HSSE Advisor - Management Systems

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 organisations. With over 6,000 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 HSSE unit

Based at the UNOPS Headquarters in Copenhagen, the HSSE unit leads efforts to prevent harm to people and the environment during the execution of UNOPS activities. It develops and maintains appropriate policy instruments, standards, processes, and guidance documents and provides technical support for the effective implementation of occupational health & safety, and social & environmental management in UNOPS. The programme requires monitoring and coordination across a global portfolio of country offices and projects. In addition, HSSE practitioners provide implementation support to UNOPS teams to address planning needs and raise the capacity of UNOPS personnel and implementing partners. Practitioners also design and implement performance monitoring activities, support the execution of corrective and preventive actions and engage in performance improvement activities.

Purpose and Scope of Assignment 

The HSSE Advisor shall advise the Head of HSSE and Management teams in Regions and Country Offices regarding the implementation of UNOPS HSSE practices, programmes and requirements.  
The HSSE Advisor reports to the Head of Unit - HSSE, who provides broad supervision and guidance.  The Advisor shall have secondary reporting to the Europe and Central Asia Regional Infrastructure Advisor.

The HSSE Advisor works at both global and regional levels to meet the following:

• Support the development or maintenance of UNOPS HSSE Policies and Technical Specifications

• Develop or maintain the UNOPS global programme for occupational health and safety (OHS) or Social and Environmental (SE) Management 

• Support the Head of the HSSE unit to develop or maintain key performance indicators (KPIs) for global HSSE performance review

• Provide strategic guidance and oversight to ensure integration of HSSE in all stages of the project life cycle, from business development to completion and handover

• Advise Regional Management teams regarding effective oversight of HSSE by line managers from project, country, multi-country to regional management levels.

• In collaboration with the Head of the HSSE unit, provide policy interpretation, technical review and guidance

• Provide solid HSSE implementation support that is suited to the context, capacity of the team requiring support and their level in the organisation 

• Research, analyse, and present HSSE information in a way that allows UNOPS to address HSSE risk and position the organisation favourably to key partners and stakeholders

• Develop appropriate capacity-building programmes that include needs assessments, practical and virtual training, and address the effectiveness and sustainability of training.

• Coordinate the participation of HSSE users in the development and use of a UNOPS HSSE system.

• Support the design and coordination of networks for implementing HSSE activities and ensure collaboration with relevant existing networks within or outside the HSSE unit  

• Work closely with country and multi-country teams to complete key HSSE actions and to address performance issues

• Contribute to the development and management of HSSE budgets for specific activities in line with HSSE programme objectives and the overall financial health of the organisation

• Coordinate the actions to address grievances and incidents for the business units assigned to the HSSE Advisor.

Education: 

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or PhD) in a relevant subject such as Occupational Health and Safety, Environmental Management, Social Development or other relevant discipline is required. 

Experience: 

• At least 7 years of specialist level experience in developing and implementing HSSE in development projects.

• At least three years of experience working in Europe or Central Asia is an asset. 

Language Requirements:

• Full working knowledge of English is required.

• Contract type: ICA

• Contract level: IICA3/ICS11

• Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

• 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. 

• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience requirements outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to considering all candidates in a fair and transparent manner, and we value diverse perspectives and experiences, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals with diverse 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. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. 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.