People & Culture Lead
Stears
The Company
Stears is a Pan African data company. For global funds investing in Africa, Stears is the data and insights provider that enables quick, accurate decisions during the investment process. Stears users get access to industry, company, transaction, and macro data as well as constantly updated reports by researchers. Unlike other providers, Stears goes beyond just data to provide insights and context based on knowledge of local markets and delivers it all in an easy-to-use data platform. You can find more info about Stears here.
We are looking for a People and Culture Lead with extensive experience in a fast-paced environment across a broad spectrum of HR functions.
The Role
Why it’s important: Stears’ primary customers are fund managers (private equity, venture capital, etc.) and their advisors (investment banks, strategy consultants, etc.) who evaluate investment opportunities in Africa. We aim to provide our customers with the information (data, analytics, insights) on African companies, industries, and economies they need to make the best private company investments on the continent.
All Stears’ information is provided to customers via license access to the proprietary Stears platform. Our desks provide information on countries, companies and industries in our five primary countries: South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and Egypt. As we grow rapidly, your mission as the People and Culture Lead is to build a strong, inclusive culture, drive employee engagement, and manage all aspects of human capital.
What it covers: As the People and Culture Lead, you will be responsible for developing and executing our human resource and organisational culture strategies, including talent acquisition, performance management, people analytics, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion, and leadership development. This role requires a strategic mindset and the ability to manage tactical execution to build a thriving, agile, and scalable organisation.
As the People & Culture Lead, you will:
- Establish diverse recruitment strategies and lead hiring efforts to attract top technical and non-technical talent.
- Build relationships with universities, recruiters, and industry networks to source and hire the best talent.
- Develop retention strategies, including employee recognition, career development, and succession planning.
- Manage onboarding and offboarding processes to ensure a smooth employee journey.
- Establish and implement training and development programs, particularly focusing on upskilling in data analytics, AI, and private equity-specific knowledge.
- Implement best practices for workplace policies and procedures, ensuring they scale with company growth.
- Develop and execute employee well-being programs, including mental health and work-life balance initiatives.
- Implement employee feedback mechanisms and drive continuous improvement based on insights.
- Identify the most relevant people data to track and measure per time (quarter, bi-annual, annual).
- Consistently collect and compile people and culture data and metrics relating to recruitment, employee engagement and turnover.
- Conduct analysis utilising our HRIS and other data to enable better business decisions.
- Identify and communicate short and long-term recommendations on policies, processes and activities to improve hiring, retention and culture.
- Work closely with senior managers and Operations to drive organisational compliance in line with Stears policies and standards.
- Implement best practices for workplace policies and procedures, ensuring they scale with company growth.
- Provide mentorship and guidance to junior team members, offering constructive feedback on their workstreams. Conduct regular reviews of their deliverables and interactions with stakeholders to ensure high-quality standards, foster professional growth, and support their development within the team.
Who you will work with: This role is part of the People & Culture Team. You will report to the Head of People & Culture. In addition to working with the core team, you will also engage with other stakeholders in the Intelligence, Platform & Revenue teams.
Required Skills & Qualifications
These are the minimum requirements for the role
- A Bachelor’s degree preferably in Human Resources, Organisational Development, or a related field.
- At least 5 years of work experience in human resources or people operations, preferably in a fast-paced, high-growth startup company
- Experience in high-growth organisations or industries that require agile HR practices (e.g., data intelligence, fintech, private equity).
- Ability to align HR practices with business goals and drive organisational growth
- Comfort with using data analytics to inform talent strategies and improve employee experience
- Strong leadership and communication skills to inspire, manage, and develop a team.
- Ability to adapt to changing circumstances in a fast-paced startup environment.
- Strong relationship-building skills with internal stakeholders, external partners, and candidates
- Excellent project management skills
- Highly organised with strong oral & written communication skills
- Exceptional attention to detail
- The objectivity and the ability to apply People policies and regulations in a fair and consistent manner.
Preferred skills & qualifications: These skills & qualifications are not necessary but will be highly valued
- A Master's degree or relevant certifications (e.g., SHRM-CP, CIPD) is a plus.
- Knowledge of remote working HR best practice
- Evidence of cultural sensitivity and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of people across different countries and settings.
Perks
Meaningful perks matter to us. They make employees better and contribute to making Stears a great place to work. If you join us, you can be assured that you’ll enjoy a wide range of generous perks, rewards and office benefits including:
- Competitive salary
- Comprehensive Health Insurance coverage
- Flexible working. We are currently hybrid
- Be a People & Culture Champion: Take advantage of this opportunity to shape the culture of a cutting-edge, high-growth data intelligence startup doing impactful work for the African continent.
- Paid time off - 25 days excluding public holidays and sick days (prorated)
- Compassionate Leave
- Parental Leave
- Unlimited Sick Leave
- Special emphasis on learning and development
- Be part of our new product offerings
- Unlimited access to Stears Intelligence Solutions
- The Stears Experience - These are the top reasons employees are having the best experience of their careers at Stears:
- Deepen their analytical & critical thinking skills which apply beyond a specific domain
- Gain a high level of autonomy and responsibility by taking on a senior role in our high-trust startup environment and relatively flat organizational hierarchy
- Do something meaningful by being part of a team making African data more widely available
- Access to an expert Intelligence & Analytics team - Stears Intelligence team includes some of the brightest knowledge experts in Nigeria covering a wide range of sectors, all with a passion for delivering the highest quality of intelligence and analytics on the African continent.
- Regular social activities, including annual off-site team bonding
- Stears branded merchandise and swag
Diversity
Stears is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants regardless of color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or family status, disability, gender identity or expression, veteran status, actual or presumed belonging to an ethnic group, or any other legally protected status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.