Assc HR Officer United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Associate Human Resources Officer supports the UNHCR’s People Strategy and contributes to the implementation of the 2018 independent Human Resources review, which resulted in the establishment of HR strategic priorities and the reconfiguration and transformation of the Division of Human Resources (DHR) from a largely transactional model into a strategic business partner for field operations and senior management. Having the right people in the right place at the right time is at the core of enabling UNHCR to protect and respond to persons of concern. By attracting, retaining and developing a talented, diverse and agile workforce while nurturing a culture of excellence, respect and wellbeing for all, UNHCRs Human Resources acts as a strategic partner to the organization, enabling a people-centric culture.

The Associate Human Resources Officer provides support and assistance in the areas of operational support, workforce planning, assignments and talent acquisition, organizational cultural changes, HR policy implementation and duty of care. The incumbent maintains employee confidence and protects the organization and its workforce by keeping human resources information confidential.

The Associate Human Resources Officer is usually supervised by the HR Officer or Senior HR Officer or Head of Office in a Country Operation, or the most senior HR staff in a Regional Bureau. She/he usually supervises HR General Service staff.

The incumbent maintains a direct working relationship with a number of units within the Division of Human Resources (DHR). The incumbent also works closely with the Senior HR Partner, the Senior Medical Officer and the Senior Staff counsellor for his/her region.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCRs core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties

Workforce Operational Support:

• Assist in implementation of HR initiatives that support organizational culture change such as good people management practices, and promoting gender, inclusion and diversity.
• Implement HR operational activities to ensure timely provision of HR solutions, prioritizing according to the needs and risks.
• Contribute to the development of a HR customer service-oriented culture that values proactivity, continuous improvement, innovation and high performance.
• Provide support, guidance and trainings to HR staff.

Assignments and Talent Acquisition:

• Coordinate the process of recruitment, assignment and reassignment of locally-recruited staff and affiliate workforce, also assisting with set up and running of (Regional) Assignments Committee where relevant.
• Assist in organizing outreach campaigns to attract diverse applicants. Ensure proper consideration is given to all applicants without distinction on the grounds of race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.
• Analyse, track and report on recruitment and assignments trends for management, including efforts to reach gender parity.
• Take a proactive approach to risk management in the areas of recruitment, ensuring the issues are identified, addressed and reported and, where appropriate, escalated.

Advice to managers and staff, and contribution to an inclusive work environment:

• Build dialog and outreach with staff; answer questions, and provide information to staff as to where to go for help or ask questions.
• Be proactive in identifying issues, themes and patterns affecting the workforces health and welfare, including sexual harassment and abuse of authority.
• Ensure that on-boarding, induction, re-integration into the workplace and off-boarding support, is provided to colleagues. Induction programmes should include information on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and Sexual Harassment, Code of Conduct as well as workforces rights and obligations.

HR policies and inter-agency:

• Enforce compliance with UNHCRs Human Resources policies and procedures and the UN staff rules, regulations and UNHCR administrative instructions.
• Participate in the ICSC survey on living conditions and classification of duty stations as well as in the UN Country Team local staff salary survey and other local inter-agency HR-related fora and initiatives.

Duty of Care:

• Contribute to establishing and maintaining a medical evacuation plan with senior management, Field safety and the Senior Medical Officer.
• Assist in the security and medical evacuations of UNHCR personnel.
• Support the implementation of a Duty of Care strategy. Identify and assess issues related to duty of care including physical, mental health and safety of UNHCRs workforce, promoting workforce balance.

For positions in Regional Bureaux only: In the absence of a Senior Talent Development Officer in the Bureau:

• Contribute to the implementation of a talent development strategy for UNHCR workforce in the region, in line with UNHCRs needs and staff members career planning.
• Contribute to the implementation of a talent sourcing and acquisition plan to identify talent mainly among but not limited to national staff and affiliate workforce in the region.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications Education & Professional Work Experience

Years of Experience / Degree Level For P2/NOB – 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education

Human Resources Management; Human Resources Development; Personnel Administration; Business Administration; or other relevant field. (Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential) Certificates and/or Licenses UNHCR HR certification; (Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience Essential:

Experience working in Human Resources. UNHCR HR certification is a plus. Knowledge of general HR policies, processes and systems.

