Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The Human Resource Section is responsible for the timely, accurate, equitable, effective and efficient delivery of all human resources management services, i.e. strategic staff planning, recruitment, staff administration, organizational and design and learning/career development, for the continuous development and improvement in human resource operations, policies, and methods to align with UN Women evolving business needs and for providing advisory support to the Executive Director in the formulation and implementation of UN Women's overall mission, strategy and plans of actions.

Under the supervision of the HR Deputy Director and in close collaboration with relevant functional leads, the HR Specialist is responsible for coordination and oversight of UN Women’s affiliate personnel and will oversee and manage the benefits and entitlement portfolio.  S/he will manage partnerships with external stakeholders, including donors and service providers.  The HR specialist also works closely with internal UN Women colleagues, staff, managers and other clients/stakeholders to provide advisory services on the application and interpretation of HR rules, regulations, policies and procedures, with a focus on benefits and entitlements. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Lead and coordinate the implementation of HR strategies, policies, procedures and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on staffing to ensure they are in line with UN Women’s goal and objectives:

  • Build relationships and engage with key internal stakeholders to better understand client needs.
  • Coordinate and oversee affiliate personnel for UN Women, which include JPOs, UNVs, interns, consultants, service contractors, PSA holders, etc.
  • Consult with UN Women management, staff representatives and relevant stakeholders through appropriate channels through the development of human resources policies based on established mechanisms.
  • Develop communication strategies to promote awareness, understanding and support for the staffing framework across the organization.
  • Develop and update policies and procedures (including guidelines, SOPs, etc.) to respond to identified issues and challenges related to the engagement, management and support of UNW workforce, both staff and affiliate personnel.
  • Contribute to the development and implementation of human resources policies, practices and procedures, including new diversity and outreach strategies, initiatives and tools aimed at building a diverse workforce across the Organization.
  • Maintains relevant HR documents in the Policy, Procedure and Guidance Framework.

Support to workforce planning and staffing:

  • Provide advice on workforce planning and succession planning in close coordination with HR Business Partners and Functional Team Leads.
  • Support the HR management and planning process as it relates to workforce planning, HR analytics, staffing, organization design, change management and other HR strategy planning and development discussions in line with UN Women’s Strategic Plan.
  • Contribute to the development of organizational design solutions, taking into consideration available and appropriate contract modalities for staff and affiliate personnel.
  • Provide HR policy guidance and administrative support to Managers in HQ/Field on appropriate contract modalities, including the use of affiliate workforce.
  • Prepare and deliver high quality analytics and communication materials for staff and managers across all levels.
  • Contribute to building capacity among HR professionals in the area of workforce planning.

Provide guidance and support on HR policy and issues related to benefits and entitlements for staff and affiliate personnel:

  • Provide advice on interpretation and application of policies, regulations, rules and jurisprudence to UN personnel.
  • Advise the Director, HR and managers on the development, modification and implementation of United Nations policies and practices on entitlements in collaboration with service provider (UNDP).
  • Promote equity, transparency and consistency in the interpretation, determination and administration of international and local conditions of service, terms of employment, benefits and allowances in accordance with established and applicable policies.
  • Support HR Business Partners and hiring managers in job design and classification for consultants and PSA holders.
  • Provide technical support to corporate initiatives to streamline administration of benefits and entitlements and provide training to develop internal capacity.

Coordinate and manage partnerships with external stakeholders and service providers:

  • Manage partnerships with external stakeholders, including donors, other UN and service providers for affiliate personnel and administration of contracts.
  • Participate as designated in inter-agency meetings and other events to represent UN Women interests and agenda on human resources discussions and, to share ideas for improvements and to align services according to the needs.
  • Manage and review agreements with partners and service providers in relation to contracting and administration of affiliate personnel.
  • Lead and facilitate capacity development of staff working on benefit and entitlement matters at HQ and field offices.

Provide coordination and technical support in areas of HR operations, monitoring and compliance:

  • Gather information on, coordinate with colleagues on and provide input to responses for JIU and audit/oversight activities and other reports as required.
  • Provide inputs to HR reports including general statistics for Member States, Executive Board, Executive Director, donors and other stakeholders based on global HR data as necessary.
  • Ensure reports provide accurate data and information before being disseminated to different stakeholders.
  • Compile, analyze and report on data in relation to workforce and other HR related reporting.
  • Coordinate preparation of HR-related background documents, talking points, reports and other material for HR Director and senior management.

Perform any other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Key Performance Indicators:

  • Timely and quality support to affiliate personnel and all stakeholders.
  • Timely and accurate information provision and guidance to staff on HR administrative and benefit and entitlement issues.
  • Timely administrative service delivery to clients.
  • Accurate representation of UN Women in inter-agency meetings.
  • Regular dissemination of HR updates and reports as required.

Competencies

Core Values:

  • Integrity;
  • Professionalism;
  • Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

  • Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
  • Accountability;
  • Creative Problem Solving;
  • Effective Communication;
  • Inclusive Collaboration;
  • Stakeholder Engagement;
  • Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:  https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

  • Strong general HR knowledge and expertise with experience on policy development and implementation;
  • Strong knowledge and expertise with experience on HR operations in relation to both staff contracts and affiliate personnel;
  • Strong, demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills;
  • Ability to take initiative and translate knowledge, ideas and strategies into concrete action and results;
  • Strong interpersonal skills;
  • Strong written and spoken communication skills;
  • Ability to write and present ideas, concepts and policy positions;
  • Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information;
  • Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize multiple and simultaneous Human Resources related projects and programs in a changing environment;
  • Strong understanding of UN Staff Regulations and Rules and human resources policies and procedures is an asset.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Master’s degree or equivalent in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, Organizational Development, Public Administration or other relevant social sciences.
  • A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

  • Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience in human resource management;
  • Experience in recruitment and selection is required;
  • Experience in HR Administration/Operations of contracts, both for staff and affiliate personnel, is required;
  • Previous UN experience is required.
  • Minimum 2 years work experience at the global level;
  • Field experience is an asset;

Languages:

  • Fluency in English is required;
  • Knowledge of another UN official working language is an asset (e.g. French).

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form-en.doc Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Notes:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (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.)