HR Operations Manager – Afrimash

The Opportunity

Afrimash is transforming agriculture in Africa through innovation, technology, and people. As the HR Operations Manager, you will play a pivotal role in building the systems, processes, and culture that power this mission. You'll oversee the full employee lifecycle — from onboarding to exit — ensuring Afrimash's people operations are efficient, compliant, data-driven, and employee-centric.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of strategy and execution, combining HR expertise with an eye for operational excellence. You'll help shape a work environment that attracts, develops, and retains exceptional talent while ensuring smooth day-to-day HR delivery.

What Success Looks Like

By Month 3:

• Streamline onboarding, payroll, and benefits processes with clear SOPs and checklists.
• Implement a monthly HR metrics dashboard (turnover, attendance, performance cycle tracking).

By Month 6:

• Achieve 90%+ on-time completion of all HR operations tasks (payroll, reviews, statutory filings).
• Strengthen HRIS adoption and data accuracy across all departments.

By Month 12:

• Reduce manual HR processing time by 30% through automation and process optimization.
• Improve employee engagement and retention scores by 20% through better communication, feedback systems, and consistency in HR service delivery.

Ongoing:

• Deliver timely, high-quality HR services across onboarding, payroll, compliance, and records management.
• Build scalable people processes that support Afrimash's rapid growth trajectory.

Core Responsibilities

HR Operations & Administrative Management

• Oversee essential HR processes including onboarding, offboarding, employee data integrity, contracts, and personnel records.
• Ensure monthly payroll is accurate and statutory obligations (PAYE, pensions, NHF, NSITF, etc.) are met.
• Manage leave, attendance, benefits, and employee welfare in line with company policy.
• Maintain HR policies, handbooks, SOPs, and ensure these are accessible, up to date, and communicated clearly.

Recruitment & Probation Oversight

• Manage recruitment end to end: job postings, screening, interviews, offers, and induction.
• Facilitate probationary reviews; support managers in setting expectations and providing feedback.
• Build and maintain a pipeline of talent for upcoming needs.

Performance & Learning Support

• Coordinate the performance evaluation cycle (goal setting, feedback, appraisals); ensure deadlines are met and the process is consistent.
• Identify skill gaps; coordinate or deliver training and development initiatives.
• Support managers and staff in performance improvement and recognition.

Employee Relations & Culture Maintenance

• Serve as a key contact for employee concerns and conflict resolution; escalate complex cases appropriately.
• Organize engagement initiatives, celebrations, recognition programs, and periodic surveys to understand employee sentiment.
• Facilitate exit processes including conduct of exit interviews; identify trends and recommend retention improvements.

Compliance, Reporting & Process Improvement

• Monitor and ensure compliance with Nigerian employment laws and statutory requirements.
• Generate regular HR analytics: headcount, turnover, absences, probation outcomes, etc., for leadership review.
• Identify inefficiencies in HR workflows and implement improvements/automation where feasible.
• Collaborate with finance and other departments to ensure alignment on payroll, expense tracking, benefits, and budgeting.

What We're Looking For

Essential Experience

• 3–5 years in HR operations, HR generalist work, or roles covering recruitment, payroll, compliance, and employee relations.
• Strong, up-to-date knowledge of Nigerian labour law, statutory remittances, benefits, and HR compliance.
• Practical experience working in fast-moving or growing organisations/startups where you have to take ownership.
• Proven track record of managing multiple HR admin tasks with accuracy and timeliness.

Ideal Background

• Experience in agriculture, tech, marketplace, or retail sectors is a plus.
• Exposure to lean HR teams or situations where you had to build or improve systems from scratch.
• Formal HR qualifications or certifications (e.g., CIPM, SHRM) are advantageous.

Technical Skills

• Excellent command of HRIS tools or digital HR systems; strong Excel/Google Sheets abilities.
• Competence in building dashboards or reports for HR KPIs.
• Familiarity with payroll software and statutory reporting tools.

Personal Qualities

• Highly organized, disciplined, and detail oriented; strong follow-through.
• Empathetic, approachable, and able to maintain confidentiality.
• Decisive, able to prioritize, and problem-solver mindset.
• Strong communication skills: able to clearly explain policies, expectations, and feedback to employees and managers.
• Proactive: you anticipate issues (e.g. compliance, headcount gaps) and act before they escalate.

Why Join Afrimash?

Impact & Growth

• Be part of a purpose-led team that supports smallholder farmers and agricultural transformation in Nigeria and beyond.
• Your work is central: you help build the systems that allow Afrimash to scale responsibly.

Career Development

• High visibility with the leadership team; opportunity to influence strategic people decisions.
• Exposure to multiple HR sub-functions — recruitment, performance management, compliance, L&D.
• Potential to grow into senior HR roles (People Business Partner, HR Lead, etc.).

Work Environment

• Hybrid working model: a mix of in-office and remote work with flexibility.
• Collaborative culture with strong support, and emphasis on learning and feedback.
• Clear expectations, with accountability and recognition for results.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary with performance-based incentives.
• Statutory benefits: health insurance, pension, leave entitlements.