Senior Associate, Employee Relations, Performance & Wellness

Job Purpose:

• Reporting to the Head of Employee Relations, Performance & Wellness, the role is responsible for supporting the design and delivery of people practices that promote a fair, inclusive, and engaging workplace.
• This includes strengthening positive employee relations, ensuring legal compliance, performance management and contributing to a values-based culture.

Key Responsibilities:
Employee Relations:

• Support the development, interpretation, and communication of HR policies in alignment with Kenyan Labour Laws, regulatory requirements, and the Bank’s values and governance standards.
• Manage employee relations matters, including disciplinary cases, grievance handling, workplace conduct issues, and appeals, ensuring fairness, consistency, and compliance with internal policies and regulatory expectations.
• Maintain accurate and auditable documentation of employee relations cases in collaboration with HR Business Partners and line management, in line with record-keeping and compliance requirements.
• Support organizational change initiatives (e.g., restructures, branch realignments) while safeguarding employee engagement, operational continuity, and regulatory compliance.
• Provide timely and practical guidance to managers on the fair, consistent, and compliant handling of employee matters, minimizing operational and reputational risk.
• Participate in disciplinary hearings as a panel member, ensuring adherence to due process, procedural fairness, and proper documentation in line with internal policies and applicable labour regulations.
• Manage relationships with employee representatives and workplace committees, fostering transparent communication, trust, and collaboration to sustain a positive and compliant working environment.
• Maintain up to date and confidential disciplinary records through effective management of the ER tracker, ensuring information is readily accessible for audit and decision-making purposes.
• Contribute to the periodic review and update of the HR Manual, ensuring ongoing alignment with employment legislation, regulatory expectations, and evolving banking sector practices.

Performance Management:

• Coordinate performance review schedules and communications.
  Support employees and managers with the performance management process.
• Track performance progress and ensure timely completion of reviews.
• Maintain accurate performance data and generate performance reports.
• Assist in goal setting, feedback collection, and review logistics.
• Ensure confidentiality and compliance with HR policies.

Employee Wellness:

• Support in the execution of the Bank’s Employee Wellness Programme, ensuring effective coordination of wellness initiatives in line with the approved Wellness Calendar. This includes engagement with accredited wellness service providers, scheduling of activities, driving participation, and ensuring timely and professional communication to staff.
• Support the delivery of strategic inclusion and employee engagement initiatives (e.g., diversity forums, and employee resource groups) by coordinating logistics, communications, and feedback mechanisms to enhance programme effectiveness and impact.
• Support the planning and execution of employee engagement activities such as end-of-year events and other engagement forums that promote collaboration, alignment, and a strong organizational culture.
• Co-develop and implement employee recognition programmes at both organizational and departmental levels, including formal awards and peer recognition initiatives, to reinforce a high-performance culture.
• Develop and disseminate clear and engaging communication materials on employee wellness programmes, policy updates, and engagement initiatives, ensuring alignment with internal communication standards.
• Deliver against defined performance objectives aligned to the Bank’s HR strategy, balanced scorecard, and individual performance targets, ensuring measurable impact and accountability.

Academic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in human resource management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Professional Qualifications / Membership to professional bodies/ Publication:
• Member of IHRM.
• CHRP-K is an added advantage.

Work Experience Required:

• 3–4 years of HR generalist experience, with a strong focus on employee relations, performance and wellness.
• Solid knowledge of Kenyan Labor Laws.
• Experience in handling disciplinary cases and coordinating with employee representatives or line managers.
• Demonstrated ability to support or lead employee engagement, recognition, and wellness initiatives.

Competencies:

• Planning & Organizational skills.
• Analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Interpersonal skills to manage stakeholders at all levels .
• Ethics and integrity.
• Excellent judgment and analytical abilities and impeccable integrity.
• Strong commercial awareness and an ability to connect to business goals.