HR Business Partner Lead

Role Summary: Welcome2Africa International is seeking a strategic, structured, and execution-driven HR Business Partner Lead to support the organization's next phase of growth, institutionalization, operational excellence, and transition into a more formal group/HoldCo structure. W2A is evolving from a founder-led investment and trade facilitation company into a structured group with clearer entities, stronger systems, defined processes, measurable goals, and improved accountability. Purpose of the Role: The purpose of this role is to align W2A's people, operations, systems, internal processes, and performance culture with the organization's strategic goals. The role will help W2A move from reactive execution to a more proactive, structured, process-driven, and institutionally credible organization. Key Responsibilities: 1. Strategic HR and Business Alignment • Work closely with the CEO, senior leadership, and department heads to translate strategic goals into people, structure, and execution plans. • Ensure roles are linked to wider objectives, including revenue generation, investment facilitation, trade execution, donor delivery, and stakeholder engagement. • Advise leadership on team structure, capacity gaps, duplication, role overload, reporting lines, and manpower planning. 2. Operations, Systems, and Process Development • Support the strengthening of internal operations by helping to design, document, and implement practical processes across departments. • Develop and improve processes for recruitment, onboarding, performance management, leave/attendance, staff records, departmental reporting, approvals/escalation, task tracking, handovers, and exits. • Help create clear trackers, folders, templates, SOPs, and reporting systems to replace scattered email trails or verbal instructions. 3. Organizational Structure and Role Clarity • Support the development of a clear organizational structure aligned with W2A's group and HoldCo ambitions. • Ensure each department/entity has a defined mandate, clear reporting lines, measurable responsibilities, and properly assigned ownership. • Review and update job descriptions, KPIs, role briefs, and reporting expectations. 4. Performance, Culture, and Accountability • Support the development of a performance culture where staff understand their deliverables and timelines. • Track performance across departments and escalate concerns early regarding under performance, weak follow-through, or missed deadlines. • Help build a culture of ownership, professionalism, accountability, institutional discipline, and execution. 5. Recruitment and Talent Planning • Lead recruitment processes for priority roles critical to W2A's growth. • Develop role briefs, interview scorecards, recruitment trackers, candidate assessment tools, and onboarding plans. 6. Policy, Compliance, and Documentation • Review, harmonize, and implement HR policies in line with governance and compliance needs. • Work with Legal, Operations, and Finance to ensure employment contracts, staff files, disciplinary matters, and payroll inputs are properly handled. • Support the implementation of the Employee Handbook, Handover Policy, and Conflict of Interest Policy. 7. Leadership Support and CEO Leverage • Support leadership by reducing avoidable operational and people-related escalations. • Ensure issues are filtered, recommendations are clear, and matters are escalated only when necessary. • Coach team members and department leads to think, communicate, document, and execute better. Requirements Required Experience: • Minimum of 5-7 years' experience in HR, people operations, organizational development, business operations, or HR business partnering. • Experience working in a fast-growing, founder-led, project-driven, consulting, investment, trade, development, or SME environment. • Strong experience designing and implementing HR processes, policies, SOPs, trackers, and performance systems. • Practical understanding of organizational structure, manpower planning, recruitment, performance management, and employee relations. • Good knowledge of Nigerian labor practices and employment documentation. • Experience in donor-funded, international development, investment, trade, or private sector organizations is an advantage. Required Skills and Competencies: • Strategic, structured, proactive, and execution-driven. • Strong in operations, systems, and process design. • Excellent in documentation, reporting, and follow-through. • Strong in performance management and accountability. • Able to work effectively alongside senior leadership and department heads. • Able to manage sensitive HR matters with maturity, discretion, and institutional discipline. • Comfortable creating order in a fast-paced environment. • Strong in communication, writing, and stakeholder management. • Able to balance empathy with firmness and institutional discipline.