HR Associate (HR & Admin)

Peace and Security Centre

The UNOPS Peace and Security Centre (PSC) is a principal service provider in the field of mine action with the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), UNDP, UNICEF, Governments of mine-affected countries and other mine action partners. The Centre is responsible to administer, provide support and oversight of the day-to-day management of the Project Field offices, both according to the client requirements and in line with UNOPS rules and regulations. It is headed by the Centre Director who has the overall authority and accountability for the performance of the Peace and Security Centre on behalf of its clients.

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) established a regional support office, the Entebbe Support Office (ESO) in November of 2016.  This office provides regional support to UNMAS programmes based in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and the Abyei Administrative Area. The areas of support include Procurement, Supply Chain, Logistics, Human Resources, Finance and Contracts Management. 

* CANDIDATES WITH NO UN OR UNOPS EXPERIENCE ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY!

* QUALIFIED FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY!

Under the direct supervision of the HR Officer (HRO) and the overall direction of the Head of Support Services as well as the technical guidance of IPAS HR, the HR Associate is responsible for administering and implementing services, plans, and processes covering the array of Human Resources Management service lines for optimal employee and talent management, i.e. recruitment, learning, performance management, transition, organizational development, and contract management. S/he serves as the first contact for internal and external clients in resolving questions on processes and procedures and provision of guidance and information related to HR initiatives and services to a wide range of UNOPS clients. 

Functions/Key Results Expected

1. Support to policy development and implementation

2. Advisory Services

3. Talent  Acquisition & Administration and Office Administrative Services

4. Team Management

5. Knowledge Building and Knowledge Sharing

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 corporate HR strategy;  

• Support the communication of HR policy changes and new HR initiatives to management and personnel, providing guidance as needed.

2.  Advisory Services:

• Provide guidance on HR related systems and processes including but not limited to Recruitment, Contracts, Position Management, Performance Management, Benefits and Entitlements consistent with UNOPS rules and procedures;

• Provide advice and guidance to personnel on administrative procedures, processes and practices;

• Act as liaison between unit and internal and external clients and provides proactive customer service to expedite completion of projects, and provide information; 

• As the first face of HR, ensure that new hires' first impressions are positive and that they have all in-processing information completed;

• Advise hiring management and guide personnel on UNOPS recruitment and performance management processes, and learning and development initiatives, resources, and plans;

• Provide advice to supervisors on good practices, policies and procedures in performance management, including managing of under-performance;

• Support the implementation of institutional gender and diversity initiatives, providing education and advice on issues related to equity, compliance, inclusion, and diversity.

3.  Talent Acquisition & Administration and Office Administrative Services: 

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

• Actively participate in workforce planning at the office and project level and guide clients through recruitment and selection processes. Take lead on requisition initiation, long-listing, testing and interviews, formal approvals, selection minutes, reference checking, fee calculation, offers and rejections, and updating recruitment on-line information system;

• Inform and advise UNOPS personnel, consultants, partners and project personnel on their conditions of service and entitlements according to their contract modality, expediting actions to facilitate their efficient, timely, and client-focused on-boarding;

• Liaise with UNOPS’ HR related groups such as BSSC on personnel administration matters and submit transactional HR service data (normally within the ERP system);

• Research precedents and present recommendations to supervisor, taking into account institutionalized exceptions. Undertake research on a range of HR related issues and assist in the preparation of notes/reports;

• Establish and maintain monitoring systems, advising the supervisor on the status of pending requests and approaching deadlines. Follow up on team work processes to ensure clearance, approvals and timely workflows;

• Answer questions and follow-up with personnel and management to ensure completion of absences requests, performance management cycle, and other HR processes etc. in electronic information systems; 

• Liaise with relevant HQ and UN system units (such as Entebbe Support Base; Admin/protocol, ICT, Security, training sections) to exchange information and follow up on pending issues;

• Set up and maintain department files/records including but not limited to; personnel files, attendance sheets, leave records etc according to local and corporate record retention guidelines

• Follow up or process payroll verification;

• Monitor status of HR actions to facilitate timely action by supervisor and line management, including on transactions initiated, expiring appointments/contracts, and pending separation actions. 

• Support efficient planning and management of the HR unit, including drafting annual recruitment plans, implementing designated projects in line with the corporate HR strategy, overseeing personnel file systems as well as provision of related statistical summaries and tracking movements of UNOPS personnel within the relevant business units; 

• Prepare quarterly travel plans for the programme;

• Responsible for travel management activities for programme staff and visitors;

• Provide administrative support & coordination to key events (e.g. conferences, VIP visits, UN Day, training hosted in Entebbe etc.) in a timely and quality basis;

• Manage and maintain up-to-date training records and database of all personnel to ensure compliance in completion of mandatory training; 

• Support the HRO in the implementation of internal guidelines and best practices.

4.  Team Management 

• Facilitate the engagement and provision of high quality results and services of the team supervised through effective work planning, performance management, coaching, and promotion of learning and development;

• Provide oversight, ensuring compliance by team members with existing policies and best practices.

5.  Knowledge building and knowledge sharing 

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

• Provides sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice by synthesizing of lessons learnt and dissemination of best practices in human resources;

• Collect feedback, ideas, and internal knowledge about processes and best practices and utilize productively; 

• Undertake research on a range of HR related issues and provide content for notes/reports including quarterly and year-end reports for monitoring, statistical and review purposes by management;

• Liaise with relevant HQ and UN system units to exchange information and follow up on pending issues.

Impact of Results:
 

The effective and successful achievement of results by the HR Associate directly impact on the compliant execution of HR processes in the respective unit and the efficient and effective performance within it. These promote the credibility of the organization as an effective service provider in project services and management.

●  A First level University degree (Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent) combined with a minimum of two (2) years of relevant experience OR
●  A High School/Secondary education equivalent combined with a minimum of six (6) years of relevant experience is required.

• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• 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.
• 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 staff positions only, 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.

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA)
Contract level: LICA-6 (ICS-6)
Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.’

UNOPS mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Within these three core areas of expertise, UNOPS provides its partners with advisory, implementation and transactional services, with projects ranging from building schools and hospitals, to procuring goods and services and training local personnel. UNOPS works closely with governments and communities to ensure increased economic, social and environmental sustainability for the projects we support, with a focus on developing national capacity.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices in development, humanitarian and peacebuilding contexts, always satisfying or surpassing partner expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it. A flexible structure and global reach means we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale.