UNICEF is a leading humanitarian and development agency working globally for the rights of every child. Child rights begin with safe shelter, nutrition, protection from disaster and conflict and traverse the life cycle: pre-natal care for healthy births, clean water and sanitation, health care and education. UNICEF has spent nearly 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Working with and for children through adolescence and into adulthood requires a global presence whose goal is to produce results and monitor their effects. UNICEF also lobbies and partners with leaders, thinkers, and policy makers to help all children realize their rights—especially the most disadvantaged.
Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
And we never give up.
For every child, Advocate!
How can you make a difference?
Purpose of the job:
The Chief of HR Policy, Employee Relations and Support, Compensation and Social Benefits is accountable for leading and managing a team of HR professionals that implement the (i) global HR Policy, (ii) employee relations and support, (iii) compensation (including claims), and (iv) social benefits function. In doing so, the incumbent demonstrates the ability to create an environment in which their staff anticipate relevant HR-related needs and develop subsequent plans and solutions that align HR or line or senior management with business objectives and higher-level strategic goals. In addition, this position serves as a key strategic advisor to the leadership of their office in helping spearhead UNICEF’s global HR transformation.
Key functions/accountabilities
Management of Section
- Promote management excellence in the office by ensuring accountability in all areas of HR and by demonstrating a high level of skills in the management of staff resources including staff selection based on merit and the needs of the organization, staff aspiration and counselling, systematic and equitable performance management, and staff development and learning activities.
- Effectively manage the human and financial resources (budget planning, management, and monitoring) of the office and ensure both are optimally utilized.
- Monitor compliance with all systems and procedures and ensure management integrity and accountability with high quality standards in all activities in HR; ensure the implementation of agreed audit recommendations; advise on corrective measures to be taken and establish relevant internal controls.
Strategic Human Resources
- Serve as a role model for transformation and capacity for acceptance of change.
- Use a solid knowledge of information technology to analyze and promote acceptance of new methods of work and effective communication skills to persuade and influence managers, supervisors, and staff to adopt change.
- Manage change through consultations with UNICEF senior management, HR management and colleagues and outreach to client management, supervisors, and staff to establish and maintain collaborative, open, and regular communications pertaining to current and planned changes in HR strategy, policies, regulations and rules.
- Explain the scope and ramifications of proposed HR initiatives, promoting understanding of their purpose and functional advantages.
- Liaise with the senior management of HQ Divisions, regional and country offices to develop corporate HR strategy formulation and global implementation.
- Responsible for strategic human resources forecasting for his/her clients including identifying future human resource requirements in terms of numbers, types, and levels of staff, and identifying emerging trends in profile requirements.
- Leads the design of optimal organizational, staffing structures and levels, and, in consultation with senior management develops standards and benchmarks staffing norms.
Specialist Technical Advisory Function
- Leads the HR Policy, Employee Relations and Support, Compensation and Social Benefits technical teams to implement the HR Delivery Model and HR Strategy; including but not limited to compliance with UN wide standards and agreements, and enhanced people experience at the UNICEF workplace.
- HR Policy: Leads a team of policy experts to provides global leadership and support on HR Policy development, maintenance, authoritative interpretation, and guidance.
- Employee Relations and Support: Leads a team of experienced HR case managers that handle escalated individual staff matters that cannot be resolved at local or regional level. The team includes a global focal point for sexual harassment response coordination.
- Compensation and Social Benefits: Leads a team of HR managers and specialists who maintain the framework governing compensation claims and insurance and other social benefits provided to staff and consultants.
- Serves as part of the secretariat supporting the global staff-management consultations.
- The chief also serves as advisor to senior HR and UNICEF executive leadership on relevant, complex HR matters; and may serve as a member of the Advisory Board on Compensation claims.
Networking and Partnerships
- Internally, provide expert advice to senior management on a range of HRM questions and have the authority to negotiate solutions on sensitive or complex HR problems with client managers and staff representatives.
- Establish contacts with representatives with heads of HR units in other organizations of the common system for the purpose of obtaining information on HR policy approaches.
- Works closely with the Office on Culture and Diversity, Office of Internal Audit, and Investigation, GSSC (UNICEF), Administrative Law, Ethics and the Ombudsman of the UN Funds and Programmes.
- Supervises participation or participates directly in the interagency HR forums, including as relevant HR Network (HLCM), and Standing HR Field Group; Employee Relations Networks; Insurance groups.
- Build and strengthen relationships with inter-agency bodies such as ICSC, CEB, etc. on matters of importance for UNICEF and present UNICEF’s policy position on HR issues.
Leadership and Design of assigned Human Resources Services
- Manage professionals in their execution of HR expert functions.
- Create a culture, where HR professionals analyze and synthesize issues and problems, and interpret established, formal guidelines to address and recommend solutions or further actions required.
- Collaborate effectively with other DHR section heads and centers of expertise to provide coherent HR solutions for clients.
Learning and Capacity Development
- In collaboration with business owners, lead the design and delivery of learning solutions for staff to enhance their knowledge and build skills in new areas.
- Map competencies for all staff in assigned client portfolio, developing a comprehensive framework in support of the development of the talent pipeline.
- Create 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.
- Provide orientation briefings to new staff.
- Provide day-to-day performance and talent management guidance to line management (e.g., coaching, counseling, career development, career conversations)
HR Data Analytics
- Spearhead the development of data collection systems to optimize data quality.
- Interpret and analyze HR data to help inform strategic decision making on HR processes and strategies.
- Coordinate with country offices and partners to provide assistance in their HR information management
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in human resource management, business management, law, international relations, psychology, or another related field is required.
- Ten years of increasingly responsible professional experience in human resource management or international administration or law in an international organization and/or large corporation is required.
- Experience in the UN regulatory or ICSC environment (i.e., handling legal or policy or other complex individual personnel cases that have legal implications, or legal/policy advisory roles, or drafting of policies or significant interagency collaboration experience) is required.
- Demonstrated ability to create innovative solutions to complex policy or case questions is an asset.
- Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
- Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an 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
UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
- Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (3)
- Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (3)
- Works Collaboratively with others (3)
- Builds and Maintains Partnerships (3)
- Innovates and Embraces Change (3)
- Thinks and Acts Strategically (3)
- Drive to achieve impactful results (3)
- Manages ambiguity and complexity (3)
During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.
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 benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
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 promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, 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.
Remarks:
Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government 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.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.