HR Associate at International Rescue Committee

HR Associate at International Rescue Committee – International Rescue Committee Kenya Job Details

About the Role

The International Rescue Committee is recruiting an HR Associate to join its Human Resources team based in Kenya. This full-time position sits within the I-Hub operations and serves as a central support function for candidate onboarding, employee benefits administration, and leave management. The HR Associate will work alongside Recruiting Associates, HR Partners, HR Focal Points, and hiring managers to ensure new employees receive a structured, compliant, and professional experience from offer acceptance through their first weeks on the job.

As an HR Associate, you will manage the complete employee lifecycle—from pre-employment documentation through onboarding, ongoing benefits and leave administration, and structured exit processes. The role demands strong attention to detail, excellent customer service instincts, and a solid understanding of Kenyan labor law and organizational HR policies. You will interact frequently with candidates, new hires, current staff, and external partners such as insurance providers, making interpersonal effectiveness essential to success.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the complete onboarding cycle, including pre-arrival communications, orientation scheduling, documentation collection, system setup in Workday and Cornerstone, and introductions to team members and departmental contacts.
• Maintain proactive contact with newly hired staff after offer acceptance, tracking task completion, data collection, compliance acknowledgements, and ensuring all required orientations are scheduled and completed.
• Coordinate onboarding kits, provide technical setup support for hardware and software, and verify that all new hires are administratively and operationally ready on their start date.
• Collect, organize, and file all pre-employment and onboarding documentation, including signed contracts, bio data forms, and compliance records, with accurate HRIS updates in Workday.
• Oversee benefits administration, including enrollment and termination of staff in medical insurance, group life, GPA, pension, and wellness programs; liaise with insurance providers on claims, renewals, and policy updates; and ensure all coverage aligns with contract terms and organizational policy.
• Manage end-to-end leave administration: track balances, reconcile discrepancies, audit records in Workday, provide staff guidance on all leave types (annual, sick, parental, compassionate), and coordinate with payroll to ensure leave balances align with salary calculations and final dues.
• Conduct exit interviews with departing employees, document reasons for departure, notify the HR Lead, and lead the full offboarding process including terminal dues calculation and final clearance in line with Kenya labor law.
• Prepare HR reports and dashboards on metrics including headcount by department, leave utilization, benefits utilization, and diversity and inclusion data; support recruitment coordination with Recruiting Associates and hiring managers as needed.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management or equivalent qualification from a recognized institution; membership in the Institute of Human Resource Management in good standing is required.
• Minimum three years of HR experience, with demonstrable background in customer service, active listening, and problem-solving across multiple stakeholder groups.
• Strong working knowledge of HR concepts, Kenyan employment law, and local labor regulations; experience with benefits administration and leave management is essential.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel; experience with Workday and Cornerstone LMS is advantageous.
• Excellent organizational and detail-oriented approach; ability to manage competing priorities, maintain confidentiality of sensitive HR information, and work effectively with limited direction while maintaining accountability for results.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to interact professionally with employees at all levels, hiring managers, HR partners, and external service providers including insurance brokers.

What to Expect

• You will be the primary point of contact for new hires, requiring consistent responsiveness, clear communication, and a service-oriented mindset to make the onboarding experience seamless and compliant.
• The role involves frequent data entry, document management, system administration, and coordination across multiple departments and external partners, demanding strong organizational systems and attention to accuracy.
• This HR Associate at International Rescue Committee position in Kenya is open to qualified candidates. Click Apply below to submit your application.