HR Specialist (Talent Management) at UNOPS

Background Information – Job-specific

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations. With over 9,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, where they need it. By implementing around 1,000 projects for our partners at any given time, UNOPS makes significant contributions to results on the ground, often in the most challenging environments.

The People and Performance Group (PPG) is a strategic HR unit, helping UNOPS empower people, drive organizational excellence and manage change across the organization in order to help UNOPS deliver on its strategic intent.

We are a hard-working and committed team, bringing together experienced professionals with strategic HR management, including talent management and recruitment, learning and development, HR policy, organizational design and personnel well-being expertise – all of us having a passion for achieving results and building innovation into our way of doing business.

The incumbent will be required to work independently, under the guidance of the Head of Talent Management. Liaising with relevant stakeholders, in particular in country offices is a key function in that role.

The role requires an ability to liaise with a number of stakeholders globally, across various functions and levels.

Functional Responsibilities

This is an opportunity to shape UNOPS global approach to talent management, and an important role for PPG, in supporting its mission and strategy. The role has a global scope and will play a key role in shaping UNOPS HR practices, and moving them to the next level. We are looking for an HR Specialist to work in talent management, with solid experience and expertise in relevant HR arenas such as Recruitment, Career Development, Succession Planning, Policy Internal Mobility:

Summary of functions:

• Talent management and succession planning
• Recruitment for senior level roles
• Internal Mobility
• International HR Management
• Career Development

Under the overall supervision of the Head of Talent Management, the main functional responsibilities will include:

Talent management and succession planning

• Contribute to shaping organisational approaches for talent management.
• Contribute with the state of the art tools/practices for enhancing current talent management approaches.
• Provide sound advice to senior management and other relevant stakeholders
• Manages and designs Succession Planning tools, such as Talent Benches and Rosters and other means.

Recruitment for senior level roles

• Under the guidance of the Head of Talent Management driving senior recruitments forward with quality, speed and efficiency.
• Closely works with Hiring Managers in that process
• Design assessment processes and represents PPG on interview panels.
• Provides policy advice and guidance

Internal Mobility

• Contributes to the design of an updated Mobility Practice in UNOPS
• Roll out and implement mobility practices
• Engages with relevant stakeholders
• Communicates widely and drives capacity building efforts.

International HR Management

• Acting as a pro-active subject matter expert for senior management and other relevant stakeholders
• Pro-actively lead activities around talent management and provides guidance and subject matter expertise in HR as required.
• Participate in capacity building efforts
• Design and lead progressive initiatives around capacity building of the global workforce, incl. design, planning and facilitation of thematic training/ workshops.

Career Development

• Pro-actively contributes to the organization’s efforts towards career development.
• Closely works with relevant stakeholders to ensure career development tools/practices are aligned with organisational needs.
• Lead the development of relevant training opportunities and programmes in close collaboration with the learning team.
• Design, implements and oversees programmes aimed to support the career development of specific groups of personnel, e.g. national personnel.
• Provides individual career development support.

The ideal candidate will already have a proven track record in one or more of the areas mentioned above, a sound understanding of international HR best practices, together with an open mind for innovation, while being focused on delivering practical solutions.

The successful candidate will be equally comfortable providing advice to management and personnel on HR issues, and acting as an HR business partner, as well as coordinating the development and roll out of global HR programmes.

The ideal candidate will have an international outlook, experience working in a global or international context/ organization.

Competencies

Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organization. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organization.

Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.

Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles.

Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role).

Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries.

Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements.

Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving.

Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education:

• An advanced degree preferably in human resources management, recruitment, communications, business studies or a related field,
• Candidates with seven (7) years of professional experience, and a bachelors degree, in lieu of an advanced degree, may be considered.

Experience:

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in Human Resources related areas such as Talent Management, HR Policy, Recruitment, Succession Planning, Internal Mobility, Career Development, Performance Management, or a combination of the above is required.
• Within these 5 years, a minimum of three (3) years of experience working in an international environment or international organization is desirable.
• Practical experience in conceptualizing new approaches and innovation in the area of Human Resources, ideally on a global scale, is desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Full working knowledge of English.
• Fluency in either Spanish or French is a distinct advantage.

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: IICA Contract level: IICA-2 Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link: https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx

Additional Considerations

• 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.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and it is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, or disability.
• 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
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• 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.

Background Information – UNOPS

UNOPS – an operational arm of the United Nations – supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by successfully implementing its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.

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

Working with us

We are proud of our people. With a wealth of knowledge and skills in various disciplines – engineering, finance, human resources, ICT, leadership, project management, procurement, and more – they help tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time. Their work around the world supports progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

At UNOPS, we offer a range of short- and long-term opportunities in various environments and duty stations – from Denmark and Kenya to Mexico, Switzerland, Myanmar, Senegal, Uganda, and many more.

Diversity

With over 5,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,400 personnel recruited on behalf of our partners, spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced and diverse labor force — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs. We continually strive to maintain our gender-balanced workplace. We encourage qualified underrepresented groups as per UNOPS Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy to apply for our vacancies.

Work life harmonization

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