Desirable: Experience in one or more of the following areas: HR Administration, workforce planning, recruitment, HR policy or talent development. Experience in HR information technology systems and tools. Experience in field humanitarian operations and/or emergency settings. Experience working with the United Nations. Experience working in a multi-cultural setting.

Functional Skills HR-Local mass recruitment HR-Talent Development and Nurturing HR-HR data and people analytics HR-Employee Relationship Management SO-Learning Agility HR-HR Business Partnering MG-Client Relationship Management HR-Inclusion, Diversity and Gender strategy design and implementation (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements

For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.

For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.

For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power. As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise. This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

• Solid experience in HR management, in-depth understanding of HR Rules and Regulations, Policies and Procedures, proven experience managing a diverse workforce in a versatile environment.
• Demonstrated ability to handle complex situations with tact, diplomacy, and respect for confidentiality.
• Demonstrated effective communication skills.
• Strong client orientation skills
• Proven managerial and teamwork skills, including experience in virtual management of teams (support teams in remote locations).
• Open minded, out of the box thinker, interested in innovative solutions and approaches
• Ability to quickly grasp the dynamic of the Operation to facilitate appropriate and timely interventions to support a fair and inclusive working environment.

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:

wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

The Associate HR Officer will be heading the HR Unit in Zambia. Solid experience in HR management including excellent knowledge of the MSRP HR module is needed (MSRP HR correction mode). The incumbent needs to oversee the administration of national, international staff, vacancy management of national and international positions, as well as duty of care. The Associate HR Officer ensures appropriate response to the operational requirements timely, accurately and effectively. Efficient HR services are to be provided in a client-oriented manner while ensuring consistent and harmonized conditions of service among the existing workforce i.e. UNHCR, UNOPS and other affiliates. The Associate HR Officer implements UNHCR’s People Strategy at the country level, as well as the Regional HR priorities. S/he ensures integrity, transparency, fairness and professionalism in all HR matters and processes throughout the country. The Associate HR Officer provides advice and guidance to the managers and staff at large on the complex HR matters, liaises and consults with relevant HR counterparts at the Bureau level as well as HQ departments on policy level discussions, clarifications and confirmations. The AHRO is closely involved in addressing the issues of staff relations and grievances, conflict management, counselling, providing advice on support and complaint mechanisms, as well as ensuring that the staff welfare is attended at all levels within the operation. A seasoned HR professional with maturity, excellent knowledge of the HR rules and regulations, coupled with excellent communication, drafting, inter-personal and managerial skills is thus required. The incumbent should have several years of working experience in HR so that s/he can quickly grasp the dynamic of the operation and ensure that timely support is provided to other units as well as to the senior management.

Living and Working Conditions:

Lusaka is the capital city of Zambia, a country heading towards middle-income country status. Zambia is an English speaking country. Shops are well stocked, and all basic commodities can be found, Lusaka has various supermarkets and malls around town. Imported goods tend to be available but more expensive. Health facilities, international schools, banking services are available in Lusaka. Finding accommodation meeting MORRS standard is possible, either in stand-alone house or in apartment or town house in housing complexes. Domestic flights are costly but available. The local airline, Proflight and Mahogany operates flights to larger towns in the country. Zambia is a vast country and road travel can take days, given the distances and at times the road conditions. Zambia is peaceful with minimal security threats. There have been no restrictions on travel within Zambia. There have been no curfews or restricted movements within Lusaka or elsewhere. There have been no reported cases of serious incidents involving UNHCR staff members in the past. No incidents affecting UN staff members have been reported so far in 2020. Like in other duty stations, staff members are advised not to be complacent and be vigilant. International staff members are expected to have security guards from a recognized / recommended security company at their residences. Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, entry screening will be conducted at all airports and all travellers entering the airport are subjected to temperature and symptom screening. All travellers coming into the country through the international airports are required to provide a negative SARS CoV-2 PCR test results. The test should have been conducted within the previous 14 days. Travelers not meeting this requirement are not allowed entry into the Country.