Director Human Resources

National Bank of Kenya (NBK) is a banking and financial services institution founded in 1960.

The position is a strategic business partner and member of the Executive Committee, responsible for architecting and executing the Bank’s human capital strategy in alignment with its corporate strategy, risk appetite, and regulatory obligations. The HR Director ensures that the Bank attracts, develops, retains, and deploys talent capable of delivering sustainable competitive advantage while embedding a high-performance culture, robust risk conduct framework, and operational excellence across all people processes.

1. Develop and execute a 3–5-year human capital strategy that supports the Bank’s strategic plan, digital transformation agenda, and business line expansion.
2. Lead workforce planning and scenario modelling to ensure optimal talent supply against business demand, including succession depth for critical roles.
3. Oversee talent analytics and people data science to inform board-level decision-making on headcount, productivity, and organizational design.
4. Own the Bank’s leadership pipeline and succession architecture, ensuring readiness for all ExCo and Board-reporting roles.
5. Design and govern executive assessment, coaching, and development programs aligned with institutional leadership competencies.
6. Partner with the HR Board & Nomination Committee on board succession planning and director capability assessments.
7. Define, socialize, and measure the desired organizational culture, values, and employee value proposition (EVP).
8. Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, ensuring representation targets and inclusive leadership practices.
9. Design and monitor employee engagement, pulse surveys, and exit analytics; translate insights into actionable retention strategies.
10. Lead organizational design and change management for major strategic initiatives (M&A integration, digital transformation, branch rationalization, new business launches).
11. Drive job architecture, grading, and competency framework maintenance to ensure internal equity and market competitiveness.
12. Oversee change management and internal communications for large-scale people transitions.
13. Design and govern the Bank’s remuneration philosophy, ensuring alignment with performance, risk outcomes, and long-term value creation as per the Group.
14. Oversee compensation frameworks, short-term and long-term incentive schemes, and deferred compensation arrangements.
15. Ensure compliance with regulatory pay guidelines (e.g., CBK Prudential Guidelines on remuneration, clawback provisions, malus arrangements).
16. Manage pension, provident fund, and staff welfare schemes in partnership with trustees and fund administrators.
17. Set the Bank’s talent acquisition strategy, including graduate programs, executive search protocols, and digital recruitment platforms.
18. Govern recruitment SLAs, cost-per-hire metrics, and quality-of-hire analytics.
19. Ensure rigorous background screening, reference verification, and fit-and-proper assessments for regulated roles.
20. Oversee the Bank’s learning academy ensuring curriculum alignment with regulatory competency requirements (e.g., CBK licensing exams, AML certification, risk management training etc).
21. Drive digital upskilling, leadership development, and technical competency frameworks for all business lines.
22. Ensure mandatory training completion rates meet regulatory and audit standards.
23. Govern industrial relations strategy, including union negotiations, collective bargaining agreements, and grievance management.
24. Ensure compliance with the Employment Act, Labour Relations Act, and other applicable Kenyan employment legislation.
25. Manage workplace dispute resolution, disciplinary processes, and litigation risk in partnership with Legal, Risk and Compliance.
26. Oversee HR shared services, payroll accuracy, and employee data governance.
27. Lead the HR technology roadmap (HRIS, ATS, LMS, people analytics platforms), ensuring data integrity, cybersecurity, and privacy compliance.
28. Ensure operational SLAs for HR service delivery (onboarding, offboarding, query resolution, benefits administration).
29. Act as the executive sponsor for the Bank’s risk culture and conduct framework, ensuring people policies reinforce prudent risk-taking and ethical behaviour.
30. Integrate conduct and culture metrics into performance management, promotion criteria, and variable pay decisions.
31. Oversee the “fit and proper” assessment process for material risk takers and senior management.
32. Ensure all HR policies and practices comply with Central Bank of Kenya prudential guidelines, Banking Act provisions, and employment statutes.
33. Maintain compliance with CBK requirements on insider staff lending, conflict of interest disclosures, and post-employment restrictions.
34. Oversee whistleblower protection mechanisms and anti-retaliation policies.
35. Ensure HR functions are subject to robust internal controls, audit trails, and periodic internal audit reviews.
36. Respond to audit findings with remediation plans and closure within agreed timelines.
37. Maintain segregation of duties and authorization matrices for sensitive HR transactions (payroll changes, bonus approvals, access rights).
38. Represents the Bank in Kenya Bankers Association – Industrial Relations Committee.
39. Update job knowledge by participating in conferences and education opportunities.

1. Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management, Business Administration or a related field.
2. Master’s degree in Human Resource Management, MBA or general management.
3. Higher National Diploma in Human Resources or relevant Certification in Human Resources.
4. CHRP or equivalent.
5. Certified Executive Coach is an added advantage.
6. Certified Mediator is an added advantage.
7. Labour Relations or Employment Law certifications is an added advantage.
8. Ten (10) years’ experience in general Human Resource, five (5) of which should be in a leadership role.
9. Full member of IHRM and with current practicing certificate.