Background information about the job or company (e.g., role context, company overview)

Wave is hiring a People Operations Associate to be the go-to person in keeping our Kampala and upcountry offices humming – managing people operations, events, administration and everything in between. We are looking for someone who is fast paced, data driven, energized by building systems and making things happen.

Responsibilities or duties

People Operations

• Implement and maintain HR policies, procedures, and administrative systems across Wave Uganda.
• Onboard new staff and integrate them into Wave’s culture.
• Manage employee records including compensation, benefits, insurance, promotions, transfers, performance reviews, and terminations.
• Process work permits for employees as needed.
• Serve as the primary contact and Business Partner for all people-related matters.

Office Management

• Oversee day-to-day office operations, ensuring quality working conditions and health and safety compliance.
• Manage the office front desk, utilities, security, supplies, equipment, and inventory levels.
• Coordinate acquisition of new office spaces and related logistics.
• Handle people and service correspondence, complaints, and queries.

Team Leadership & Administration

• Supervise, mentor, and train office staff while delegating work to maximize productivity.
• Manage office budgets and procurements.
• Arrange domestic and international travel (flights, hotels, car rentals).
• Plan corporate events including happy hours, retreats, and conferences.
• Create presentations and management-level reports.

Qualifications or requirements (e.g., education, skills)

• Bachelor’s degree or professional training in business administration, HR, or any other related field.
• Knowledge of HRIS systems, preferably Bamboo HR, and open to learning how to use our HR systems.
• Experience using Google Suite (Doc, Sheets) or Microsoft Office.
• Strong organizational and prioritisation skills.

Experience needed

• At least 3 years experience in a similar role, ideally at a fast paced international company.

Any other provided details (e.g., benefits, work environment, team info, or additional notes)

Key Details

• Location: You’ll work from our office in Kampala, Uganda and travel to upcountry field locations from time to time.
• Work authorization in Uganda is required.
• This is a permanent position.
• Our salaries are competitive and calculated using a transparent formula.
• We offer generous health insurance for yourself and your dependents.
• We support working parents – we offer 26 weeks of parental leave for mothers and 4 weeks for fathers, in addition to subsidized child care when they return to work.
• Airtime reimbursement.
• Free food and a beautiful office space.

You might be a good fit if you

• Demonstrate tenacity and a willingness to go the distance to get something done.
• Are thoughtful about how physical spaces and environments support team culture.
• Can function autonomously with minimal guidance.
• Possess strong collaboration, communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Display strong work ethics and respect internal policies.
• Are a good people manager and help team members grow.
• Have managed successful teams to achieve ambitious goals.
• Are comfortable defaulting to over-communication and overreaching when it comes to coordination.
• Adjust quickly to changing priorities and conditions and cope effectively with complexity and change.
• Are analytical in your approach to problems.
• Have developed processes with minimal guidance and have implemented them.
• Are solution-driven and detail-oriented with strong task follow-through.
• Can understand and follow established priorities.
• Are flexible to work irregular hours when required.

Our team

• We have a rapidly growing in-country team in Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Uganda, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Cameroon plus remote team members spread across the world.
• We’re deeply passionate about our mission of bringing radically affordable financial services to the people who need them most.
• We foster autonomy for our employees. You’ll own your projects at every stage, from understanding the problem to monitoring your solution in production.
• We raised the largest Series A in Africa in 2021. Our world-class investors, include Founders Fund, Sequoia Heritage, Stripe, Ribbit Capital, Y Combinator, and Partech Africa.
• We are on Y Combinator’s top companies by revenue.

• Implement and maintain HR policies, procedures, and administrative systems across Wave Uganda.
• Onboard new staff and integrate them into Wave’s culture.
• Manage employee records including compensation, benefits, insurance, promotions, transfers, performance reviews, and terminations.
• Process work permits for employees as needed.
• Serve as the primary contact and Business Partner for all people-related matters.
• Oversee day-to-day office operations, ensuring quality working conditions and health and safety compliance.
• Manage the office front desk, utilities, security, supplies, equipment, and inventory levels.
• Coordinate acquisition of new office spaces and related logistics.
• Handle people and service correspondence, complaints, and queries.
• Supervise, mentor, and train office staff while delegating work to maximize productivity.
• Manage office budgets and procurements.
• Arrange domestic and international travel (flights, hotels, car rentals).
• Plan corporate events including happy hours, retreats, and conferences.
• Create presentations and management-level reports.

• Knowledge of HRIS systems, preferably Bamboo HR, and open to learning how to use our HR systems.
• Experience using Google Suite (Doc, Sheets) or Microsoft Office.
• Strong organizational and prioritisation skills.
• Demonstrate tenacity and a willingness to go the distance to get something done.
• Are thoughtful about how physical spaces and environments support team culture.
• Can function autonomously with minimal guidance.
• Possess strong collaboration, communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Display strong work ethics and respect internal policies.
• Are a good people manager and help team members grow.
• Have managed successful teams to achieve ambitious goals.
• Are comfortable defaulting to over-communication and overreaching when it comes to coordination.
• Adjust quickly to changing priorities and conditions and cope effectively with complexity and change.
• Are analytical in your approach to problems.
• Have developed processes with minimal guidance and have implemented them.
• Are solution-driven and detail-oriented with strong task follow-through.
• Can understand and follow established priorities.
• Are flexible to work irregular hours when required.

• Bachelor’s degree or professional training in business administration, HR, or any other related field.