Sun King

Off-grid solar home systems provider

Talent Acquisition Lead - Southern

Generalist Recruiting +1Updated on Nov 13

Full-timeLusaka, ZambiaNo salary listedIn-person

About the Job

Requirements

At least 6 years of experience in talent acquisition or recruitment.
A Bachelor's degree or higher diploma in Human Resources or a related field.
Proven recruitment experience across two or more countries, ideally in Africa or another multi-country environment, with an understanding of how hiring practices differ between markets.
Working knowledge of employment and labor regulations in at least one of South Africa, Mozambique or Zambia.
Experience with the full-cycle recruitment process for technical and non-technical roles.
In-depth knowledge of candidate attraction and selection methods.
Ability to work across time zones and markets.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a Southern Africa talent acquisition strategy aligned with business growth plans, including workforce plans for the Southern Region.
Own end-to-end recruitment across South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia, including sourcing, selection, offers and onboarding, filling roles within agreed turnaround times and quality standards, and adapting sourcing channels to each market’s talent pool.
Ensure recruitment complies with employment and labor regulations in South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia, as well as group policies, working with country HR and legal teams on local requirements.
Build relationships with hiring managers, department heads and HR Business Partners in each country to forecast staffing needs and provide strategic hiring advice.
Develop and promote the employer brand across the region, adapting it for language and culture through campaigns, social media and partnerships.
Build recruitment strategies that prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion, and partner with DEI teams to create a diverse talent pipeline and fair, inclusive hiring processes.
Manage recruitment agencies, job boards and other talent partners across the three markets, including selection and contracting, to ensure quality and compliance with company standards.
Improve candidate engagement from application through offer and onboarding, reducing drop-offs and ensuring a positive candidate experience.
Track and report recruitment metrics, including time-to-fill, cost-per-hire, candidate quality and offer acceptance, at regional and market level, and use data to drive decisions and continuous improvement.
Continuously optimize recruitment processes, tools and applicant tracking system usage to reduce time-to-hire, standardizing where possible and localizing where needed.
Manage the regional talent acquisition budget across markets and currencies, including job advertising, recruitment events and vendor spend, to ensure cost-efficiency and return on investment.

Desired Qualifications

Professional certification in talent acquisition or human resources, such as CIPD or SHRM.
Hands-on experience with an Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
Experience in high-growth, field-based or mission-driven businesses such as energy, fintech or consumer finance.
Experience using recruitment data and analytics to improve hiring outcomes.

Job Location: Lusaka, Zambia

About the role:
We are looking for an experienced Talent Acquisition Lead to own end-to-end recruitment across Sun King’s Southern Africa region as the business expands in South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia. You will lead a multi-market talent acquisition function, set a regional hiring strategy, and adapt it to the labor markets, languages and legal requirements of each country, while keeping one consistent candidate experience and employer brand across the region.

Regional Talent Strategy: Develop and execute a Southern Africa talent acquisition strategy aligned to business growth plans, with workforce plans for the Southern Region.
Multi-Market Hiring Delivery: Own end-to-end recruitment (sourcing, selection, offer and onboarding) across all three markets, filling roles within agreed turnaround times (TAT) and quality standards, and adapting sourcing channels to each market’s talent pool.
Market Adaptation and Compliance: Ensure recruitment complies with employment and labor regulations in South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia, as well as group policies, working with country HR and legal teams on local requirements.
Stakeholder Partnership: Build strong relationships with hiring managers, department heads and HR Business Partners in each country to forecast staffing needs and provide strategic hiring advice.
Employer Brand: Develop and promote Sun King’s employer brand across the region, adapted for language and culture (English and Portuguese), through campaigns, social media and partnerships to attract top talent.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI): Build recruitment strategies that prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion, and partner with DEI teams to create a diverse talent pipeline and fair, inclusive hiring processes.
External Vendor Management: Manage recruitment agencies, job boards and other talent partners across the three markets, including selection and contracting, to ensure quality and compliance with company standards.
Candidate Experience: Improve candidate engagement from application to offer and onboarding, reducing drop-offs and ensuring a positive experience for every candidate.
Metrics and Reporting: Track and report recruitment metrics (time-to-fill, cost-per-hire, candidate quality, offer acceptance) at regional and market level, and use data to drive decisions and continuous improvement.
Process and Tools: Continuously optimize recruitment processes, tools and ATS usage to reduce time-to-hire, standardizing where possible and localizing where needed.
Budget Management: Manage the regional talent acquisition budget across markets and currencies, including job advertising, recruitment events and vendor spend, to ensure cost-efficiency and strong return on investment.

At least 6 years of experience in talent acquisition or recruitment.
Bachelor’s degree or higher diploma in Human resources or related field.
Multi-market experience: proven recruitment across two or more countries, ideally within Africa or another multi-country environment, with an understanding of how hiring practices differ between markets.
Working knowledge of employment and labor regulations in at least one of South Africa, Mozambique or Zambia.
Experience across the full-cycle recruitment process for both technical and non-technical roles.
In-depth knowledge of candidate attraction and selection methods.
Good communication, interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.
Good organizational and time management skills, with the ability to work across time zones and markets.
Creative thinker and proactive problem solver.

Nice to Have

Professional certification in talent acquisition or human resources (e.g., CIPD, SHRM).
Hands-on experience with an Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
Experience in high-growth, field-based or mission-driven businesses such as energy, fintech or consumer finance.
Experience using recruitment data and analytics to improve hiring outcomes.

About the Company

Sun King

Off-grid solar home systems provider

Sun King designs, manufactures, distributes, and finances solar home energy products for off-grid communities in Africa and Asia. Its range includes solar lanterns and solar home systems with inverters and storage that can power lights, radios, phones, and household appliances, all financed through a pay-as-you-go model with small mobile money installments after a low upfront payment. The company differentiates itself with an end-to-end approach—handling product design, manufacturing, distribution, and financing—supported by a large field-agent network and strategic acquisitions like PayGo Energy to expand into clean cooking. Its goal is to increase energy access by helping households leapfrog kerosene and unreliable grids, aiming to reach millions of homes and businesses, including over 2 million in Ethiopia by 2030.

Company size: 1,001-5,000
Company stage: Debt Financing
Total funding: $864.9M
Headquarters: Chicago, IL
Founded: 2008

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