Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action โ helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Now, and for the future.
The Program / Department / Team (Program / Department Summary)
Mercy Corps is present in the DRC since August 2007 with a current workforce of more than 300 national and expatriate employees and operational presence in Goma and Beni (North Kivu Province), in Bunia (Ituri Province), and in Tshikapa, Kalonda West and Ndjoko Punda (Kasai Province), and representation in the capital city, Kinshasa. As a leading NGO in DRC working with more than 40 partners in 2024, Mercy Corps reached 2.12 million people in North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri and Kasai with integrated programs that ensured equitable access to improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in humanitarian and development settings; supported a comprehensive, rapid response to ongoing humanitarian needs; promoted economic and livelihood development to strengthen food security and resilience; as well as institutional capacity strengthening and social cohesion to foster peace and good governance.
THE POSITION (General Position Summary)
The People and Culture (P&C) Director is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping, leading, and delivering people-centered, compliant, and future-ready People & Culture function for Mercy Corps DRC. As a core member of the Senior Management Team (SMT), the role provides strategic leadership on workforce planning, organizational culture, staff wellbeing, talent management, and risk mitigation in a complex humanitarian and development context.
The incumbent serves as a trusted advisor to the Country Director and SMT, ensuring that people strategies directly enable program quality, operational excellence, safeguarding, and sustainability, while reflecting Mercy Corpsโ values and global People & Culture standards.
ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
VISION, STRATEGY, AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP
- Lead the development, articulation, and execution of a long-term People & Culture vision aligned with Mercy Corps DRCโs country strategy and global P&C priorities.
- Translate strategic objectives into annual P&C work plans with clear priorities, resourcing, timelines, and measurable results.
- Drive organizational change and culture transformation initiatives, ensuring the P&C function is proactive, adaptive, and future-oriented.
- Serve as a strategic thought partner to the Country Director and SMT on workforce design, succession planning, leadership development, and culture-related decisions.
- Inspire, lead, and manage a high-performing P&C team, fostering accountability, innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning.
STRATEGIC WORKFORCE PLANNING AND HR LEADERSHIP
- Design and implement a comprehensive People & Culture strategy aligned with Mercy Corps DRCโs operational, programmatic, and growth ambitions.
- Lead workforce planning to ensure timely, agile, and cost-effective staffing solutions in a volatile, high-risk and legally complex operating environment.
- Integrate HR considerations into proposal development, program design, and operational planning, including staffing models, risk assessments, and budgets.
- Establish and monitor HR performance metrics, dashboards, and analytics, providing regular, data-driven reporting to SMT, regional and global HR.
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT, WELLBEING, AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
- Develop and implement a contextually appropriate staff wellbeing framework, integrating psychosocial support, resilience-building, duty of care, and recognition initiatives.
- Work closely with Safety, Security & Access and Operations teams to ensure staff in high-risk and remote locations have tailored wellbeing, support, and debriefing mechanisms.
- Engage and manage psychological and wellbeing service providers to support individuals, teams, and families as required.
- Champion Mercy Corpsโ SDI (safe, diverse and inclusive) principles, promoting a culture of trust, accountability, and respect across all levels of the organization.
- Lead follow-up actions from staff engagement surveys, translating insights into practical initiatives that improve morale, retention, and work-life balance.
TALENT ACQUISITION, EMPLOYER BRANDING, AND ONBOARDING
- Oversee end-to-end recruitment and onboarding processes, ensuring compliance with Mercy Corps policies, DRC labor law, and donor requirements.
- Ensure recruitment practices are timely, inclusive, transparent, and aligned with workforce plans.
- Promote equity and inclusion in hiring, including setting and monitoring targets for female representation in shortlists and leadership roles.
- Strengthen Mercy Corps DRCโs employer brand to attract, develop, and retain high-caliber national and international talent in a competitive labor market.
COMPENSATION, BENEFITS, AND JOB ARCHITECTURE
- Lead the implementation and ongoing management of country-level compensation and benefits in line with Mercy Corpsโ Global Compensation Philosophy.
- Ensure all staff are appropriately covered by required insurance schemes and benefits.
- Regularly benchmark salary scales and benefits against the local and regional market to ensure competitiveness, equity, and sustainability.
- Oversee job evaluations, grading, and country-wide job audits to ensure internal equity, compliance, and alignment with market conditions.
PEOPLE OPERATIONS, COMPLIANCE, AND RISK MANAGEMENT
- Ensure all People & Culture policies, practices, and systems are legally compliant, ethical, and aligned with DRC labor laws and Mercy Corps global standards.
- Ensure full compliance with complex and evolving DRC labor laws, including statutory benefits, taxation, social security (INSS), termination procedures, collective agreements, and employment classifications.
- Interpret, monitor, and proactively advise SMT on changes in national labor legislation, case law, and administrative practices, assessing organizational impact and recommending timely adjustments.
- Serve as the primary focal point for engagement with labor authorities, inspectors, social security institutions, and legal counsel on employment-related matters.
- Lead regular reviews and updates of the staff handbook and HR policies, incorporating legal advice, organizational learning, and staff consultation.
- Oversee safeguarding, ethics, and adherence to the Code of Conduct, embedding a culture of accountability and zero tolerance for misconduct.
- Manage employee relations, grievances, disciplinary processes, and conflict resolution with fairness, consistency, confidentiality, and transparency.
- Identify, assess, and mitigate HR-related risks, including labor compliance, duty of care, fraud, and reputational risks.
TEAM LEADERSHIP AND CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
- Build the capacity of the People & Culture team through coaching, mentoring, performance management, and targeted learning opportunities.
- Clearly communicate expectations, promote accountability, and provide timely, constructive feedback to enhance individual and team performance.
- Foster an inclusive, respectful, and collaborative team culture focused on service excellence and continuous improvement.
- Recruit, onboard, and manage P&C team members in line with organizational needs and growth.
SAFETY AND SECURITY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Proactively ensure that People & Culture staff operate in a safe and secure environment and are fully aware of Mercy Corps security policies and procedures.
- Integrate duty of care considerations into HR policies, practices, and decision-making.
SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES
- Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
- Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
- Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g. Integrity Hotline and other options.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY
- Directly supervise the managers of all P&C units including but not limited to HR, talent acquisition, employee relations, and staff wellbeing/duty of care
- Has technical oversight and indirect supervisory responsibilities for field-based HR personnel โ team leaders, coordinators, officers, assistants, etc.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Reports directly to:
Country Director
Works directly with:
Head of departments for operations, finance, programs, safety & security, safeguarding and ethics.
Regional and global People teams.
Participates in and contributes to
Internal communities of practice or excellence, working groups, etc. on people & culture
External forums and coordination platforms (e.g., the INGO Forum) relevant to the P&C function.
ACCOUNTABILITY TO PARTICIPANTS AND STAKEHOLDERS
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATION & TRANSFERABLE SKILLS
- Bachelor's degree in human management, Business A