HR Specialist, P-3, Talent Group - UNICEF New and Emerging Talent Initiative (NETI)

This is a Generic Vacancy Announcement (GVA) for the Human Resources Specialists Talent Group* at the P-3 level as part of the New and Emerging Talent Initiative (NETI).

UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child. UNICEF has spent 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Defending children's rights throughout their lives requires a global presence, aiming to produce results and understand their effects. UNICEF believes all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world

For Every Child, AN ADVOCATE

In an effort to measurably improve UNICEF's ability to deliver better results for children, and to also support the Human Resources transformation strategy, UNICEF is embarking on a transformational process in a number of key areas, including streamlined and efficient talent attraction and acquisition, solid talent management and rapid deployment of staff, and robust performance and career management.

The New and Emerging Talent Initiative (NETI) is an entry point for dynamic professionals interested in an international career with UNICEF. As NETI HR professional, you will partner closely with HR practitioners and line managers and share ownership and accountability for people management to ultimately deliver better results for children. For more information on the NETI Programme and its sourcing approach via Talent Groups, please visit the UNICEF website: www.unicef.org/neti

How can you make a difference?

Depending on the organizational set-up of the office, you will either specialize in a defined area of HR management at Headquarter or regional level. Alternatively, you may be in charge of the entire span of UNICEF’s HR portfolio as HR Business Partner for a UNICEF Business Division or Country Office. Depending on the function you may contribute to some or all of the following activities:

HR Business Partnership: Develops strong relationships across assigned business/geographical areas, working collaboratively with clients, peers and key leaders to drive results for client needs; Partners with the stakeholders in all aspects of human resources management, including: evaluating their staffing needs, advising on recruitments; talent management; learning and staff development; performance management; diversity and change management; HR Excellence: Promotes management excellence by ensuring accountability in all areas of HR and by demonstrating a high level of skills in the management of staff resources including staff selection; performance management, and staff development and learning activities; HR Capacity: Contributes to the strengthening of the HR team’s capacity to provide ongoing guidance, interpretation and technical support to management in the area of HR management. Recruitment and Selection of Staff: Proactively partners with line managers and staff in supporting recruitment in the office, ensuring business needs are clearly addressed and integrated into the recruitment process to attract the strongest candidates possible; Learning and Career Management: In coordination with the relevant partners and DHR, identifies capacity building needs and implements timely and effective staff learning and development programmes and briefing on career management for staff; Diversity: Draws insights from analytics to make people processes smarter, more efficient and to ensure the organization’s overall goals including for gender and geographic diversity; Staff Management and Relationship Management: Monitors staff/management issues and supports/advises management and staff as appropriate to improve working relations and mediates to resolve conflict. Provides administrative support to the staff-management bodies in the capacity of HR focal point; HR Policy Advice: Establishes and maintains equity, transparency and consistency in the interpretation of HR policy and procedure and provide advice and technical support to management and staff; Inter-agency collaboration: Ensures active coordination of HR initiatives with other UN agencies and relevant partners; Emergency Preparedness and Response: Plans and ensures effective emergency preparedness and rapid responses in case of emergency, including staff security.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have the following:

An advanced university degree (Master's) in Human Resources, Business Administration, International Relations, Social Sciences, Psychology or a directly related field(s); A minimum of (5) five years of progressive, relevant work experience in in HR management including in international/multicultural settings is required; Proficiency in English and working knowledge (intermediate) of another official language of the United Nations; Readiness to be assigned to any UNICEF office worldwide, including non-family and emergency duty stations. Preference will be given to candidates under 35 years of age.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

Our core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. Willingness to embark on an international career: International Professional staff members are expected to rotate to another duty station upon completion of their tour of duty. UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply.



Participants of the NETI Programme will have an initial one year fixed-term contract, with possibility of extension, subject to satisfactory performance.

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

*Talent Groups at UNICEF are lists of pre-vetted, highly qualified professionals intended for fast-track recruitment processes as positions become available. Placement in a Talent Group does not guarantee a position