Mobility and People Operations Associate

ABOUT ALU

At the African Leadership University (ALU), we're more than just an institution—we're a catalyst for transformation. Our mission is to develop a new generation of ethical and entrepreneurial leaders who will shape Africa's future. Through our innovative curriculum, focus on experiential learning, and vibrant pan-African community, we empower students to become changemakers, problem-solvers, and innovators. At ALU, we're not just teaching; we're nurturing the leaders who will drive Africa's progress and prosperity in the 21st century

We are dedicated to fostering an open yet secure environment, balancing the safety of students, staff, and visitors with respect for individual rights, and safeguarding responsibilities.

HOW WE WORK

The ALU Team works in starkly different ways to traditional academic bureaucracies. We approach education from first principles, empower individuals to design, test, and implement creative new ideas, and work closely together to craft transformative learning experiences. We are deeply passionate about our students and excited by the challenge of building something entirely new.

The African Leadership University is committed to ensuring the safety and Well-being of all students under our care. As part of this commitment , we have a comprehensive safeguarding policy in place , which outlines our Zero-tolerance approach to any violation of safeguarding.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Mobility and People Operations Associate will support the delivery of seamless employee mobility, immigration, relocation, travel coordination, and people operations services across ALU’s Rwanda and Mauritius campuses.

The role holder will serve as a key point of contact for employees, managers, guests, and external vendors, ensuring efficient coordination of immigration processes, staff relocation, travel logistics, and operational people processes while maintaining compliance with internal policies and country regulations.

The ideal candidate is highly organised, detail-oriented, service-driven, and comfortable managing multiple priorities within a fast-paced and multicultural environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Employee Immigration Services

• Provide timely, accurate, and consistent immigration guidance to current and prospective employees, managers, visiting faculty, and guests travelling to or relocating to Mauritius and Rwanda.
• Advise on immigration requirements for short-term business visitors, visiting academics, consultants, and international guests.
• Coordinate and facilitate work permit, visa, and immigration application processes for employees and guests.
• Monitor permit renewals and immigration status changes to ensure ongoing compliance.
• Proactively engage employees and managers within agreed timelines regarding permit renewals and right-to-work documentation.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date employee immigration records, permits, supporting documents, and movement tracking.
• Prepare and issue invitation letters and supporting immigration documentation for visiting staff, faculty, and guests.
• Liaise with immigration authorities, legal partners, and relevant government agencies where required.

Relocation Services

• Coordinate relocation support for employees relocating to Rwanda and Mauritius.
• Provide practical relocation guidance to international employees and their families, including onboarding support and settlement guidance.
• Facilitate welcome and relocation orientation calls for new joiners.
• Support employees through relocation processes from pre-arrival to successful settlement.
• Coordinate temporary accommodation, airport pickups, housing support, and relocation logistics where applicable.
• Act as a key support contact for relocating employees throughout their transition period.

Travel Planning and Coordination

• Coordinate travel arrangements including flights, accommodation, transportation, travel insurance, and related logistics for staff, leadership, guests, and visiting faculty.
• Ensure all travel requests and bookings comply with ALU travel policies and approval workflows.
• Develop and distribute comprehensive travel itineraries and ensure all supporting travel documents are issued in a timely manner.
• Maintain accurate travel records, itineraries, approvals, and booking details within the travel tracking systems.
• Support travellers with travel-related queries, disruptions, emergencies, cancellations, and itinerary adjustments.
• Liaise with travel management platforms, airlines, hotels, and service providers to ensure smooth travel experiences.
• Support coordination of institutional events requiring travel logistics, including retreats, graduations, conferences, and leadership visits.

Budget and Expense Management

• Review travel-related expenses and reimbursement submissions for accuracy, completeness, and policy compliance.
• Conduct checks on expense claims and supporting documentation.
• Maintain organised records of travel and mobility-related costs and documentation.
• Prepare regular reports on travel spend, trends, variances, and cost-saving opportunities.
• Partner with Finance to ensure timely reconciliation and processing of travel-related expenses.
• Support implementation of process improvements to enhance efficiency, reporting accuracy, and user experience.

Compliance and Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with immigration, travel, relocation, and internal ALU policies and procedures.
• Maintain updated records of travel, relocation, and mobility policies and ensure employees are appropriately informed.
• Stay informed on immigration regulations, travel advisories, visa requirements, tax considerations, and health and safety protocols across Rwanda and Mauritius.
• Maintain confidentiality and ensure compliance with data privacy and data protection regulations.
• Support contingency planning and risk mitigation for employee mobility and travel-related activities.

Vendor and Stakeholder Management

• Coordinate with hotels, serviced apartments, and accommodation providers in Rwanda and Mauritius to support employee relocation, institutional travel, conferences, leadership visits, and guest accommodation arrangements.
• Build and maintain relationships with hospitality partners to negotiate preferred corporate rates, booking terms, and service standards.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with travel vendors, immigration agents, hotels, relocation providers, and external service partners.
• Coordinate with travel platforms and service providers to ensure quality service delivery and policy compliance.
• Support negotiation and coordination of competitive rates and service agreements where applicable.
• Maintain regular communication and operational updates with internal stakeholders and external vendors.

People Operations Support

• Support day-to-day People Operations activities across Rwanda and Mauritius.
• Assist with onboarding and offboarding processes for employees and consultants.
• Support employee documentation processes including contract administration, letters, and employee records management.
• Maintain accurate employee records within HR systems such as BambooHR.
• Support payroll coordination activities including documentation follow-up, employee data validation, and payroll-related administrative support.
• Assist with employee queries related to HR policies, benefits, onboarding, and operational processes.
• Support execution of employee engagement initiatives and People Operations projects.
• Provide administrative and operational support to the broader People Operations team as required.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, International Relations, or a related field.
• Minimum of 2–4 years’ experience in People Operations, HR Operations, employee mobility, travel coordination, or immigration support.
• Experience supporting international employees, relocation processes, or immigration coordination is preferred.
• Experience working across multiple countries or multicultural environments is an advantage.
• Familiarity with HRIS platforms such as BambooHR is preferred.
• Experience coordinating travel logistics, vendor management, and operational administration.
• Prior experience working with a travel agency, ticketing, or corporate travel coordination is highly preferred.
• Understanding of payroll administration and employee lifecycle processes is an added advantage.

Key Competencies

• Strong organisational and coordination skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to manage confidential and sensitive information professionally.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Problem-solving mindset with a proactive and customer-service-oriented approach.
• High level of professionalism, discretion, and accountability.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across teams.

Working Relationships

The role will work closely with:

• People Operations Team
• Finance Team
• Hiring Managers
• Leadership Teams
• External Travel and Immigration Vendors
• Government and Immigration Authorities
• Employees and International Guests