People Operations Manager - Rwanda

Location: Kigali, Rwanda
Type: Full-time
Level: Manager (Mid–Senior)
Reports to: Head of People

About BasiGo
BasiGo is a pioneering e-mobility start-up headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, with operations in Rwanda, driving a transformation in Africa's public transportation. We're providing electric buses as a sustainable, cost-effective alternative to diesel options, reshaping mobility for a greener future. At the heart of BasiGo's innovation is our Pay-As-You-Drive model, making electric bus ownership and operation accessible and affordable for private sector operators across Africa.

About the Role
We're looking for a mature, level-headed People Operations Manager to own Policy, compliance, recruitment, employee relations, and help execute on culture matters for BasiGo Rwanda. This is a mid-senior, hands-on role for someone who is comfortable navigating employee matters independently, bringing sound judgement and a calm, professional presence to every conversation. You'll partner closely with managers across the business in Rwanda.

BasiGo Rwanda is a small, fast-growing team, so this role carries real weight from day one, there's no large HR function to hide behind, and no shortage of ambiguity to bring structure to.

Who You'll Work With

• Head of People — your direct manager, based remotely, who you'll partner with closely on strategy, policy direction, and complex or high-risk cases.
• HR Operations Officer — in the meantime, a close working partner on HR Ops, employee engagement, payroll, admin coordination, employee records, and day-to-day operations.
• BasiGo Rwanda's department leads.

Key Responsibilities
Employee Relations, Policy & Compliance

• Serve as the primary point of contact for employee relations in Rwanda with guidance from the Head of People— grievances, disciplinary processes, and other sensitive matters — handled with discretion, fairness, and sound judgement.
  
• Own the development and continuous improvement of HR policies, ensuring alignment with Rwandan labour law and BasiGo's global People standards.
• Support in maintaining BasiGo Rwanda's version of the employee handbook and policy library, updating it as labour law or business needs evolve.
• Ensure full compliance with Rwandan labour regulations and statutory requirements.
• Liaise with RSSB, RRA, and other relevant Rwandan authorities on statutory filings, registrations, and inspections.
• Coordinate with external legal counsel on employment matters as needed.

Business Partnering

• Act as a trusted advisor to Rwanda's managers, supporting them through day-to-day people decisions.
• Represent the people's perspective in Rwanda, in business and leadership discussions.
• Build strong cross-departmental relationships to embed BasiGo's people-first culture at every level.

Recruitment

• Head of People — your direct manager, based remotely, who you'll partner with closely on strategy, policy direction, and complex or high-risk cases.
• Own recruitment strategy and execution for BasiGo Rwanda, from workforce planning through offer stage, with coordination support from the HR Operations Officer.
• Partner with hiring managers to define role requirements, source and screen candidates, and ensure a strong candidate experience.
• Build and maintain a pipeline for hard-to-fill and recurring roles.

Learning & Development

• Support the Head of People on BasiGo's L&D programs in Rwanda.
• Support managers in building individual development plans for their teams.
• Track training participation and impact, and report on outcomes.
  

Culture & Employee Engagement

• Manage engagement initiatives for BasiGo Rwanda — milestone celebrations, recognition programs, and team-building activities, with coordination support from the HR Operations Officer.
• Champion a people-first, high-performance culture aligned with BasiGo's mission and values.

Team Leadership

• Model the calm, mature, solutions-oriented approach expected across the People team.
• Support the professional development and growth of junior HR team members as the team scales.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, Sociology, or a related field.
• 5–7 years of progressive HR experience, including exposure to employee relations, policy, and recruitment.
• A track record of handling sensitive employee matters with maturity, discretion, and sound judgement.
• Strong understanding of Rwandan labour law and HR compliance requirements; broader East African HR knowledge is a plus.
• Experience partnering with managers.
• Comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy in a lean, fast-moving team, with limited day-to-day oversight.

Skills and Competencies

• Mature, level-headed, and calm under pressure — comfortable handling sensitive and high-stakes conversations independently.
• Takes direct, critical feedback in stride — genuinely receptive to input, quick to self-correct, and doesn't get defensive.
• Sound judgement and discretion when managing confidential matters.
• Able to build trust quickly across a diverse, multinational team.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Organised, proactive, and able to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

BasiGo is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based on race, colour, religion, sex, age, national origin, ethnic background, disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic established by law.