Head of HR Operations

BURN Manufacturing designs, manufactures and distributes clean cookstoves, with headquarters and a factory in Ruiru, Kenya, and operations in ten African markets. 

Group HR serves about 2,000 employees, and a network of commission-based sales agents. It is being restructured into six areas: HR Operations, Payroll, Agents, Platforms, Data & Systems, and Learning & Development. This role leads HR Operations, the largest of the six. 

BURN is on a mission to bring clean, affordable cooking to millions of families – which means we don't do calm waters. If you’re looking for a smooth cruise where you just maintain the status quo, this isn't your ship. We need an operational leader who can hit the ground running on day one. You will have immense cultural support and room to make mistakes, and this is a seat for a seasoned expert who wants the mandate to build something that lasts. 

You will take fierce, day-to-day ownership of our group-wide employee lifecycle – ensuring contracting, onboarding, performance systems, employee relations, and exits run systematically, compliantly, and reliably across every market.

Our ideal candidate brings: 

• Battle scars: You’ve run a large portfolio at scale, with a complex architecture. You know what breaks at 1,000 people, 5,000 people, and beyond - because you've lived through it. 

• The ability to speak "Finance" and "Legal": You don't just speak HR. You can sit across from our CFO to debate payroll, audit footprints, and multi-country compliance risks without skipping a beat. 

• Systems-first thinking: You don't look at HR as a series of administrative tasks. You see it as an interconnected engine where data integrity, localized labor laws, and smooth logistics directly unlock our global impact. 

• Trust and care: You care deeply about the humans at BURN, and you earn the trust of everyone around you through putting people over results.

  Key responsibilities: Owned directly 

• People Helpdesk. Run a single front door for employee and manager HR queries, with tracking, response standards and escalation routes. 

• Recruitment sits with Talent. 

• Training content is built by Learning & Development; this role defines what operational training is needed. 

• HR data architecture and systems sit with Data & Systems; this role keeps records accurate at source. 

• Payroll processing sits with Payroll; this role provides accurate inputs. 

• Commission-based agents sit with the Agents team. 

• What this role does not cover 

  Clear boundaries keep this role focused on employees and casuals. 

• Experience in a social enterprise or high-growth company. 

• Experience implementing an HRIS or moving HR processes onto digital platforms. 

• Experience with ISO management systems or lender environmental and social requirements. 
  
  Desirable 

• French or Portuguese. 

• Fluent English and willingness to travel occasionally. 

• Experience leading a team spread across several countries. 

• Experience designing and rolling out standard HR processes across countries. 

• A track record of handling labour inspections, HR audits and complex employee relations cases. 

• Experience with manufacturing, factory or other large shift-based workforces, including casual and fixed-term workers. 

• Deep knowledge of Kenyan employment law and working knowledge of employment law in other African markets. 

• Knows when and how to leverage AI tools to automate processes and enhance output.  

• Strong data discipline: confident in Excel and insistent on accurate employee records. 

• 8+ years of experience, including 4+ years in a leadership position. 

• IHRM membership (Kenya). 
  
  Essential 

• Degree in HR, law, business or a related field. 

• Ensure markets without a dedicated HR officer still receive full HR coverage. 

• Team leadership 

• Lead the HR Operations Team. 

• Work with Learning & Development so every new or changed policy comes with training. 

• Policy and documentation 

• Maintain the HR policy suite and its country annexes, and run policy sign-off for all employees. 

• Engage casual workers compliantly: contract form, duration limits and statutory obligations. 

• Ensure statutory employment compliance across all ten markets, working with Payroll on statutory deductions. 

• Keep BURN ready for labour inspections and audits, including ISO and lender environmental and social requirements. 

• Employee relations and compliance 

• Oversee employee relations, disciplinary and grievance cases, escalating disputes to in-house legal and external counsel. 

• Performance processes, including check-ins and annual reviews, delivered on time with clean data. 

• Accurate, complete employee records and documentation in every market. 

• Employee lifecycle 

• Contracting of new employees, onboarding, probation and contract management, leave management and offboarding. 

• In-country HR standardisation. Replace market-by-market practice with one group process set, with country annexes only where local law differs.