Human Resources Specialist (Humanitarian), P3, Nairobi, Kenya, ESARO, #128908

UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office is looking for a Human Resources Specialist, responsible for overseeing the HR Emergency Preparedness and Response cone of the regional HR team as well as being the primary focal point for French speaking countries.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, Hope

The Human Resources Specialist, under the supervision of the Regional Chief of Human Resource, is based in the regional office, responsible for overseeing the HR Emergency Preparedness and Response cone of the regional HR team as well as being the primary focal point for French speaking countries.

The HR Specialist is accountable for implementing HR services that enhance the country and regional office capacity to deliver in humanitarian settings. In doing so, the incumbent demonstrates the ability to anticipate HR-related needs and develop subsequent plans and solutions that align HR management with business objectives. The incumbent also serves a primary HR Business partner for French speaking countries across the region.

How can you make a difference? 

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

 Business Partnering

 

• Serve as the single point of contact for his/her client portfolio on advice pertaining to all aspects of the employment life cycle for selected Regional Office sections.
• Provide accurate and timely advice to clients on HR processes and policies, ensuring the highest level of client-orientation, particularly to those offices affected by humanitarian situations and those situated in French speaking countries.
• Proactively advise clients on the resolution of human resources issues ensuring equitable and transparent solutions that protects both the staff and organizations interests in accordance with policies, regulations and procedures.
• Promote the organizational goals and targets for gender equity and cultural diversity.
• Support country offices in the development of their Emergency Preparedness Plans for Human Resources, including redeployment, capacity building and duty of care plans. Ensure that human resource plans are established for immediate, medium- and longer-term needs, including scale-up, scale-down and exit strategies
• Deploy to country offices affected by humanitarian situations, as and when requested, exercising the full spectrum of the HR Business Partner accountabilities.

 

 Strategic Human Resources in humanitarian settings

 

• Liaise with the HQ Divisions, regional and country offices to support and contribute to corporate HR strategy formulation and regional implementation of HR emergency and response related procedures. Provide feedback and make recommendations on the establishment and improvement of HR systems, policies and processes.
• Keep abreast, research, benchmark, and implement best and cutting edge practices in HR management and contribute to the development of global policies, procedures and introduce innovation through sharing of best practices and knowledge learned.
• Prepare relevant and present relevant information material on HR strategy and policies in French and advice clients accordingly.

 

Workforce planning, surge staffing and recruitment coordination

 

• Optimize the use of internal and external surge mechanisms, including standby partnerships, rosters and other talent-mapping initiatives, to improve UNICEF ESARO’s ability to scale up its response at the onset. Build and maintain emergency rosters for the region and guide country offices in building national rosters.
• Coordinate or support country offices in the coordination of staffing solutions responding to humanitarian situations.
• Ensure a diversity is considered in the deployment of personnel to allow for more innovative response and adequate representation of beneficiaries, leading to better programmatic outcomes.
• Support the assessment of needs for the medium- to long-term in operations, coordination and programme areas.  Develop/support the development of a staffing plan that is agile and adaptable.  Bring longer-term staff on board rapidly to ensure continuity in the response, enable an effective exit from the surge mechanism and reduce UNICEF costs.

 

Learning and Capacity Development and Duty of Care

 

• Develop and implement learning plans ensuring that UNICEF personnel have appropriate knowledge of emergency preparedness and response.
• Develop and implement HR capacity building plans relating to emergency preparedness and response.
• Contribute to the mapping of competencies for all staff in assigned client portfolio, assisting in the development of a comprehensive framework in support of the development of the talent pipeline.
• Recommend efficient and cost-effective learning products which strengthen staff capacity to contribute effectively to business goals.
• Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders, particularly for those countries requiring French language skills.
• Develop training and orientation packages to new staff deployed to emergencies.
• Provide day-to-day performance and talent management guidance to line management (e.g., coaching, counseling, career development, career conversations, and disciplinary actions), particularly relating to changes arising from humanitarian contexts and for those countries requiring French language skills.
• In collaboration with the Regional Staff Counsellor and country office counsellors ensure that Duty of Care packages are in place.

 

HR Data Analytics

 

• Interpret and analyze HR data to help inform strategic decision making on HR processes and strategies relating to emergency preparedness and response.
• Develop data collection systems to optimize data quality relating to emergency preparedness and response.
• Coordinate emergency preparedness and response with country offices and partners to provide assistance in their HR information management, particular on short-term surge coordination and reporting and mid-term workforce planning.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

Education:

An Advanced University Degree in human resource management, business management, international relations, psychology or another related field is required.

Work Experience:

• Five years of increasingly responsible professional experience in human resource management in an international organization and/or large corporation is required.
• Three years of experience in managing the Human Resources function in humanitarian settings, preferably at various levels.

• Experience in Emergency Preparedness and Response mechanisms and Humanitarian HR Coordination is required, preferably at global or cross-national/regional level.

Skills

• Experience and ability to implement targeted and innovative human resources strategies to address clients’ people-related needs.
• Ability to implement innovative HR programs within a fast paced, evolving, and wide organizational setting.
• In-depth technical knowledge of the principles and concepts of human resources management.
• Ability to identify and analyze systemic issues, formulate opinions and make conclusions and recommendations to resolve same.
• Excellent knowledge of organizational and HR information technology systems and tools.
• Excellent knowledge of UNICEF Emergency Preparedness and Response mechanisms.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in French and English in a diverse organization tailoring language, tone, style and format to match audience.
• Ability to empathize with client managers, supervisors and staff while advocating for consistent and equitable applications of promulgated HR regulations and rules.

Language Requirements: Fluency in written and spoken English and French required.

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.
• Experience in Emergency Coordination at regional/global level is a strong asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates from programme countries (UNICEF regions: Western and Central Africa, East and South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern and Central Europe, Middle East and Northern Africa) are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. The role requires frequent travel across the region and deployments with short notice.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.