Chief People Officer and Director of the People and Performance Group

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 5,000 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 diversity through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates and strengthen our inclusion.

Work life harmonization

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

Role of the  Chief People Officer and Director, People and Performance Group (PPG)

Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer and Director of Administration, the Chief People Officer and Director People and Performance, will work with UNOPS leaders to build a workforce and culture that enables the organization to deliver on its strategy.  The role works collaboratively across the organization to build a positive, inclusive and high-performing workplace for its people and the beneficiaries of our work.

The Director is responsible for directing and managing the strategic HR functions of the organization, including the development and implementation of the overall human resources strategy, and ensuring its alignment with the vision and goals of the Organization.

The Director is at the forefront of UNOPS HR transformation journey that strengthens performance and engagement.  This requires dual focus on the digitization of the organization, by driving both the efficiency of HR operations and simultaneously leading the digital transformation of the workforce.

The Director will have overall functional responsibility, as well as lead several key strategic, organization wide initiatives, including but not limited to:

• HR Strategy, serving as an advisor to the organization on the implementation of the future vision and strategy for human resource management at UNOPS. Ensure effective HR solutions are provided as part of organizational design and improvement projects.Talent Management, ensuring the organization has the right people, in the right role, with the right competencies, skills and performance, at the right time through effective and innovative outreach, recruitment, succession planning and mobility practices.  

• Set, define and manage the organizational standards on structure and job design. 

• Gender, Diversity and Inclusion, driving an inclusive culture of well-being, through the focus areas of gender parity, geographical representation, disability inclusion, anti-racism and LGBTQI+.

• Learning and Development, working with personnel across the organization to elevate competencies through formalized, pragmatic development programs and practices.

• HR policy and implementation, ensuring the organization is in compliance with the rules, regulations, policies and procedures and standards of the UN system, whilst promoting accountability, ethics and integrity.

• Understanding our people and their needs through more effective HR data and impact measurement.

The role will therefore require strong experience with organizations moving to an ambitious digital strategy and an understanding what this means for the people and engagement agenda.  It requires the ability to partner and drive programmes and transformations, with a breadth of perspective covering organization design, capability, efficiency, engagement and cultural implications.  This is an exciting opportunity to leverage your HR leadership experience to support UNOPS mission to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.


*** A headhunting company is supporting this recruitment. If you are to be considered for this role, please expect to be contacted by them.

Summary of functions:

1. Strategic HR advice and insights

2. Group and strategic HR leadership

3. People leadership

4. Representation and partnership

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) preferably in Human Resources Management, Business Administration, Public Psychology,  or other relevant social sciences related fields is required.
• A Bachelor degree (or equivalent) combined with 2 additional years of relevant work experience can be accepted in lieu of the Master’s degree (total of 12 years of experience).

• A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional managerial experience in a HR function within the public, private and/or not-for-profit sector at both national and international levels. 

• At least 5 years of leadership experience including demonstrated experience of supervising teams, is required.

• Demonstrated experience in HR advisory at the strategic level, including driving global talent management programmes.

• Experience in digital transformation will be a strong advantage.

• Experience in the UN system is highly desirable.

• Full working knowledge of English. 
• Fluency in French or Spanish is desirable.Knowledge of another official UN language is an asset.

• 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
• 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.  

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.