Senior People Operations Associate - Francophone Africa

Pula Advisors

Pula Advisors

People & HR, Operations
Africa, OH, USA
Posted on Monday, December 11, 2023

About Pula

Pula is an insurtech firm that provides agricultural insurance design and execution services, specializing in index-based insurance, and is backed by top-tier VC investors. Since 2015, we have provided climate insurance to 11M+ smallholder farmers, 31% of whom are women across 19 markets in Africa and Asia. So far we've protected agricultural investments over $1.7B from climate risks.

Pula is a fast-paced space, constantly adapting to new opportunities and challenges and we are made up of a high-performance, multi-cultural team. We expect our team to value performance, results and professionalism.

At Pula, our values are:

  • Obsessed with results: We are responsible for our future and therefore we get things done!
  • Connect the Dots: We continuously identify different customer needs & business problems and build solutions that deliver value.
  • Have a Can do Attitude! We dare to do things differently to make things work.
  • We have each others’ back: We look out for each other & we share high quality, timely feedback that makes us better.

What you will be doing

Your role as a Senior People Operations Associate will be far from one-dimensional. You’ll undertake a wide range of People Operations tasks, such as organizing onboarding, administering employee benefits and enforcing company policies and practices. You will use Human Resources Information Systems to ensure all employee records are up-to-date and confidential. And you’ll also act as a point of contact for employees’ queries on HR-related topics.

The goal is to ensure the People Operations department will be running smoothly and effectively to deliver maximum value to the organization as a whole.

In this role, you'll;

  • Deliver the day-to-day People Operations activities including onboarding, offboarding, contracting and planning for training & development.
  • Assist in talent acquisition and recruitment processes.
  • Administer and track compensation and benefit plans including health care, retirement etc.
  • Assist in the development and implementation of human resource policies.
  • Maintain employee files and records in electronic and paper form.
  • Enhance job satisfaction by resolving issues promptly and organizing engagement and culture initiatives.
  • Provide support in payroll preparation by ensuring all statutory documentation is in place by providing relevant data (joining date, compensation, leaves, etc)
  • Support departments in the set up of offsite retreats/activities that increase employee engagement and/or productivity.
  • Provide support to employees in various People Operations-related topics such as policies, leaves and benefits.
  • Maintain knowledge of trends, best practices, regulatory changes, and new technologies in human resources, talent management, and employment law.
  • Gather and analyze data with useful HR metrics.
  • Organize, maintain and update employee HRIS information as needed.
  • Any other duties as assigned.

What you need to have to be successful

  • You have at least 2 years experience in a similar full-time role in a busy start up or innovative organization that cares deeply about people development.
  • A Bachelor’s degree in HR/Business or a related field (additional HR training or experience is a plus).
  • You have excellent communication skills, interpersonal skills, and strong work ethics.
  • You have basic knowledge of HR procedures and policies.
  • You have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • You have excellent interpersonal, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.
  • You have superb computer literacy with capability in email, G-Suite and you are comfortable learning new technical systems as needed.
  • You have strong project management and problem-solving skills.
  • You have meticulous attention to detail and a resourceful mindset.
  • You have the ability to handle difficult situations with the highest standards of integrity, professionalism and confidentiality.

What Pula will bring to the table

  • Growth potential: With an untapped market of 1.5 billion smallholders worldwide, on track to doubling the number of farmers insured in 2021 and Pula’s global leadership in Agriculture Insurance, our new staffers have a tremendous upside growth potential.
  • Market Leader: Not only is the opportunity massive, but Pula is by far the market leader in it’s category with 11m farmers insured as of 2023.
  • Solid: Pula has been funded by leading venture capital investors (Omidyar Network, ACCION, MercyCorps) and global philanthropic institutions (MasterCard Foundation, CGAP/World Bank as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). Pula closed a $6m series A funding in December 2020 in the right in the middle of the pandemic a clear testimony of the opportunity that Pula is going after.
  • Respected: Winner of the Singapore FinTech Festival 2019, Winner of The InsureTech of the Award, Africa. Featured on TED talks, The New York Times, The Economist.
  • Impact and creation: This is a high-impact role, reporting to the CEO and Co-Founder, that offers a unique opportunity to bring the company to the next level, whilst developing new strategies, approaches and ideas.
  • Leadership: The founders & CEO foster a culture of transparency, respect, high performance, pragmatism, execution and personal development.
  • Purpose: It is rare to find a professional opportunity that offers accelerated professional development and a life purpose. Pula is going through a second phase of accelerated growth that will naturally provide professional development, whilst contributing to the financial stability of small farmers in the emerging markets.
  • Remuneration: Competitive base salary accordingly with seniority and experience, commission on closed sales and an employee share option plan that offers an attractive equity upside.

To learn more about Pula you can visit

  • TED Talk: Crop Insurance, an Idea Worth Seeding
  • New York Times: He Grew up on a Farm. Now, He Helps Protect Them
  • The Economist: The Poor, Who Most Need Insurance, Are Least Likely to Have It

How to apply

Fill out the form below, and upload a resume in English.

Cover letters are optional. You can add one if there is any additional information you would like to share about your interest in Pula, the role or your experience. We review applications on a rolling basis.

Pula’s mission is to provide farmer resilience. To achieve this, we put our small holder farmers that use our services and the employees that provide them at the heart of everything we do. For that purpose, Pula was created to be an equal opportunity employer that celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.