People and Performance Manager at Restless Development, Tanzania – October 2026

About Restless Development

Restless Development is a globally connected, locally led organisation that supports youth-led change. For 40 years, the organisation has worked with young people to address major global challenges by equipping them with leadership skills, connecting them with peers and decision-makers, and directing power and resources towards youth-led initiatives.

The organisation also runs the Youth Collective, a growing network of more than 4,000 local youth civil society groups and organisations across 185 countries.

Restless Development is committed to shifting power to young people and embedding this approach in its internal operations and external programmes. The organisation received Silver in the Global Good Employer of the Year category at the 2026 Global Good Awards, recognising its commitment to supporting and developing its people and creating positive change in communities.

Job Overview

Job Title: People and Performance Manager
Organisation: Restless Development
Location: To be confirmed. The successful candidate will be based in one of the organisation’s hubs in Tanzania, India, Sierra Leone or Zambia.
Job Type: Full-time
Contract Duration: Two-year fixed-term contract
Reports To: Director of People and Operations
Salary: To be confirmed, based on the successful candidate’s location and the organisation’s Global Salary Scale
Preferred Start Date: As soon as possible
Application Deadline: Monday, 2 November 2026

About the Role

The People and Performance Manager is a new position within Restless Development’s Global People team. The successful candidate will lead the day-to-day operations of the People function across the organisation, working closely with the Director of People and Operations to ensure staff are supported, engaged and able to perform effectively.

The role covers performance management, talent development, staff wellbeing, HR policies, people data and employee relations across the organisation’s hubs and globally distributed teams.

The postholder will provide practical HR support and guidance to Hub Directors, Hub Heads and line managers on performance and employee-related matters.

The role also includes line management of the Assistant People Coordinator, who supervises the People Officer, and leadership of the global People Community of Practice comprising people leads across the organisation’s hubs.

The People and Performance Manager will work closely with the Safeguarding and Safety Manager, who retains responsibility for safeguarding, safety and security.

Key Responsibilities

1. Managing People Operations Across the Agency

• Lead the day-to-day operations of the People team and deliver the team’s workplan as agreed with the Director of People and Operations.
• Line-manage, coach and develop the Assistant People Coordinator, ensuring that the People Officer receives appropriate support and supervision through this reporting structure.
• Lead the People Community of Practice for hub people leads by providing updates, training and guidance on HR decisions and practices to promote consistent approaches across the organisation.
• Draft, review and update People policies, procedures and the employee handbook for approval by the Director of People and Operations.
• Ensure HR policies and procedures are understood and consistently applied across all hubs.
• Serve as the first point of escalation for People-related queries that cannot be resolved by the Assistant People Coordinator or hub people leads.

2. Performance Management and Talent Development

• Work with hub teams to review, improve and embed performance management processes throughout the organisation.
• Use BambooHR to manage goals, feedback, probation reviews and performance oversight.
• Coach and guide line managers, Hub Directors and Hub Heads on performance management, including probation, performance improvement and capability processes.
• Monitor the completion and quality of performance reviews across hubs and report on trends, gaps and areas requiring improvement.
• Support the Director of People and Operations in managing the community of practice for the next generation of Hub Directors, including talent development and succession planning.
• Coordinate the organisation’s learning and development programmes, including identifying training needs and evaluating the impact of learning activities.

3. Employee Relations

• Advise people leads on employee relations matters, including grievances, disciplinary cases, capability issues and absence management.
• Ensure advice and actions comply with organisational policies, best practices and applicable local labour laws.
• Escalate high-risk or complex employee relations cases to the Director of People and Operations.
• Ensure employee relations cases are properly documented, tracked and resolved fairly and promptly.
• Manage relationships with external people service providers, including the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and HR advisory support services.

4. Staff Wellbeing and Engagement

• Lead the organisation’s staff wellbeing initiatives, ensuring wellbeing is measured, reported on and prioritised across hubs.
• Use pulse surveys and other initiatives to assess staff wellbeing and identify areas requiring improvement.
• Oversee the annual Agency Survey and other staff feedback mechanisms.
• Ensure survey findings inform improvements to the Employee Value Proposition and organisational culture.
• Work with the Safeguarding and Safety Manager when staff wellbeing issues overlap with safeguarding or safety concerns, ensuring staff are referred to appropriate support.
• Support the planning of Quarterly Staff Workshops, re-induction activities and the annual leadership conference from a People perspective.

