HR & Admin Associate

Job Description

Title: HR & Admin Associate

Company Name: Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO)

Vacancy: 01

Age: At most 40 years

Job Location: Cox`s Bazar (Teknaf, Ukhia)

Salary: Tk. 50000 (Monthly)

Experience:

• 4 to 6 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): NGO

Educational Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resource Management, Business Administration, Management, Public Administration, or a related discipline from a recognized university; a Master's degree in the same fields will be given preference.

• Candidates holding MBA/BBA with a Human Resource Management major will be given preference.

• Candidates holding a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management, Labour Law, or Organizational Development will be given added advantage.

• Additional training in HR Management, Labour Law, Safeguarding, Organizational Development, or Performance Management will be considered an advantage.

• 4 to 6 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): NGO

• Age At most 40 years

Experience Requirements

• Minimum 4 to 6 years of professional experience in Human Resources and Administration, preferably within NGO, INGO, or donor-funded project environments.

• Demonstrated experience in recruitment, personnel administration, payroll coordination, performance management systems, and office administration.

• Experience managing large workforces including a volunteer component, with proven ability to maintain accurate records and disburse incentives with verification-based discipline.

• Familiarity with Bangladesh labour law, HR policies, and donor compliance requirements.

• Experience supporting audits, HACT spot checks, and donor monitoring visits with HR documentation.

• Experience working with UNICEF, UN agencies, or humanitarian response programmes will be an added advantage.

• Experience working in the Cox's Bazar Rohingya humanitarian response is an advantage.

Additional Requirements

• Strong knowledge of Human Resource Management systems, performance management frameworks, and administrative processes.

• Good understanding of labour laws, safeguarding, and organizational compliance requirements.

• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and coordination skills with the ability to handle sensitive matters with discretion.

• Strong organizational, database management, and documentation skills.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (advanced Excel for database management) and HRIS or similar systems.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet strict monthly disbursement deadlines, and work under pressure.

• High integrity, confidentiality, and professionalism.

• Must possess a valid driving license.

Job Context

Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO) started its journey in 1988 with a noble vision to stand in solidarity with the poor and marginalized. Being a people` centered organization, ESDO envisioned for a society which will be free from inequality and injustice, a society where no child will cry from hunger and no life will be ruined by poverty. Near about three decades of relentless efforts to make this happen, ESDO has embraced new grounds and opened up new horizons to help the disadvantaged and vulnerable people to bring meaningful and lasting changes in their lives. During this long span, ESDO has adapted with the changing situation and provided the most time-bound services especially for the poor and disadvantaged. A community focused and people centered approach has been adapted by ESDO while consideration was given to the national policy and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as its guiding principle. ESDO is one of the most dynamic organizations expanding its development interventions across 422 upazilas under 56 districts of Bangladesh covering over 10 million poor and vulnerable people.

ESDO is going to implement a UNICEF-supported project titled "Provide quality, inclusive skills development and Myanmar Curriculum STEM education for adolescent learners aged 15-18, and portable skills training for education volunteers in Cox's Bazar" in Rohingya camps of Ukhia, Cox's Bazar. The project aims to improve access to quality foundational literacy numeracy (FLN), trade skills, employability skills, leadership skills, entrepreneurship training, STEM Education and portable skills opportunities for Rohingya adolescents and youth through Multi-Purpose Centers (MPCs), Science and IT Labs, and SKILFO-based portable skills interventions.

The HR and Admin Associate is the operational anchor of the project's people functioning focusing on all matters of human resource administration, workforce records, performance management systems, and office operations. The position is responsible for the discipline that keeps a large workforce, including the project team and larger volunteer workforce spread across multi-purpose centres and laboratories, well-recorded, well-managed, and fairly treated. This includes maintaining a robust volunteer database with unique identifiers, ensuring timely and verified disbursement of volunteer incentives, and ensuring performance management systems for volunteers and staff are set up at the start of every contract, actively used throughout, and applied to strengthen the team when performance improvement is needed.

The HR and Admin Associate will work under the direct supervision of the Admin and Finance Manager, with dotted-line reporting to the Head of Human Resources at ESDO Head Office on organizational HR standards and address project specific HR matters based on the guidance from Skills Development Technical Lead. The position will directly supervise the office support team.

Reporting to: Direct reporting to Admin and Finance Manager (ESDO) with dotted reporting to Head of Human Resources (ESDO, HO based).

Job Responsibilities

1. Recruitment, Onboarding, and Personnel Administration

• Coordinate recruitment, selection, onboarding, and orientation of project staff and volunteers in line with ESDO's HR policies and the safeguarding standards of the project.

