs
• Spot general capacity needs that will help staff improve their overall professional skills, and organise the right trainings

Recruitment, Onboarding, Offboarding, Succession Planning

You will support leadership and line managers with recruitment strategies, entry and exit of staff, and succession planning. You will

• Work with the leadership team to develop innovative recruitment strategies to meet Asar’s unique work and culture needs
• Direct onboarding and orientation for new staff, working with the Organisation

Development Manager
○ Standardise onboarding across the organisation

• Manage and conduct offboarding of staff, including exit interviews
  ○ Analyse data and make recommendations to leadership team for continuous improvement of staff experience and retention
• Work with leadership and Planning & Ops and other teams to develop robust  mechanisms for transfer of knowledge, skills, and relationships with a view towards succession planning

Conflicts & Grievances
You will support the leadership team and relevant working groups in developing, implementing, and improving Asar’s approach to conflict resolution and grievance redressal. You will

• Lead the way in developing and implementing multi-faceted approaches in order to strike a balance between resolving conflicts in line with Asar’s values and complying with legal requirements/ best practices from an HR perspective
• Build conflict resolution into the organisation’s work culture
• Design and run one or more grievance redressal mechanisms
  ○ Ensure compliance with statutory policies
  ○ Keep the mechanisms responsive to changing regulations as well as changing organisational needs

Compliance
You will ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements in all human resources and organisational development related areas, except finance. You will
● Keep abreast of applicable laws and regulations
● Create policies and procedures that make and keep Asar compliant with applicable laws and regulations
● Provide guidance and training to staff related to such policies and procedures
● Liaise with Asar’s legal advisors and other subject matter experts in various areas of compliance as needed

Candidate Attributes

You will
● Have a deep understanding of and interest in people and interpersonal dynamics
● Have a deep understanding of and interest in how organisations work and work cultures generally
● Have high emotional intelligence
● Be a keen and careful listener
● Be curious, observant, and reflective
● Be willing and quick to learn
● Be able to grasp complexities and adapt quickly
● Have some leadership experience.

Last date to apply is 30th November. Please send us your CV and cover letter at contact@asar.co.in