Industrial Relations Manager

Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 
Contract duration: 12 months (can be extended)
Rotation: 8 weeks on / 2 weeks off (Monday to Friday)
Recruitment Partner: Airswift
Airswift Recruiter: Isabella Mascarenhas

Keywords: Industrial Relations, Labour Compliance, Contractor Management, Workforce Welfare, Stakeholder Engagement.

Role Summary
The Industrial Relations (IR) Manager will be responsible for implementing and overseeing the Industrial Relations Management System (IRMS) across a large-scale, transnational infrastructure project. This includes managing contractor and sub-contractor compliance with national labor laws, project IR policies, and international labor standards. The role requires strong leadership in stakeholder engagement, workforce welfare, and labor relations, ensuring a healthy and compliant IR environment throughout project execution.

Key Responsibilities
  Lead implementation of IRMS, ensuring alignment with labor legislation and project IR standards. Act as the main interface between the Project and Contractors for all IR matters including risk assessments, readiness reviews, reporting, and training. Oversee worker engagement platforms and ensure effective resolution of workforce concerns. Serve as the Project representative in collective bargaining processes or labor forum negotiations. Ensure statutory labor notifications and compliance across Uganda and Tanzania. Monitor and report on contractor activities related to recruitment, employment conditions, wage payments, employment contracts, retrenchments, and redeployments. Supervise IR Supervisors and ensure their understanding of IR protocols and reporting duties. Drive alignment with human rights performance expectations, including grievance mechanisms and worker feedback tools. Oversee workforce planning, demobilization processes, and contractor compliance with national/local content commitments. Manage disciplinary actions, resolve industrial action incidents, and report IR events and corrective actions. Analyze IR data to identify risks and recommend continuous improvement measures. Deliver IR performance reports and dashboards for internal and external stakeholders. Ensure completion of mandatory IR training for all project workers. Promote exemplary behavior in ethics, safety culture (Zero Harm), and project Code of Conduct.
Required Qualifications & Experience Minimum of 15 years’ experience in Industrial Relations in externally financed or extractive industry projects. Strong expertise in employment law, worker welfare, labor relations, and international IR standards (ILO, UN Human Rights). Proven track record in managing large, diverse contractor workforces, including unskilled, semi-skilled, and professional staff. Experience with workforce planning, recruitment, wage systems, grievance handling, and demobilization processes. Demonstrated ability to engage with contractor leadership and government stakeholders. High-level communication, collaboration, and team-working skills in multicultural and multidisciplinary environments. Strong organizational development and staff management experience. Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint). Advanced written and spoken English. High safety awareness and commitment to ethics, anti-discrimination, and anti-harassment standards. Excellent analytical and problem-solving capabilities. Flexibility to travel across multiple sites.
Preferred Qualifications Previous experience working in Uganda and/or Tanzania. Awareness of H3SE and QA/QC standards for oil & gas infrastructure. Understanding of complex project scopes involving construction, commissioning, and operations. Experience with interface management and integration across project disciplines. Strong mentoring and team development skills. A commitment to an "Incident-Free" and "Zero Harm" project culture.
The next step
We have an exceptional team in place, and we are pleased to be able to appoint a further person to our growing business. We are aware that you may not ‘tick all the boxes’, but if you believe you can genuinely offer some valuable skills and experience to our business, please in the first instance contact our recruitment partner Airswift.

How to Apply: If you are a motivated and skilled professional looking for an exciting opportunity, we invite you to join our team. Please submit your resume and cover letter outlining your qualifications and relevant experience to isabella.mascarenhas@airswift.com 

Airswift is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Join Airswift and be part of shaping the future of energy!