Manager - TERA India

The Manager leads The Ethical Recruitment Agency in India (TERA India). This role has responsibility for overseeing TERA India’s personnel, finances, operations and service delivery – ethically recruiting Indians to work abroad in the Gulf and other destinations. The ideal candidate will ensure that TERA’s ethical practices, such as charging no fees to workers, are effectively implemented. The position will be based in or near Lucknow, UP.

Seefar encourages applicants from a variety of backgrounds including displaced persons and persons with disabilities.

Job Description

Seefar is a social enterprise with a vision for a world where vulnerable people have more opportunities to advance themselves. We have launched The Ethical Recruitment Agency (TERA), a migrant worker recruitment company that has the mission of helping people benefit from working abroad while staying safe from exploitation. We directly recruit workers, fully prepare them for jobs abroad, do not charge fees and monitor them to make sure they remain safe. We place workers in a variety of sectors including construction, hospitality, oil & gas and more. For more information about us, please visit https://ethicalrecruitmentagency.com/

We have recently opened an office in India and are seeking a Lucknow based Manager for TERA India. This position will oversee all business operations, HR, and project delivery related to our core service: recruiting candidates to be placed for decent and safe work abroad. This is a full-time consultancy position for six months, renewable subject to funding and performance.

You will hire trusted staff to implement all phases of worker recruitment. Under your leadership, your team will identify and directly recruit eligible migrant worker candidates; screen them for qualifications/suitability for work abroad; deliver pre-departure training; support them to obtain visas and move abroad; and ensure that workers are never charged fees, deceived or exploited. You will build strong business processes to ensure on-time delivery and high quality for our clients abroad.

You must be able to speak English, Hindi and at least one local language (e.g. Awadhi) fluently. You have a demonstrated track record in business, managing personnel and high quality service delivery. You have a good character and are committed to TERA India’s Ethical Principles (see below). You have an entrepreneurial attitude. You are smart, self-motivated, have a strong work ethic. You are keen to help Indians of all backgrounds find work abroad.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The following are the primary responsibilities of the role, with estimated allocations of time and attention.

SUPERVISE: TERA PERSONNEL

About 25% of time and effort:

• Managing TERA’s local team, including recruiters, training staff, logistics personnel, marketing professionals, finance officers and other staff as needed;
• Hiring staff as needed to fill key business functions;
• Providing feedback and support to personnel to ensure on-time delivery;
• Ensuring that personnel adhere to our Code of Conduct;
• Working with the TERA team to make the recruitment process more efficient and ethical;

DELIVER: MIGRANT WORKER RECRUITMENT

About 50% of time and effort:

• Leading recruitment processes to find candidates for placement in low-skill jobs in the Gulf including domestic work, construction and other industries:
  • Advertising TERA and specific opportunities to work abroad;
  • Engaging with prospective workers and answering their questions, both in-person and via email/social media;
  • Checking references and selecting qualified workers;
  • Guiding workers through the recruitment process, including all logistics;
  • Collecting worker data and ensuring data accuracy;
  • Checking worker documents and other requirements to work abroad;
  • Entering worker data into TERA’s database.
• Ensuring that TERA’s ethical practices are fully implemented – for example, that workers are not charged fees;
• Applying and improving internal processes;
• Facilitating pre-departure activities such as training, medical checks and airport check-in;
• Delivering pre-departure training;
• Giving guidance to applicants on how to access pre-departure and in-country support;
• Other tasks as directed and/or needed.

SUPPORT: PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

About 25% of time and effort:

• Managing in-country relationships, including with local authorities and community officials;
• Liaising with lawyers, accountants and other administrative services, such as by providing documents to ensure TERA remains in full legal compliance;
• Contributing to other TERA objectives, such as developing worker support processes (pre-departure and in-country);
• Complying with donor reporting requirements;
• Represent and demonstrate our values and Code of Conduct

TERA’s Ethical Code of Conduct

TERA firmly believes in supporting and protecting the health, safety, welfare, security, and dignity of each of our workers. This commitment is reflected in our ten fundamental principles, which are always integrated into our commercial and personnel contracts. These principles are the foundation of our Code of Conduct, which permeates our specific obligations, policies and processes.

1. We always follow the law. TERA takes compliance with the applicable laws seriously.
2. We respect, protect and promote migrant workers’ rights. TERA ensures that workers are never subject to any form of forced, compulsory, bonded, indentured, or prison labour.
3. We guarantee no recruitment fees and provide debt-free employment opportunities. TERA follows the “employer pays” recruitment model and we do not charge workers fees.
4. We commit to transparent recruitment processes and clear employment contracts. TERA will ensure workers fully understand the terms and conditions of their employment and are provided with written Contracts in a language they understand.
5. We adequately prepare workers for work and life abroad. Workers are fully informed of their human and labour rights and entitlements before they go abroad and are adequately trained for their new jobs.
6. We ensure workers have full access to their identity documents and freedom of movement. No workers’ passports or identity documents are retained by TERA or our employer partners.
7. We partner with employers that provide decent and safe working and living conditions. TERA is committed to ensuring workers are provided with clean, secure, safe, and healthy working and living environments.
8. We work with employers that pay fair wages regularly, directly and on time. We monitor our workers while they are abroad to ensure payments are delivered as agreed.
9. We ensure that workers have access to remedy. TERA’s workers have access to grievance procedures without risk of reprisal, and safe return is guaranteed.
10. We adhere to inclusive policies and procedures. We do not discriminate on the basis of nationality, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy status, family status, ethnicity, social status, political affiliation, race, or religion.
11. We are committed to the elimination of child labor. TERA is committed to ensuring that no person under the age of majority is recruited for work.
12. Zero tolerance for corruption, bribery and kickbacks.

An Excellent Candidate

To excel in this role, you will have the following experience and capacities:

• At least 7-10 years of experience managing business systems and processes and have previously managed an office with multiple staff.
• You have a track record of supervising others effectively.
• A highly entrepreneurial skill set;
• Exceptional organisational skills and a track record of on-time delivery;
• A commitment to migrant worker welfare;
• Excellent written and verbal communication in English;
• Prior work experience abroad preferred but not required
• You are based in Lucknow, India

How to apply:

On or before March 6, 2020, complete our online application form. Please, do not include your name or your photo in your CV or letter. This is because we review your application based purely on your previous experiences and introductory letter.

Before you start, you should do the following:

1. Confirm you meet these minimum requirements:
   1. At least 7-10 years of experience in management, business processes or other leadership roles;
   2. An understanding and willingness to commit to TERA’s Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct;
   3. Living in Lucknow, India.
   4. Complete fluency in oral and written English.
2. Prepare a CV in Word or PDF format.
3. In Word or PDF format, prepare an introductory letter that includes only the following:
   1. Why are you interested in working for TERA? (1 paragraph)
   2. Why are you a good fit for the role? (1 paragraph)
   3. What is one common unethical practice in the recruitment business, and how would you prevent this as the TERA India Manager? (1 paragraph, no more than half a page.)