Human Resources Specialist

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

Based in Geneva, the Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECR) supports UNOPS offices throughout the region through: management, financial and programmatic oversight of global and country-specific portfolios, clusters and operations centres, including hosting services; fund and management advisory services; project implementation; procuring goods and services; and managing human resources.

ECR ensures that projects are executed to the highest standards, providing a shared knowledge base and ensuring that best practices and lessons learned are disseminated between business units and projects across the entire region.

 ECR strategy is to:

• Strengthen UNOPS role in operationalizing the Sustainable Development Goals with particular emphasis on health, environment and economic development.
• Position UNOPS in the Balkan sub-region, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
• Strengthen the implementation of ECR global and regional programmes, with revitalized partnerships in infrastructure, procurement and project management.

ECR operates global portfolios from offices in Geneva, Brussels and New York, and country-specific programmes from its operations and project centres located in Eastern Europe and Central Asian countries.

Summary of Key Functions:

• Effective human resource administration
• Recruitment processes
• Administration of contracts, benefits and entitlements, leave monitoring
• Planning and development
• Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing

Detailed functions focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Ensure full compliance of HR activities with UN rules and regulations, UNOPS policies, procedures and strategies; help establish effective implementation of the internal control and functioning of the  HR service.
• Actively work with the portfolio management team to coordinate and implement the different HR work streams, and interact with and support the team, within delegated authority.
• Within delegated responsibility, manage human resource activities, e.g., recruitment (including annual recruitment plans), drafting job descriptions, obtaining job classification, posting vacancy announcements, assisting hiring managers with screening of candidates, organization of interview panels, placement, separation of personnel, training etc., ensuring consistency in the application of UNOPS rules and procedures.
• Manage and coordinate the preparation of HR work plans, budgeting, and progress monitoring and reporting.
• Reviews and coordinates incoming requests relating to recruitments, contract extensions, transfers, exchange or loan, and separation of staff, consultants, or contractors, ensuring documentation is complete and in conformity with HR policies and procedures.
• Develops and implements tracking tools to monitor recruitment status and other indicators for management and recruitment purposes.
• Monitors and tracks status of requests, initiating follow-up action to ensure selection review submission is timely, accurate, and contains complete documentation.
• Reviews and prepares Requests for Personnel Action (RPA) forms to ensure correct budget allocation, and for separating staff, verification that no financial obligations are due to UNOPS.
• Reviews consultants’ qualifcations and experience and drafting of Terms of Reference; determining daily remuneration to be paid in accordance with the established fee schedule.
• Briefs staff and consultants regarding entry details, conditions of service, duties and responsibilities, privileges and entitlements, and quick action to facilitate their taking up the assignment on a timely basis.
• Prepares offer of appointment as well as the salary/fee computation for review.
• Administration of contracts in online systems, including monitoring and tracking of all transactions related to positions, recruitment, HR data, etc. within delegated responsibility.
• Liaison with UNOPS HQ HR and GSSC as required for contract administration following Standard Operating Procedures.
• Preparation and/or review of individual contractor agreement submission requests to Contracts Committees, in accordance with established policy and procedures.
• Establishing and managing of the HR roster of CVs 
• Establishment and implementation of a system for monitoring and tracking transactions to ensure timely, consistent and equitable provision of services with a client focus.
• Production of statistical reports and preparation of data required for policy and issues papers.
• Planning, organizing and making logistical arrangements for workshops, corporate meetings and retreats as directed.
• Support to effective learning management and individual learning plans in collaboration with the senior management.
• Development and secure maintenance of the HR recording and archiving systems in accordance with UNOPS record retention policies.
• Contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
• Synthesis of lessons learnt and best practices in human resources.
• Performs other related duties as instructed.

IMPACT OF RESULTS:  The key results have an impact on the overall efficiency and effectiveness of HR management of the GVAC Office, client services, business processes, business development, partnership building and networking, leading to increased business opportunities for the Organization. Consequences of errors: Errors in programme formulation/project formulation or monitoring cause project delays or less project success.

Education

• University Master’s Degree or equivalent in Human Resources, Business Administration, Public Administration or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with required qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience

• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience with master’s degree or 7 years’ relevant experience with bachelor’s degree at the national or international level in providing Human Resources support services and/or managing staff and related operational systems.
• A proven track record of successful Human Resources and project support is a requirement.
• Must have knowledge of UNOPS procedures, processes, rules and regulations, as well as familiarity with the UNOPS online HR platforms.

Languages

• English fluency is required. 
• Knowledge of French is desirable. 
• Knowledge of other UN languages is an asset.

• Promotes knowledge management in UNOPS and a learning environment in the office through personal example.
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plans and applies newly acquired skills; e.g. training in the new OneUNOPS ERP system.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.