HR Intern

Background - WAMCO

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 organizations.  

Located in Dakar, the UNOPS office in Senegal has developed a strong working relation with the Governments of West Africa and international partners over the years. It provides technical support in strategic development areas including elections; procurement and related capacity building; environmental protection, as well as infrastructure rehabilitation and development.


Training components and learning elements

• The incumbent shall receive a monthly stipend designed to contribute to the cost of daily expenditures such as commuting and meals, if s/he is not receiving funding through an internship program externa to UNOPS, or from a specific institution.

• If mission travel is undertaken, Daily Subsistence Allowance, in accordance with UN policy will be paid.

• The internship comes with no expectations of future employment with UNOPS as a direct result of the internship.

1. Functional Responsibilities: 

Under the direct supervision of the HR Senior Analyst, the HR Intern is responsible for the efficient and transparent delivery of human resources (HR) services. He/she is also responsible for promoting a collaborative, customer-focused approach, openness and flexibility. 

His/her responsibilities will include but are not limited to the following:

• Provide Support to recruitment

• Ensure efficient support to the portfolio team

• Ensures facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing and contribution to product/process efficiency

1.1 Support to Talent Acquisition and Administration

• Assist in reviewing the current recruitment processes and make recommendations to streamline processes where needed 

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

• Support the completion of recruitment processes, including offers and rejections, and updating recruitment on-line information systems in line with UNOPS policy 

• Undertake reference checking, elements of  longlisting, and administration of testing and scheduling of interviews; fee calculation, minutes of general-service recruitments 

• Finalize selection and other process approvals

• Support the administration of contracts within UNOPS' ERP system

• Contribute to the research and contribution to the competency-based interview questions library

• Undertake research on a range of HR related issues and assist in the preparation of notes/reports

• Maintain monitoring systems, advising the supervisor on the status of pending requests and approaching deadlines. 

1.2 Support to WAMCO HR initiatives , focusing on achievement 

• Research on various HR topics (talent attraction/outreach, best practices in recruitment, outreach strategies, personnel development, benefits etc.)

• Provide support in improving existing HR processes

• Contribute to the learning and development workstream and take follow-up actions in various areas. 

1.3 Knowledge building and knowledge sharing and contribution to product/process efficiency

• Support the identification and documentation of best practices and lessons learnt, including coordination and organization wide implementation of knowledge sharing and documentation methodologies

• Contribute to knowledge management projects

• Provide suggestions for process improvements

• Support process efficiency initiatives.

2. Monitoring and progress checks (Impact)

• The effective and successful delivery of outputs by the HR Intern has a direct impact on the compliant delivery of HR processes for the office.

1. Academic Qualifications

To qualify, the candidate should be currently enrolled in a University Degree Program or have graduated with a University Degree within the last 3 years at the time of the application. Preferably, the candidate is studying or have studied one of the following subjects: Human Resources Management, Business Administration, or related areas. Please attach your Educational Documents to your application.

2. Experience 

• Applicants are not required to have professional work experienceApplicants are not required to have professional work experience

• Experience of working in Google Suite applications including google docs, Sheets and slides is highly desirable

• Knowledge of ERP systems is an asset

3. Languages

• Full working knowledge (Fluency in written, reading, and spoken) of French is required

• Full working knowledge (Fluency in written, reading, and spoken) of English 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. 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.