5. People Data, HRIS and Reporting

• Manage the day-to-day administration and use of BambooHR, ensuring data quality, appropriate access controls and effective use of reporting capabilities.
• Build capacity across hubs to improve the use of HR systems and people data.
• Produce timely and accurate people reports and key performance metrics for the Director of People and Operations, Global Leadership Group, People and Culture Committee, and Board of Trustees.
• Ensure people data is managed in accordance with the organisation’s data protection policy and applicable national data protection legislation.
• Lead the review and updating of the Restless Way to provide a central induction site for staff across the network.

6. Power Shifting, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

• Support the Director of People and Operations and the Power Shifting Director in monitoring and reporting on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) targets, power-shifting ambitions and relevant indicators in the Agency Plan.
• Support hubs in addressing People priorities identified through internal audits and other reporting mechanisms.
• Contribute to external reporting and benchmarking initiatives, including Fair Share of Women Leaders.

7. Other Responsibilities

• Undertake occasional weekend or public holiday work when required, with time off in lieu provided.
• Perform other duties as assigned in line with the responsibilities of the position.

Qualifications and Experience

Essential Requirements

Candidates must demonstrate the following experience and competencies:

• Significant experience in a generalist Human Resources or People role, including at least five years at officer/coordinator level or above, with line-management experience.
• Proven experience designing and embedding performance management processes and coaching managers to implement them effectively.
• Practical experience advising on employee relations cases.
• Experience leading staff wellbeing and engagement initiatives, including staff surveys.
• Strong working knowledge of a Human Resources Information System (HRIS), preferably BambooHR, and confidence producing people data reports.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively across cultures and with remote, globally distributed teams.

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

The following would be an advantage:

• A relevant HR qualification, such as a degree or postgraduate qualification in Human Resources or Business Psychology, or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience working in the international development or non-profit sector, or across more than one country.
• Experience working with diversity, equity and inclusion or power-shifting frameworks.
• Experience in learning and development or talent management.

Salary and Benefits

Restless Development is committed to maintaining a transparent global salary scale that supports fair and comparable pay across its locations.

The salary for this position will be determined by the location of the successful candidate and the organisation’s Global Salary Scale at manager level.

Additional benefits include pension contributions and other benefits applicable to the local hub.

Work-Life Balance

Restless Development offers the following benefits to support employee wellbeing and work-life balance:

• 24 days of annual leave, in addition to public holidays.
• One additional annual leave day for each full year of service, up to a maximum of 28 days.
• Birthday leave.
• Access to flexible working arrangements.
• Study leave.
• Maternity, paternity and adoption leave.
• Other applicable leave allowances.

Professional Development

The organisation invests in staff development through:

• Opportunities to work on significant projects that support professional growth.
• Regular performance management.
• Training and development opportunities.
• Support to identify mentors within and outside the organisation.
• Quarterly Staff Workshops that provide organisational updates, training and opportunities for staff interaction.

Values, Culture and Safeguarding

Restless Development values the integrity of its organisational culture and recognises the importance of creating a safe, inclusive and supportive working environment.

The organisation considers the welfare and protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults an organisational priority. Safeguarding takes precedence over programme success and strategic objectives.

All staff, volunteers and partners are expected to take responsibility for safeguarding and comply with the organisation’s Safeguarding Policy.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Restless Development is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sectors of the community.

The organisation is committed to ensuring that no applicant or staff member receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation, marital status, social status, caste, race, ethnic origin, religious belief, age, HIV status, disability or any other factor that cannot be shown to be relevant to job performance.

Application Instructions

Interested and qualified candidates should submit their applications through the official Restless Development recruitment portal.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Applicants should review the requirements carefully and submit their applications through the online recruitment system.

Application Deadline: Monday, 2 November 2026.