HR Associate

Under the guidance and supervision of the IPAS HR Specialist and HR Advisor, the HR Associate provides support to HR services to field offices and headquarters, ensuring high quality of work, accurate, timely and properly recorded/documented service delivery. The HR Associate displays a client-oriented attitude while ensuring consistence with rules and regulations, and consistence in service delivery.

The HR Associate performs the following key functions:

1. Provides efficient lead support to recruitment and selection processes:

• Acts as primary focal point for liaising with and undertaking recruitment processes for staff members, local and international Consultants for the relevant clients in the regional offices/ UNOPS HQ units (including drafting Vacancy Announcements, conducting written tests, providing longlist/shortlist input, participation in interview panels, minute-taking, conducting reference checks, etc.);
• Reviews incoming requests and all relevant documentation relating to recruitment, contract extensions, transfers, exchanges or loans, and separation of staff or individual contractors, initiating required personnel actions in respect thereof and liaising with hiring managers for the appropriate instructions to hire/extend/separate personnel.
• Use of tracking tools to monitor recruitment status and other indicators for management and recruitment purposes, such as GPRS, the Logging System, etc, and monitoring and tracking of status of requests, initiating follow-up actions to ensure submissions of selection processes for review are timely, accurate and contain complete documentation.
• Provides and adapts interpretations to recruitment policies and practices
• Focal point for background check requests, and acting as primary focal point for liaising with PCPG and IAIG in this regards.

2. Provides efficient lead support to the administration of contracts, benefits and entitlements:

• Leads provision of transactional support ensuring timely, consistent and equitable provision of services.
• Pre-clears submissions of cases for Committee/Board reviews
•  Provide research of precedents and analysis of merits of specific requests and presentation of recommendations/solutions to supervisor.
• Facilitate the briefing of personnel on the conditions of service related to contracts and/or appointments/transfers.
• Collection, verification and follow-up on required documentation related to allowances, appointments and contracts.
• Perform the task of Local Payroll Administrator for relevant clients under the HR Associate portfolio.
• Maintenance of online filing system to ensure timely retrieval of information as required.
• Review of recruitment requests and preparation of submissions in the contract administration system; management of contracts, and associated submissions to HQCPC, LCPC and ASP/ASB accordingly;
• Review individual contractor qualifications and experience and Terms of Reference to determine daily remuneration to be paid in accordance with the established fee setting methodologies, ensuring compliance with UNESCO educational recognition and verification of documentation and identity; Creation of vendor profiles and purchase orders in the ERP system as needed.
• Participates in implementation of HR projects with the aim on improving HR processes

3. Contributes to Product/Process-Efficiency Improvement:

• Provide suggestions for the enhancements of practice policy developments;
• Provide input on product designs and implementation;
• Support process efficiency initiatives;
• Provide input to the development and maintenance of corporate systems and tools.
• Help team members with logging requests for statistical purposes.

4. Supervision/Other

• The HR Associate will lead and supervise colleagues from the IPAS HR support team, through provision of appropriate training, mentoring and guidance, as well as relevant performance evaluation as per UNOPS performance review requirements.
• Serves as a focal point in IPAS HR for IAIG requests.

• In addition to UN/UNOPS core values/competencies, ability to apply experience and skills to ensure delivery of services response to clients.
• Build strong relationships with partners and clients using inter-personal skills to network effectively.
• Resourceful and diligent with ability to interpret, analyze and resolve problems.
• Communicates clearly and convincingly – demonstrates strong oral and written communications skills
• Focuses on impact and results for the client – promotes and lives by an ethic of client service, seeking to produce significant and positive impact
• Strong attention to detail
• Willingness to embrace additional responsibility within teams.

• Secondary education is required. 
• Bachelor degree desirable.

• At least 7 years (or 3 years with a Bachelor) of progressively responsible experience in operations support, out of which a minimum of 3 years experience in a human resources  area.
• UN experience or experience from other international organizations or NGOs is desirable.
• Knowledge of UNOPS/UNDP/UN regulations, rules, policies, procedure and practices is desirable;
• Knowledge of ERP systems, specifically Agresso or PeopleSoft will be an added advantage.

• Fluency in English is essential; 
• Fluency in French, Arabic or Spanish would be a distinct asset.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time (CET)
• 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.
• For staff positions UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• 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.