Senior Human Resources Partner, P4, Amman At UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Senior Human Resources Partner is normally located within the Regional Bureau. The incumbent supports the UNHCR’s People Strategy and contributes to the implementation of the 2018 Independent Human Resources Review, which resulted in the establishment of HR strategic priorities and the reconfiguration and transformation of the Division of Human Resources (DHR) from a largely transactional model into a strategic business partner for field operations and senior management. Having the right people in the right place at the right time is at the core of enabling UNHCR to protect and respond to persons of concern. By attracting, retaining and developing talented, diverse and agile workforce while nurturing a culture of excellence, respect and wellbeing for all, UNHCR’s Human Resources act as a strategic partner to the organization enabling a people centric culture.

The Senior Human Resources Partner normally reports to the Bureau Director or another senior manager within the Bureau, with functional guidance and support from the DHR’s Deputy Director (HROPS). He/she is the advisor to Bureau management on human resources issues in that region. Based on a solid understanding of the Bureau’s priorities, the Senior Human Resources Partner contributes to the shaping of the regional strategy and strategically aligns HR interventions with the Bureau¿s needs and the regional context. By aligning the aims and goals of the organisation with the needs and development of the individual employee, this role plays a critical role in the relationships with management and the workforce. He/she is responsible for the timely, effective and efficient delivery of all human resources services in the Bureau, i.e. strategic workforce planning, organizational design, recruitment, implementation of HR policies, staff administration, and talent development with inclusion, diversity and gender as a cross-cutting issue. The Senior HR Partner will also support the implementation of the staff health and counselling plans and in fostering an inclusive and respectful working environment.

The Senior Human Resources Partner utilizes a holistic approach to Human Resources Management to work in partnership with senior management, guide HR teams in the region and bring sound, and coherent HR solutions tailored to enable the implementation of the regional strategic priorities.

The Senior Human Resources Partner coordinates the work of the HR teams in the Bureau, including staff well-being and duty of care related positions, i.e. Senior Medical Officer, and Senior Staff Counsellor, notwithstanding the fact that the latter positions, also because of confidentiality reasons, report directly to the Staff Health and Welfare Service, DHR at Headquarters. This entails coordinating the delivery of multi-disciplinary HR programmes and talent management initiatives, products and services to the Bureau as well as field missions and capacity-building of HR staff in the region. The Senior Human Resources Partner will supervise other HR staff in the Bureau. She/he is expected to engage in frequent missions including to high risk duty stations.

The Senior Human Resources Partner seeks expert advice and guidance from various Services in DHR, with particularly strong linkages to HROPS teams for Organizational Design and for Strategic Workforce Planning.

In the Regional Bureaux, the incumbent is responsible for ensuring, in an effective and efficient manner which supports the Organization’s Mandate, overall quality assurance and managerial support of operations, in line with the Bureau’s 2nd line function, within the three lines of defence conceptual framework for effective control and risk management adopted by the UN system.

S/he will, further, cover the full spectrum of managerial oversight, manage performance and monitor the adherence of Country Operations to UNHCR’s rules and regulations, monitoring, identifying and addressing any emerging issues and risks as appropriate. The incumbent also promotes a culture that is results-oriented, efficient and based on trust and pursues measures to ensure that inclusion, gender balance and diversity are taken into due consideration in staffing, resource allocation and representation at all levels throughout the region.

As a key custodian of the organization¿s standards of conduct, s/he will proactively establish a working environment where all personnel feel safe, heard, equipped and empowered to speak up; demonstrate no tolerance for sexism, gender inequality, discrimination of any kind, abuse of power, harassment or sexual harassment; foster ongoing dialogue on those matters; take seriously all issues of inappropriate behaviour and actions reported, whether formally or informally; and seek guidance and support as necessary to ensure that appropriate follow-up is taken, working on the basis of zero tolerance for any form of misconduct.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties

• Partner effectively with Bureau Director, management teams and HR teams in country operations to understand their priorities, and provide HR advice and solutions on all aspects of human resources in line with delegated HR authorities (with the support of their HR team and DHR).
• Be part of the senior management team of the Bureau and as such, participate in all strategic and operational discussions, including senior management meetings.
• Participate in the design of the strategic plans of the Bureau in order to anticipate their HR implications (including on health and wellbeing of staff), and provide comprehensive strategic workforce advice e.g. during the Annual Programme Review (APR) process or planning for emergency response.
• Support the development of plans (such as duty of care strategy for the region or talent development plan for the region) to ensure timely provision of HR solutions, prioritizing according to the needs and risks; ensure synergies between the plans.
• Create a network among HR staff members in the region in order to harmonize implementation of HR policies and initiatives, collect field insights to inform the formulation and development of DHR initiatives, policies, processes, activities and tools; identify and share HR lessons and experiences between Bureaux and with DHR.
• Provide management with appropriate, timely and valuable HR information and data that inform decision making.
• Organize and provide HR training across the region ensuring that HR counterparts in the operations deliver professional, harmonized and client oriented HR services, compliant with relevant UNHCR policies and regulations.
• Coordinate HR field missions and capacity-building initiatives in the region.
• Provide advice on organizational structures of the Bureau and country operations based on operational contexts, organizational design and staffing parameters and practices, leading to better resource allocation decisions.
• Carry out, in consultation and/or coordination with the Organizational Design and Job Evaluation Unit at Headquarters, comprehensive staffing reviews, especially at times of scaling up, scaling down and stabilizing, identify gaps and recommend mitigation actions.
• Build the capacity of HR teams in country operations to become strategic partners to their Representatives.
• Sponsor HR initiatives that support organizational culture change such as facilitating good people management practices and development conversations and promoting gender, inclusion and diversity.
• Support the Bureau Director in ensuring that UNHCR leaders are enabled and held accountable for correctly applying UNHCR’s Regulations, Rules and Policies and for ensuring a healthy workplace free of harassment and abuse of authority.
• Support the development and implementation of activities to encourage behaviour aligned with the Code of Conduct and with fostering an inclusive and respectful workplace.
• Coordinate the relevant actors in the regional bureau (Senior Medical Officer, Senior Staff Counsellor, Field Safety and Management) to safeguard duty of care to UNHCR personnel and advise the Bureau Director on how to prevent and mitigate risks.
• Coordinate response from Bureau¿s Human Resources team to declared emergencies (including support missions from the Bureau).
• Be part of HR Cell meetings during emergencies with DESS and DHR.
• Support the development and implementation of a Duty of Care strategy in the region.
• Ensure the Bureau Director is duly informed about policy development and major changes affecting HR policy and implementation.
• Participate, provide input and ensure that UNHCR’s interests and views are reflected in regional inter-agency HR-related fora and initiatives.
• Be responsible for strategic human resources forecasting for the region including identifying future human resource requirements in terms of numbers, types and levels of staff, and identifying emerging trends in profile requirements.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P5 – 12 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 11 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 10 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Human Resources; Law; or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
UNHCR’s HR certification

Relevant Job Experience
Essential:
Demonstrated ability of providing technical and strategic leadership HR advice, supporting and influencing senior leadership. Sound knowledge of general HR policies, processes and systems. Prior experience in at least two of the following areas: workforce planning, organizational design, recruitment, HR policy, talent development, personnel administration. Previous leadership and managerial experience.
Desirable:
HR Business Partner experience with senior leaders in a global organization. Experience implementing talent management strategies and initiatives. Proven ability to identify and implement successful business related HR interventions. Experience in HR information technology systems and tools. Experience in field humanitarian operations and/or emergency settings. Experience working with the United Nations. Experience working in a multi-cultural setting.