Human Resources Associate

Peace and Security Cluster

The UNOPS Peace and Security Cluster (PSC) is a principal service provider in the field of mine action with the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), UNDP, UNICEF, Governments of mine-affected countries, and other mine action partners.  It is led by the Director, who has overall authority and accountability for the performance PSC on behalf of its clients.  The Director is responsible for administering and providing oversight of the day-to-day management of the Project Field offices, both according to the client's requirements and in line with UNOPS rules and regulations.

One of the main objectives of the Peace and Security Centre is to rapidly deploy project personnel to the field. To accomplish this, it has established a Pool of Experts, from which it deploys and re-deploys personnel in order to fulfil personnel vacancies.  A Pool of Experts is a roster of specialists whose technical knowledge and personal suitability have been evaluated and approved in advance, allowing them to be deployed on short notice and in short order.   Pool members can be deployed on any of UNOPS contract modalities: FTA, TA, or I-ICA (International Individual Contractor Agreement).

The United Nations Mine Action Service programme in Afghanistan (UNMAS Afghanistan) supports the Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan (MAPA) to protect the civilian population from the threat of explosive ordnance and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian and development initiatives through threats assessment, advisory on mitigation measures, and effective coordination of the humanitarian mine action sector. 

Security Council Resolution 2626(2022) para 5(j) asks the UN to: “support, within its mandate, existing mechanisms to improve the overall security situation in Afghanistan, provide assessments of the explosive ordnance threat and its impact on civilians, including children, advise and coordinate explosive ordnance threat mitigation measures in support of humanitarian and development initiatives, support the coordination of the humanitarian mine action sector”. This mandate will be implemented by UNMAS Afghanistan and this position will directly contribute to this process by working closely with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Functions/Key Results Expected

1. Support to policy development and implementation.

2. Advisory Services.

3. Talent Acquisition and Administration.

4. Administrative Support and Travel Management.

5. Knowledge Building and Knowledge Sharing.

• Contribute to HR policy development and corporate HR initiatives by assisting to collect data on trends, risks and opportunities and sharing local HR best practices.

• Assist with projects in support of HR initiatives for the attainment of business objectives in line with the corporate HR strategy.  

• Support the communication of HR policy changes and new HR initiatives to management and personnel, providing guidance as needed.

• Provide guidance on HR related systems and processes including but not limited to Recruitment, Contracts, Position Management, Performance Management, Benefits and Entitlements consistent with UNOPS rules and procedures.

• Provide advice and guidance to personnel on administrative procedures, processes and practices.

• Act as liaison between unit and internal and external clients and provides proactive customer service to expedite completion of projects, and provide information. 

• As the first face of HR, ensure that new hires' first impressions are positive and that they have all in-processing information completed.

• Advise hiring management and guide personnel on UNOPS recruitment and performance management processes, and learning and development initiatives, resources, and plans.

• Provide advice to supervisors on good practices, policies and procedures in performance management, including managing of underperformance. 

• Support the implementation of institutional gender and diversity initiatives, providing education and advice on issues related to equity, compliance, inclusion, and diversity.

• Assist in recruitment processes ensuring best practices are used for effective and efficient talent acquisition in line with UNOPS policy.  

• Actively participate in workforce planning at the office and project level and guide clients through recruitment and selection processes. Take lead on requisition initiation, longlisting, testing and interviews, formal approvals, selection minutes, reference checking, fee calculation, offers and rejections, and updating recruitment on-line information system.

• Inform and advise UNOPS personnel, consultants, partners and project personnel on their conditions of service and entitlements according to their contract modality, expediting actions to facilitate their efficient, timely, and client-focused onboarding.

• Liaise with UNOPS’ HR related groups such as SSC on personnel administration matters and submit transactional HR service data (normally within the ERP system).

• Research precedents and present recommendations to the supervisor, taking into account institutionalized exceptions. Undertake research on a range of HR related issues and assist in the preparation of notes/reports.

• Establish and maintain monitoring systems, advising the supervisor on the status of pending requests and approaching deadlines. Follow up on team work processes to ensure clearance, approvals and timely workflows. 

