HR Business Partner - Expatriate Assignment, West Africa

About the role

This is an expatriate HR Business Partner position within Group Human Resources, reporting to the Group HR Director. It is one of the first hires into a newly rebuilt Group HR structure with dedicated leads for HR Operations, Business Partnering, Talent & Development and HR Systems & Reporting. The role sits between Group HR and the operating and functional teams, providing hands-on people support, applying HR policy consistently and driving engagement, retention and change. The location is West Africa, with travel to other Group locations as required.

Key responsibilities

• Act as the HR point of contact for assigned departments and leadership teams, understanding their priorities, headcount and people risks
• Apply HR policies and procedures consistently, advising managers on interpretation and practical application
• Lead employee engagement and retention activity, acting on survey, exit and flight-risk insight
• Support change management and people-related activity linked to organisational change
• Coach line managers on performance, conduct, team issues and people decisions
• Work with HR Operations on employee relations cases, investigations, disciplinary and grievance matters
• Partner with Talent & Development on recruitment demand, performance cycles, learning and succession
• Use headcount, attrition and cost data to give management practical insight
• Ensure Group HR initiatives are adopted in the business and feed operational feedback back to HR leadership
• Support compliance with local employment law alongside HR Operations and Legal

Required profile

• Degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology or a related field
• CIPD, SHRM, CIPM, SABPP or an equivalent recognised professional HR qualification preferred
• 7+ years in HR, including at least 3 years in a generalist or business partnering role supporting senior operational stakeholders
• Oil and gas, energy or another complex, multi-site industrial environment preferred
• African markets experience is an advantage; strong transferable profiles with proven adaptability considered

Required skills

• Business partnering, employee relations, engagement and retention, change management
• Coaching line managers and data-informed HR advice
• Credibility with senior and operational leaders, discretion and integrity
• Comfortable building from scratch and effective across geographies and cultures

What we offer

• Competitive net salary
• Company-provided or supported housing and transportation
• Medical cover, relocation assistance and work authorisation support
• Biannual flights home