Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Specialist

“UNOPS plays a critical role in providing management services for our lifesaving, peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development operations. I have seen many examples of how these activities help suffering people in troubled parts of the world.”  

-Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General

UNOPS mission is to expand the capacity of the UN system and its partners to implement peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations that matter for people in need. Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, UNOPS vision is to always satisfy partners with management services that meet world-class standards of quality, speed and cost effectiveness.

By assisting UN organisations, international financial institutions, governments and other development partners, UNOPS makes significant, tangible contributions to results on the ground.

UNOPS employs more than 6000 personnel and on behalf of its partners creates thousands more work opportunities in local communities. With its headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, a network of five regional offices and a further 20 operations and project centres, UNOPS oversees activities in more than 80 countries.

The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS. UNOPS is committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce.

Sustainability is a key part of UNOPS strategic plan for 2014-2017. Therefore, improving HSE performance by preventing or mitigating adverse impacts on the environment will support delivering projects in a sustainable manner. UNOPS has developed an Environmental Management System (EMS) aligned to the ISO 14001 standard to help identify and mitigate  environmental impacts of its operations. An Occupational Health and Safety management system has also been developed in line with the OHSAS 18 001 standard with the intention of  preventing workplace injuries and illnesses. 

With these systems UNOPS intends to manage its environmental and social risks and impacts throughout the life cycle of projects in a systematic manner that leads to continuous  improvement and development of local capacity. Therefore, UNOPS intends to extend the application of HSE to all its operations and embed HSE as a part of normal value creation in the UNOPS business cycle. 

The HSSE Specialist will be responsible for assisting UNOPS to adopt and make use of the UNOPS Environmental Management System (EMS) and the Health & Safety (HS) system. The HSSE Specialist will report to the Head of Programme.

The HSSE Specialist will:

• Ensure reduction of class 1 incidents and elimination of fatalities; demonstrable  engagement with team members on HS performance; increased identification and correction of HS hazards; and reduction of outstanding corrective actions
• Lead the analysis of the organization’s HSSE risk profile and determination of key controls.
• Ensure that risk assessments are in place (country and project levels), training/capacity building is taking place, mandatory inspections have been done, and incidents are reported and investigated on time
• Include HS in key messages and interactions with the management personnel’s teams. Review HS performance regularly, address outstanding actions and poor performance.
• Provide technical advice to project developers on what needs to be included in project proposals to embed HSSE management into new projects.
• Develop technical guidance in HSSE such as threshold limit values for occupational exposures, specifications for fall protection protocols and procedures for disposal of hazardous waste in remote locations;
• Carry out training on EMS and HS in line with UNOPS standards and best practices;
• Implement and supervise the process for incident reporting and analysis and for carrying out quantitative analysis of HSSE performance. 
• Ensure to continuously improve the HSSE process and procedures
• Assist project teams to develop and implement Environmental Management Plans (EMPs) and Health & Safety Plans; 
• Assist Project and field offices to establish monitoring of HSE performance through inspections, meetings, reporting and internal auditing;
• Assist field offices to embed HSSE issues into the processes of design and construction of infrastructure;
• Assist field offices to meet UNOPS HSE standards and to prepare for and meet the requirements of external audits for ISO 14 001 and OHSAS 18 001;
• Contribute to the development and implementation of the quality assurance system for construction;
• Contribute to 100% completion and verification of mandatory health and safety inspections in projects;

a. Education 

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in Health and Safety Management, Occupational Medicine, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Management, Civil Engineering, Natural  Sciences is required.
• A Bachelor’s Degree with two additional years of demonstrated experience in HSSE may be accepted in lieu of a Master’s degree;
• Internationally recognized professional certification in occupational health and safety, such as NEBOSH Certificate (or an equivalent) is an asset.

b. Work Experience 

• At least 5 years of demonstrated experience in Health & Safety & Social & Environment is required.
• A proven track record with at least 3 years’ experience in the delivery of environmental and health and safety management systems (preferably certified) in construction, manufacturing, mining or similar production environments is an asset.
• Relevant experience working in developing countries is an asset.
• Experience of third-party certification audits for health & safety & social and environment management is an asset.

c. Key Competencies 

• Must be able to work with multiple people of different background and be a good team member;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, commitment to team work and to work across disciplines;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills in substantive and technical areas;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
• Excellent writing, editing and analytical skills and capability of working independently; and
• An ability to work effectively, take initiative and deliver results, even under pressure, and willing to travel in UNOPS field offices.

d. Language requirements:

• Fluency in oral and written French and English will be required. 

Contract type: International Individual Contract Agreement (LICA)

Regular/Monthly: This contract is a regular monthly contract, which requires ongoing services during the term of the contract and payments will be made at the end of each month.

Contract level: IICA-2 or LICA-10

Contract duration: Open-Ended contract subject to good performance, availability of funds, organizational requirements, and project duration: 12 months)

Both International and Local candidates are encouraged to apply.

If the selected candidate is not a citizen of the country, s/he will have an international contract with the international fee

If the selected candidate is a citizen of the country, s/he will have a local contract with the local fee.

• 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 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.  

Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

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 4,000 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 gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

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

Haiti

The UNOPS Haiti office supports international partners and the Haitian Government in their work to improve lives following the 2010 earthquake. UNOPS project managers and their local employees are helping to check the safety of damaged houses, build transitional shelters for homeless families, provide cleaner toilets for those living in camps, clear canals of debris to prevent floods, repair roads, and construct maternity centres and schools.