Kenya Tea Development Agency Holdings Limited (KTDA) stands as a premier private holding company owned by small-scale tea farmers across Kenya. Through its subsidiaries, KTDA provides comprehensive services to over 600,000 tea farmers and manages more than 70 tea factories countrywide. As a leader in the tea industry, KTDA is committed to supporting and empowering smallholder farmers, improving tea production standards, and promoting sustainability and professionalism in every aspect of its operations.
To continue its mission of delivering efficient, professional services to factories and uphold a high-performing workforce, KTDA invites applications from qualified and passionate professionals to fill the position of Human Resources Manager (Factories). This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced HR leader to take on a pivotal role in the operational management of KTDA’s vast factory network and zonal offices.
This position is essential to the success of KTDA’s human capital development and management framework at the factory level. The successful candidate will be tasked with implementing strategic HR initiatives and providing professional advice to factory management teams, ensuring a cohesive and standardized approach to HR functions across all regions.
Position: Human Resources Manager (Factories)
Department: Human Resources Operations
Reporting To: Head of Human Resources Operations
Location: Various Factory Zones (with frequent travel required)
Application Deadline: 1st August 2025
Application Mode: Online via KTDA Recruitment Portal
Position Scope
The Human Resources Manager (Factories) will play a central role in coordinating and overseeing all HR activities within KTDA’s factories and zonal offices. This role requires strategic planning, policy implementation, compliance monitoring, and workforce development initiatives tailored to the factory environment.
This role is designed for a strategic thinker and people-oriented professional who can balance the need for efficient policy execution with the complex demands of labor relations and workforce dynamics at the factory level.
Key Responsibilities
The key responsibilities of the Human Resources Manager (Factories) include but are not limited to the following:
1. Manpower Planning and Recruitment
- Develop and coordinate comprehensive staffing plans tailored to each factory and zonal office based on operational requirements.
- Lead and manage recruitment and selection activities to ensure the timely availability of qualified personnel.
- Coordinate workforce forecasting and analysis in collaboration with factory management teams.
2. HR Advisory and Policy Implementation
- Provide expert advice to factory and zonal office management on a wide range of HR issues including staffing levels, labor planning, employee engagement, and productivity.
- Ensure consistent application and interpretation of HR policies, procedures, and labor laws across all factory operations.
- Support factory managers in implementing KTDA’s HR policies to ensure fairness, transparency, and operational effectiveness.
3. Staff Welfare and Industrial Relations
- Oversee and promote staff welfare schemes aimed at improving employee satisfaction, retention, and morale across all factory zones.
- Manage and resolve staff grievances and complaints professionally and in accordance with KTDA’s dispute resolution procedures.
- Play a central role in industrial relations management, including facilitating communication and negotiations with trade unions and ensuring adherence to Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).
- Advise management on union activities and labor-related risks, providing timely and appropriate interventions.
4. Training, Development, and Performance Management
- Identify training needs and skills gaps in factories through assessments and consultations with managers.
- Liaise with the training department to plan and execute employee development initiatives tailored to factory needs.
- Ensure factory managers and supervisors are effectively trained in the KTDA performance management system.
- Monitor the implementation of performance management processes to align individual output with corporate goals.
5. Organizational Development and Workflow Optimization
- Review organizational structures and workflows within factories and recommend changes to optimize efficiency and productivity.
- Lead change management initiatives to enhance HR service delivery across KTDA’s factories.
- Work closely with departments to streamline HR processes and embed a performance-driven culture.
6. Transfers and Relocations
- Coordinate and manage staff transfers and relocations to ensure seamless transitions while maintaining operational continuity.
- Implement equitable and policy-aligned transfer procedures across the factory network.
7. Reporting and Compliance Monitoring
- Prepare and submit monthly HR activity reports covering all factory operations.
- Monitor compliance with HR policies, statutory labor requirements, and KTDA standards through regular audits and inspections.
- Conduct routine visits to factories to review HR documentation, monitor policy adherence, and provide on-site support to HR personnel and factory management.
8. Disciplinary and Grievance Management
- Manage disciplinary cases and grievance processes in collaboration with factory HR teams and line managers.
- Ensure timely resolution of employee relations issues while maintaining compliance with company policy and labor legislation.
- Provide expert guidance on legal and procedural aspects of disciplinary actions.
9. Policy Standardization and Staff Training
- Develop and enforce uniform HR standards across the factories to foster consistency and compliance.
- Regularly conduct training and sensitization workshops for factory decision-makers and line managers on HR policies, labor laws, and effective staff management techniques.
Qualifications, Skills, and Experience
To succeed in this role, the ideal candidate should demonstrate a blend of strategic thinking, operational execution, and interpersonal acumen. The following qualifications and competencies are required:
- A Bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
- A Higher National Diploma in Human Resource Management.
- A certified Member of the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM).
- A minimum of eight (8) years of progressive experience in human resource management, preferably in a unionized or manufacturing environment.
- Strong understanding of Kenyan labor laws, regulations, and employment practices.
- Demonstrated experience in handling collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) and labor dispute resolution.
- Excellent planning and logistical capabilities to manage operations across multiple factory zones.
- Proficient in use of Microsoft Office and HR information systems.
- Proven ability to manage departmental resources, budgets, and cross-functional projects.
- Strong communication and conflict resolution skills.
- High degree of confidentiality, integrity, and ethical conduct.
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills under pressure.
- Effective team leadership and mentorship abilities.
- Ability to prioritize tasks and meet tight deadlines in a dynamic environment.
- Experience in developing and evaluating HR metrics and reports.
Why Join KTDA Holdings?
KTDA is not just a leading agricultural organization; it is a people-focused enterprise built on excellence, integrity, and community development. Working at KTDA offers a dynamic and challenging environment, where employees contribute to improving livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers. The role of Human Resources Manager (Factories) is particularly critical to KTDA’s mission of sustaining professionalism and operational effectiveness across its factory network.
This position offers the successful candidate a unique opportunity to work in a multi-site environment, supporting diverse workforce needs, while promoting best practices in human resource management. If you are a proactive HR leader with a passion for industrial relations, staff development, and organizational excellence, this is the opportunity for you.
Application Instructions
Interested and qualified candidates should submit their applications online through the KTDA Recruitment Portal no later than 1st August 2025.
Please ensure that all required documents are attached and your profile is complete on the portal before submission.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Canvassing in any form will lead to automatic disqualification.
KTDA Holdings Limited is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in its workforce.
Group General Manager
Human Resource & Administration
KTDA Holdings Limited