• Prepare and maintain personnel files, appointment letters, contracts, renewals, transfers, and separation documentation with accuracy and confidentiality.

• Ensure every staff member and volunteer signs the Code of Conduct, Self-Declaration form, and safeguarding undertakings, mandatory courses and training before deployment, and that HR files remain complete and audit-ready throughout the project cycle.

• Monitor staff attendance, leave records, movement registers, and personnel databases, and reconcile them with payroll and financial records each month.

2. Volunteer Workforce Management, Database, and Incentive Disbursement

• Establish and maintain a comprehensive volunteer database covering every skills instructor, cleaning volunteer, night guard, and lab-based volunteer, with each volunteer assigned a unique Personal Identification Number (PIN) that follows them throughout their engagement with the project.

• Maintain volunteer records that include personal identification, deployment location, category, contract terms, attendance history, incentive disbursement history, training completion, and safeguarding compliance status.

• Ensure volunteer incentives are disbursed on time each month, after attendance records, performance verification, and field supervisor confirmation have been received, so that no incentive is paid without evidence of service as per the government guidance.

• Coordinate with the Finance Associate on payroll and incentive processing, and with the Skills Development Field Officer and Field Assistants on field-level attendance and performance verification.

• Ensure volunteer contract terms, incentive rates, and end-of-contract expectations are clearly communicated to every volunteer at onboarding, so that expectations are managed transparently throughout and at project closure.

3. Performance Management Systems and Continuous Improvement

• Ensure that a Performance Evaluation Plan is developed for every project staff member at the start of their contract, jointly by the staff member and their direct supervisor, with clear objectives, key deliverables, and behavioural expectations aligned to the project's outputs, aligning with the guidance from the Head of Human Resources (ESDO, HO based).

• Ensure Performance Plans are reviewed and updated quarterly and at contract milestones, and that supervisors carry out mid-cycle check-ins and end-of-cycle appraisals on time.

• Track compliance across the project team so that no staff member operates without an active, up-to-date Performance Plan, and escalate to the Admin and Finance Manager and Skills Development Technical Lead when supervisors are not following through.

• Support the development, documentation, and monitoring of Performance Improvement Plans where performance concerns are identified, and coordinate with supervisors on capacity-building, mentoring, or corrective actions.

• Maintain performance documentation confidentially and use it appropriately for probation decisions, contract renewals, and end-of-service references.

4. Payroll, Benefits, and Statutory HR Compliance

• Coordinate payroll processing, statutory deductions, staff advances, and benefits administration with the Finance Associate, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and confidentiality.

• Ensure compliance with ESDO HR policies, Bangladesh labour law provisions, and donor requirements across all HR transactions.

• Support grievance handling and staff welfare matters with sensitivity, discretion, and adherence to organizational procedures.

5. Office Administration, Facility Management, and Support Staff Supervision

• Ensure effective day-to-day management of office facilities, utilities, equipment, service contracts, and administrative supplies at the Cox's Bazar office and any project sub-offices.

• Directly supervise the Office Assistants, Office Security Guards, and Office Cleaner, setting clear expectations, work rotas, and standards of conduct.

• Support accommodation, transportation, and travel arrangements for staff and visitors when required, in coordination with the Procurement Associate.

• Ensure the office environment is safe, professional, and conducive to a respectful workplace culture.

6. Safeguarding, Confidentiality, and Ethical Practice

• Uphold the highest standards of Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), Child Safeguarding (CSG), Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), and gender-responsive workplace conduct in every HR and administrative action.

• Ensure safeguarding is embedded across recruitment, reference checks, onboarding, and staff management processes, and that no HR decision creates safeguarding risk.

• Maintain strict confidentiality of personnel information, disciplinary records, and grievance matters, and escalate any safeguarding disclosure to the Admin and Finance Manager and the PSEA, CSG and AAP Officer immediately.

• Promote a safe, inclusive, and respectful workplace for staff and volunteers of all genders, backgrounds, and abilities.

• Create a grievance mechanism and maintain that.

7. Documentation, Reporting, and Audit Support

• Maintain organized HR and administrative records, both physical and electronic, in a manner that supports quick retrieval for audits, spot checks, and donor reviews.

• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual HR and administrative reports, and provide inputs to project reports, audits, HACT assurance activities, and donor monitoring visits.

• Ensure the volunteer database, personnel files, performance records, and attendance systems are updated on a rolling basis, not retrospectively at reporting time.

8. Other Responsibilities

• Participate in project meetings, planning sessions, and coordination forums as required.

• Contribute to continuous improvement of HR and administrative processes within the project.

• Any other duties assigned by the Admin and Finance Manager or the Skills Development Technical Lead in the interest of the project.

As per project allocation and organizational policy.