At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead talent strategy, recruiting, and culture in a mission-driven advisory firm.
- Company: CrossBoundaryGroup, a global investment and advisory firm focused on sustainable growth.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, diverse work environment, and opportunities for professional development.
- Other info: Join a dynamic team with a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Why this job: Shape the future of people operations while making a real impact in underserved markets.
- Qualifications: 8+ years in senior people functions, preferably in professional services or consulting.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 120000 € per year.
About the Firm
CrossBoundary Group is a mission-driven investment and advisory firm that unlocks the power of capital for sustainable growth and strong returns in underserved markets. CrossBoundary Advisory provides transaction and investment advisory services, having developed a specialized expertise in unleashing investment across all sectors in these markets. CrossBoundary Advisory has advised on over US$8bn worth of transactions across 75 countries globally, serving our clients from 20 offices spread across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Our advisory clients include governments, development finance institutions, private equity firms, Fortune 100 companies, and research institutions.
Our investment platforms, CrossBoundary Energy, CrossBoundary Energy Access, and CrossBoundary Educational Infrastructure, directly finance projects to bring cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable electricity, as well as education infrastructure, to developing countries. Anchoring the Group’s work in the renewable energy sector, CrossBoundary Energy is currently active in more than 10 African countries and has a portfolio of over US$100 million of renewable energy projects for commercial and industrial clients across the continent. CrossBoundary Energy Access uses blended finance and an innovative project financing structure to unlock capital for mini-grids with a mission to bring electricity for the first time to more than 170,000 people.
Job Description
CrossBoundary Advisory is hiring a Director of People for its Advisory business. The role is broad by design: talent strategy, recruiting, performance, culture, organisational development, with real proximity to senior leadership and genuine room to shape how the people function operates. It suits someone who thinks carefully about systems and people, can move between strategic work and the detail without losing pace, and who finds that kind of challenge genuinely exciting.
Who you are
- A strategic partner to business leaders with a strong voice and technical expertise to influence how the People function impacts firm-level goals.
- An executor who can work backwards from a business need, translating it into a clearly defined goal and working with colleagues across all levels to turn plans into reality.
- An agile player as comfortable with ambiguous ideas as they are with rolling up their sleeves to execute on tasks where necessary.
- An operational system builder who is comfortable in the ‘messy middle’ between perfect systems and imperfect human users and can deliver efficient, simple, user-friendly processes with minimal bureaucracy.
- A custodian of our culture and values.
Responsibilities you’ll own
- Strategy and goals for People domain
- Serve as the strategic People partner to the executive team of CrossBoundary Advisory, with a deep, real-time understanding of the business, its strategic goals, and evolving priorities.
- Shape and implement clear, impactful goals (OKRs) for the People domain that directly support Advisory’s strategic objectives.
- Bring People expertise and perspective to leadership discussions, influencing decisions to ensure we achieve our ambitions for performance, culture, and values.
- Design recruiting systems and provide direct support for senior hires
- Shape the recruiting strategy for Advisory, ensuring we attract exceptional talent aligned with our mission, values, and performance standards.
- Refine, redesign, or create systems to identify the highest caliber talent to join the Advisory team and enhance our employer brand, including global internship program.
- Strengthen our approach and operations to build a high quality talent pipeline.
- Refine our screening processes to ensure we safeguard and enhance our talent density, reducing the internal load and delays for placing hires.
- Directly support with or own recruiting processes for senior talent, high priority, or complex roles.
- Be responsible for the systems, processes and supervision of staffing operations
- Iterate on staffing process as necessary.
- Supervise a junior resource to reliably execute on this.
- Maintain a view on the outcomes of the staffing function on efficiency.
- Talent Development and Performance
- Work with the Group People team to design and deliver Advisory-specific onboarding journeys that set our new joiners up for success from day one.
- Work with business leaders and the Performance team to constantly refine our performance review process.
- Partner with the Group Performance team to deliver content and training that amplifies performance.
- Culture and Employee Relations
- Run and refine our pulse check approach, regularly gauging morale, soliciting feedback, and identifying and driving change initiatives to keep our culture thriving.
- Become the trusted advisor for team members needing support for individual issues.
- Monitor data from exit interviews and retention numbers to detect and address risks for losing talent.
- Organizational Development and Health
- Provide thought partnership to leaders seeking input on team structure.
- Partner with Advisory leadership to maintain high standards for promotion readiness and ensure consistency in promotion decisions.
- Support/partner with Advisory and Group leaders to shape compensation philosophies and incentive frameworks.
Your Background
- At least 8 years of leading people functions at a senior level.
- Background in professional services or consulting strongly preferred.
- Proven ability to advise and influence at the executive level.
- Has built and refined people systems in lean, high-growth environments.
- Comfortable holding strategic leadership and hands-on execution simultaneously.
- Non-traditional backgrounds encouraged to apply.
Locations
You are based either in Nairobi, Johannesburg, or London.
Equal Opportunity Employer
CrossBoundary is an equal opportunity employer. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request to our human.resources@crossboundary.com.
Director of People, Advisory Function employer: Dangote Industries Limited
CrossBoundaryGroup is an exceptional employer that champions a mission-driven culture focused on sustainable growth and impactful investment in underserved markets. With a commitment to employee development, the firm offers robust opportunities for professional growth, a collaborative work environment, and the chance to influence strategic decisions at the highest levels. Located in vibrant cities like Nairobi, Johannesburg, and London, employees benefit from a diverse and dynamic workplace that values innovation and inclusivity.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Director of People, Advisory Function
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in your industry, especially those connected to CrossBoundary. A friendly chat can open doors that applications alone can't.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company culture and values. Show how your experience aligns with their mission of sustainable growth and strong returns in underserved markets.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! Be ready to articulate how you can contribute to the People function at CrossBoundary. Highlight your strategic thinking and hands-on execution skills.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up after interviews! A quick thank-you email can leave a lasting impression and show your enthusiasm for the role.
We think you need these skills to ace Director of People, Advisory Function
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Director of People role. Highlight your experience in talent strategy and organisational development, and show how your skills align with our mission at CrossBoundary.
Showcase Your Strategic Thinking:We want to see how you think! In your application, share examples of how you've influenced people functions to meet business goals. This will help us understand your strategic mindset and how you can contribute to our team.
Be Authentic:Let your personality shine through in your written application. We value culture and values at CrossBoundary, so don’t hesitate to express what makes you unique and how you align with our mission-driven approach.
Apply Through Our Website:For the best chance of success, make sure to submit your application through our website. This ensures it gets to the right people quickly and helps us keep track of all applications efficiently.
How to prepare for a job interview at Dangote Industries Limited
✨Know the Company Inside Out
Before your interview, dive deep into CrossBoundaryGroup's mission and values. Understand their work in sustainable growth and how they operate in underserved markets. This knowledge will help you align your answers with their goals and demonstrate your genuine interest in the role.
✨Showcase Your Strategic Thinking
As a Director of People, you'll need to think strategically about talent management. Prepare examples of how you've influenced people functions in previous roles, particularly in high-growth environments. Be ready to discuss how you can shape the People domain to support CrossBoundary's objectives.
✨Prepare for Hands-On Scenarios
This role requires both strategic oversight and hands-on execution. Think of situations where you've successfully balanced these two aspects. Be prepared to discuss how you would approach ambiguous challenges and implement effective systems while keeping the human element in mind.
✨Engage with Culture and Values
CrossBoundary places a strong emphasis on culture and values. Be ready to discuss how you've fostered a positive workplace culture in your past roles. Share specific initiatives you've led that enhanced employee engagement and aligned with organisational values, as this will resonate well with the interviewers.