People Culture Lead

Job Purpose

• The People and Culture Lead provides strategic and operational leadership for the people agenda at Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa. As a member of the Academy Leadership Team, the role serves as a trusted advisor and thought partner to school leaders on people, culture, organisational effectiveness and employee experience. The role also contributes to selected Kenya-wide HR initiatives and projects, supporting the broader strategic priorities of Aga Khan Schools in Kenya.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a member of the Academy Leadership Team and trusted advisor to the Head of Academy and school leaders on people, culture and organisational matters.
• Lead workforce planning, recruitment and selection, onboarding and talent acquisition to attract and retain the talent required to achieve the Academy’s strategic objectives.
• Support organisational change and provide guidance on people-related implications, implementation and organisational effectiveness.
• Lead initiatives that strengthen employee engagement, wellbeing, psychological safety and organisational culture, including staff listening, engagement surveys and recognition programmes.
• Lead talent management, succession planning, leadership development, learning and development, training needs analysis and management capability-building initiatives.
• Lead implementation of performance management processes, supporting goal setting, feedback, performance improvement and a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Provide expert guidance on employee relations, grievances and disciplinary matters, fostering constructive relationships and ensuring fairness, consistency and compliance.
• Participate in labour relations processes and support implementation of relevant collective bargaining agreements.
• Serve as the lead for adult safeguarding at the Academy and ensure compliance with employment legislation, organisational policies and safeguarding requirements.
• Oversee HR service delivery across the employee lifecycle, ensuring consistent implementation of policies, procedures and service standards.
• Partner with Finance on payroll inputs, benefits administration and employee records, while ensuring confidentiality and appropriate management of employee information.
• Contribute to AKES, Kenya-wide HR strategies and lead designated HR initiatives, projects or functional portfolios.

Academic & Professional Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management, Organisational Development, Business Administration or a related field.
• Master’s degree in Human Resource Management, Organisational Development, Leadership, Education Management or a related discipline is preferred.
• Professional HR qualification and membership of the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM).
• Minimum of 10 years progressive HR experience, with at least 3 years in a managerial role.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with senior leaders on people and organisational matters, with strong experience in employee relations, organisational development and culture-building.
• Experience leading recruitment, performance management, talent development, organisational change and people-related projects.
• Experience within an international school, IB environment, educational institution or mission-driven organisation is highly desirable.
• Experience operating within a complex, multi-stakeholder environment is an advantage.

Key Skills and Competences

• The ability to lead with empathy and emotional intelligence while maintaining high standards of accountability and performance.
• A service-oriented leadership philosophy centred on supporting schools, leaders and staff to achieve educational excellence.
• An ability to build leadership capability and cultivate high-performing teams through coaching, mentoring and influence.
• A commitment to stewardship, ensuring responsible, ethical and sustainable management of people, culture and institutional resources.
• The ability to build trust, foster inclusion and nurture a positive and supportive organisational culture.
• Proven capability to lead change while remaining attentive to people, context and institutional values.
• High levels of integrity, professionalism and personal accountability.

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