• Answer questions and follow-up with personnel and management to ensure completion of absences requests, performance management cycle, and other HR processes etc. in electronic information systems. 

• Liaise with relevant HQ and UN system units to exchange information and follow up on pending issues.

• Set up and maintain reference files/records. 

• Follow up or process payroll verification.

• Monitor status of HR actions to facilitate timely action by supervisor and line management, including on transactions initiated, expiring appointments/contracts, and pending separation actions. 

• Support efficient planning and management of the HR unit, including drafting annual recruitment plans, implementing designated projects in line with the corporate HR strategy, overseeing personnel file systems as well as provision of related statistical summaries and tracking movements of UNOPS personnel within the relevant business units. 

• Full compliance of administrative activities with UNOPS rules, regulations, policies and strategies.

• Support UNOPS administrative business processes mapping and elaboration of the internal standard operating procedures (SOPs).

• Administrative support to programme and project staff on flight bookings, airport transfers, accommodation bookings, and processing security clearances.

• Administrative support and services provided to key events on a timely and quality basis.

• Administrative support for official travel of programme and project personnel in ticketing and obtaining visas for Afghanistan. 

• Coordination of DSA, travel agencies, and other administrative services.

• Provide support to the organization, facilitation and/or delivery of training and learning initiatives for personnel on HR-related topics.

• Provides sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice by synthesizing lessons learnt and dissemination of best practices in human resources.

• Collect feedback, ideas, and internal knowledge about processes and best practices and utilize productively. 

• Undertake research on a range of HR related issues and provide content for notes/reports including quarterly and year-end reports for monitoring, statistical and review purposes by management.

• Liaise with relevant HQ and UN system units to exchange information and follow up on pending issues.

Impact of Results

The effective and successful achievement of results by the HR Associate directly impacts on the compliant execution of HR processes in the respective unit and the efficient and effective performance within it. These promote the credibility of the organization as an effective service provider in project services and management.

• First level university (Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Travel and Tourism Management, Human Resources, Public Administration or any other related field with a minimum of two (2) years of relevant experience.
• Secondary school (High School or equivalent) with a minimum of six (6) years of relevant experience is required.

• Relevant experience is defined as experience in experience in an international and/or national organization in providing HR advisory, recruitment, and/or HR-generalist services.

• Minimum of two (2) years of relevant experience is required with Bachelor Degree or equivalent; 6 years of relevant experience is required with Secondary school (High School or equivalent) 

• Experience in travel management or support is desired.

• Proficiency in computers and office software packages (MS Office) and experience in handling web-based management systems is require.

• Fluency in English (reading, writing, speaking) is required.
• Fluency in Dari or Pashtu (reading, writing, speaking) is required.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• 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 (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and 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 personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks

Benefits and Entitlements

All ICA personnel benefit from UNOPS learning opportunities as well as a variety of family-friendly, work-life and well-being provisions at the workplace. Hardship leave is provided according to duty station classification.

Other benefits and entitlements are available for contracts with a minimum duration of 3 months. These include:

Leave
Annual leave: 10 official UN holidays per year plus 2.5 additional days of accrued leave per month.

Paid sick leave: 2 days of certified sick leave per month up to a maximum balance of 24 days, plus 6 uncertified sick days per year; depending on tenure, fee protection for longer periods of certified sick leave.

Paid parental leave: Up to 26 weeks for eligible parents who give birth and 16 weeks for other eligible parents.

Medical coverage
For LICA: applicable according to UNOPS Medical Corporate Plan, including medical and dental insurance.

For IICA: IICA holders must pay for their own schemes, the cost for which is accounted for in their fee.

Pension scheme
For LICA: LICA holders on contracts of at least 3 months will join the UNOPS provident fund by contributing through deduction of their monthly fee.

For IICA: Optional contribution to a pension scheme (provident fund).

Relocation support
Financial Mobility Support is offered to international ICA holders and their dependents when relocating to a new duty station as per eligibility.

Security
All personnel regardless of contract modality are enrolled in the United Nations Security Management System for emergency relocation/evacuation.

• Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA) 
• Contract level: ICS-6 (LICA-6)
• Contract duration: Ongoing, subject to organizational requirements and funds availability