Director, Operations, People & Administration

• Title: Director, People, Operations & Administration
• Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Employment Type: Full-time
• Reports To: CEO or Delegated Senior Manager

About the Role

Frontieri Consult PLC is seeking an experienced and highly organized Director, People, Operations & Administration to provide leadership primarily across people and human resource management, while also overseeing administration, logistics, procurement support, asset management, facilities, travel coordination, and country-office support.

The Director will serve as a senior leader responsible for strengthening Frontieri’s people systems, HR operations, employee experience, organizational effectiveness, and administrative infrastructure while ensuring that the organization’s operational support functions are efficient, responsive, and well controlled.

As Frontieri operates with a lean organizational structure, the role is both strategic and hands-on. The Director is expected to provide overall leadership while remaining actively engaged in day-to-day HR and operational management, problem-solving, decision-making, and continuous improvement.

The role requires a broad business perspective, strong knowledge of HR practices and Ethiopian labor regulations, and the ability to work closely with senior management, project teams, and employees across the organization and its regional operations.

Key Responsibilities

People & Human Resources

• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of Frontieri’s HR and people management systems, policies, procedures, and practices.
• Provide strategic and operational leadership across the full employee lifecycle, including workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, performance management, employee relations, development, retention, and offboarding.
• Maintain accurate employee records, contracts, HR databases, and personnel documentation.
• Oversee payroll-related documentation, leave, attendance, probation, benefits, and other HR administration processes.
• Lead recruitment coordination and ensure effective candidate management, selection processes, onboarding, and staff orientation.
• Support management in workforce planning, organizational structure, job design, staffing requirements, and people-related decision-making.
• Oversee employee relations matters, including disciplinary processes, grievances, performance concerns, workplace conduct, and other employee-related issues.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, employment terms, and applicable Ethiopian labor laws and regulations.
• Strengthen employee engagement, communication, organizational culture, and employee experience initiatives.
• Lead the development and implementation of performance management, learning and development, career development, and succession-related processes.
• Maintain and analyze HR metrics and workforce data to support management decision-making.
• Advise senior management on people-related risks, workforce issues, organizational changes, and employee matters.
• Continuously review HR practices and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, employee experience, and organizational effectiveness.

Operations & Administration

• Lead and improve daily administrative and operational functions.
• Develop and maintain operational systems, trackers, SOPs, and reporting tools.
• Coordinate support staff and collaborate with internal departments to resolve operational issues.
• Monitor operational risks and ensure timely escalation of challenges.
• Ensure effective coordination between HR, Administration, Finance, project teams, and other internal functions.

Logistics & Travel Management

• Coordinate staff and consultant travel, accommodation, and deployment logistics.
• Maintain field deployment readiness and support country-office operations.
• Ensure timely logistical support for projects and field assignments.

Asset, Fleet & Facilities Management

• Manage company vehicles, maintenance schedules, insurance, and fuel records.
• Maintain asset registers for vehicles, tablets, equipment, and office assets.
• Oversee facilities, office services, utilities, security, and workspace readiness.
• Monitor asset accountability and ensure proper documentation.

Procurement & Vendor Administration

• Support procurement processes, vendor documentation, and purchase tracking.
• Maintain vendor records and ensure procurement files are complete and audit-ready.
• Coordinate with Finance and project teams on procurement and supplier management.

Consultant & Training Records

• Maintain consultant databases, CVs, credentials, and availability records.
• Manage staff and consultant training records and certification documentation.
• Support business development and project teams with updated consultant information.

Reporting, Compliance & Organizational Improvement

• Prepare HR, people, operational, and management reports, dashboards, and updates.
• Maintain organized records and support audit and compliance requirements.
• Monitor HR and operational risks and recommend appropriate mitigation measures.
• Use workforce and operational data to identify trends, gaps, and improvement opportunities.
• Continuously improve HR processes, administrative systems, templates, and operational efficiency.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management, Business Administration, Management, Organizational Development, or a related field. Degrees in other relevant disciplines may be considered based on the candidate’s professional experience.
• Master’s degree or relevant professional certification is an advantage.
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience, with substantial experience in HR/People Management and progressively increasing managerial responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience in a senior HR, People, Operations, or equivalent leadership role with responsibility for multiple organizational functions.
• Strong experience across core HR functions, including recruitment, employee relations, performance management, HR administration, workforce planning, and organizational development.
• Demonstrated experience managing HR while also overseeing broader administration and operational functions.
• Experience working within a lean or fast-paced organizational environment, with the ability to combine strategic leadership with hands-on execution.
• Experience in consulting firms, NGOs, donor-funded projects, development organizations, or professional services organizations is highly desirable.
• Strong knowledge of Ethiopian labor law and HR administration practices.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong strategic and operational HR/People leadership capabilities.
• Strong knowledge of HR policies, systems, employee relations, performance management, recruitment, and organizational development.
• Practical experience in administration, logistics, travel, fleet, asset, and facilities management.
• Knowledge of procurement and vendor administration.
• Strong workforce reporting, HR analytics, documentation, compliance, and record-management skills.
• Excellent Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel.
• Strong leadership, communication, coordination, and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and functions in a fast-paced environment.
• Hands-on approach with the ability to move effectively between strategic HR leadership, operational oversight, and execution.
• Strong judgment, ownership, accountability, confidentiality, and ability to work independently.
• Ability to build effective relationships with employees, managers, senior leadership, consultants, and external stakeholders.