HR Senior Assistant - retainer position

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an independent United Nations (UN) organisation since 1995 (Resolution 48/501, 1994), which succeeded two decades of its operations as a part of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 1974 when it was established. 

The mission of UNOPS is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development. As a part of the United Nations family, and as the only self-financed UN organisation, UNOPS is committed to UN values and private sector efficiency.

UNOPS Serbia Multi-Country Office (RSMCO) also covers Montenegro and North Macedonia, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the need for support and potential engagements are being assessed. The work of UNOPS and the projects it implements is contextualised within the broader Sustainable Development Goals frameworks and objectives of the countries of its operations.

Maintaining the highest degree of personal and professional ethics, the HR Senior Assistant demonstrates a collaborative, client-focused, quality and results-oriented approach. 

In particular, the HR Senior Assistant will perform following tasks:

1. Support to policy development and implementation:

• 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 attainment of business objectives in line with the organisation’s HR strategy.

1. Advisory Services:

• Advise hiring managers and panel members on routine elements of UNOPS recruitment and performance management processes, and learning and development initiatives, resources, and plans.

1. Talent Acquisition and Administration:

• Support recruitment processes, including a variety of administrative tasks, including but not limited to creating dedicated folders, review/copy-editing of TORs, plagiarism checks, pre-filling mandatory forms, updating recruitment on-line system etc.
• Support hiring managers by preliminary review of applications and checking of the applications against the TORs/VA  requirements for the purpose of longlisting; highlights strongest profiles for the purpose of shortlisting.
• Undertakes reference checking, organisation of testing and interviews, fee calculation etc.
• Act as HR Representative/Secretary and take minutes during interviews and prepare interview minutes
• Prepare an overview of candidates’ experience against the TOR requirements for the purpose of conducting a desk review.
• Support the drafting and implementation of outreach plans including targeted outreach.
• Maintain monitoring systems and advise the supervisor on the status of pending requests and approaching deadlines.
• Support personnel onboarding and offboarding.
• Support the set up and maintenance of  reference files/records.
• Perform other duties as may be reasonably required and in line with the incumbent’s scope of services above. 

1. Knowledge building and knowledge sharing

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

• Secondary school diploma is required
• First University Degree preferably in Human Resources Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, or equivalent disciplines will be considered as an asset and may substitute for some years of experience.

Work Experience

• Minimum of five years of relevant experience in an international and/or national organisation in providing HR advisory, recruitment, HR-generalist services and/or support services is required 
• Experience with Google suite and in use of HR information or recruitment systems, as well as Enterprise systems is considered an asset
• Experience with oneUNOPS is considered an asset
• Some experience in UN system organisations is desirable

Language Requirements

• Fluency in Serbian and English is required

• Part-time opportunity on home-based retainer contracts or similar
• Full-time opportunity on Belgrade-based contract depending on business needs

More information about retainer contracts:

• The functions/responsibilities/key results of this job description are generic and may not always be applicable, nor be comprehensive, for all assignments under this job title. 
• Under this contract type, the assignments will vary in scope and duration, ranging from short term assignments of a few hours at a time to longer blocks of time (e.g. several weeks or months).
• As a UNOPS ICA retainer, you are required to complete at least two (2) online courses upon signature of your contract and prior to commencing any retainer assignment. These courses are available for free on UNOPS learning platform and shall be completed within the first three months following the contract signature, at no cost for UNOPS. UNOPS reserves the right to request a refresher of the mandatory courses or request newly promulgated mandatory courses to be completed at no cost for UNOPS.
• For more information on a retainer contract, click here.

• 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 

• 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.