HR Senior Officer
Vienna
- Organization: UNOPS - United Nations Office for Project Services
- Location: Vienna
- Grade: ICS 09
-
Occupational Groups:
- Human Resources
- Closing Date: 2025-11-30
General Information
Job Highlight
About the Region
The Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECR), based in Geneva, is responsible for the effective management, coordination and oversight of UNOPS operations across the region. The ECR region spans the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Türkiye, where UNOPS works with partners to achieve sustainable impact in health, education, environmental management, housing, rule of law, good governance, economic development, and social inclusion. With a wealth of experience in procurement, infrastructure, project and grant management, UNOPS in the region directly implements projects, provides technical advisory services and capacity building to advance the Sustainable Development Goals in support of national governments.
About the Country/Multi-Country Office
The Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO) was set up in August 2019 as a part of the UNOPS Europe & Central Asia Region (ECR). Specifically, AUMCO aims to enable achievement of Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement through global programmes and tailored interventions in the Balkans, South Caucasus, and Central Asia, focused on:
- Infrastructure
- Procurement
- Project Management
- HR and Transactional Services
- Grant Management
- Technical and Advisory Services
Job Specific Context
The preferred duty station is Vienna, Austria. However, the duty station may be changed in accordance with the needs of the Organization.
Role Purpose
Under the guidance of the HR Manager, the HR Senior Officer will support the Multi Country Office’s work in the management, implementation and oversight of the HR systems and service lines to meet its needs and requirements, including those relating to specific initiatives and projects in support of clients and other stakeholders. This includes the provision of recruitment, contract management, learning and development support to management and projects.
The incumbent will support and collaborate with various team members across the region to manage its HR functions, activities and personnel.
Functions / Key Results Expected
Policy Development and Implementation Support
- Contribute to HR policy development and corporate initiatives by providing data-driven insights on workforce trends, risks and opportunities, and by sharing country-specific best practices.
- Maintain a strong understanding of the Office’s financial and operational priorities, and, in consultation with management, lead the implementation of corporate HR strategies and initiatives.
- Design and lead HR projects and initiatives that align with corporate HR strategy and support the achievement of organizational goals.
- Collaborate with leadership to develop and implement workforce planning initiatives that promote efficient service delivery and optimized workflows; monitor workforce status and emerging trends.
- Communicate changes in HR policies and the rollout of new initiatives to both management and personnel, offering guidance and support as needed.
- Maintain, or oversee the maintenance of, HR analytics and data parameters to support informed decision-making within the Office.
HR Advice
Provide strategic guidance on the application of HR policies in people management, proactively assessing and anticipating HR needs to deliver value-added, consultative support to management on personnel-related matters.
Design, deliver and model HR services, programmes and communications that enhance the experience of prospective and current personnel, as well as UNOPS partners.
Collaborate with corporate HR teams to advise, support and mediate on sensitive and complex issues, including grievances, potential code of conduct violations, harassment, abuse, workplace disputes, performance improvement plans, and other personnel relations matters.
Promote line management accountability in the implementation of HR policies and effective team leadership, providing coaching and guidance to strengthen supervisory capabilities and foster constructive, two-way communication between managers and their teams.
In collaboration with management, support continuous improvement and professional development by advising on, planning, and monitoring learning and development activities.
Partner with leadership to advance institutional gender and diversity priorities by offering education and guidance on equity, compliance, inclusion, and diversity-related matters.
Talent Acquisition and Management
Oversee the implementation of talent acquisition and management policies and processes, including job classification, recruitment, onboarding, performance management, learning and development, fee/ salary and benefits administration, and contract administration.
Coordinate the effective administration of various contractual modalities, including loans, exchanges and secondments, ensuring smooth engagement and collaboration with relevant partners.
Collaborate with corporate HR teams to lead personnel realignment exercises, such as job fairs, ensuring timely competency mapping, sourcing, selection, placement and transition of talent.
Identify critical talent needs and develop comprehensive, forward-looking plans to attract, develop and retain key talent. Leverage workforce planning tools and recruitment strategies to ensure timely and inclusive hiring aligned with organizational goals
Knowledge Building and Sharing
Support the organization, facilitation and delivery of training and learning sessions on HR topics.
Participate in knowledge-sharing initiatives and Communities of Practice (CoPs), contributing insights and lessons learned from HR project implementation,
Conduct research on HR-related topics and contribute to the drafting of reports, summaries and briefing notes.
Skills
Competencies
Education Requirements
Required
An Advanced University degree preferably in Human Resources management, Business Administration, social or behavioral sciences.
A First University degree in Human Resources management or related fields combined with two additional years of relevant experience may be accepted.
Experience Requirements
Required
A minimum of two years of professional-level human resources management experience, including HR advisory services, in a major area(s) of human resources management (HR Contract Administration, HR Reporting, Recruitment or Organizational Design) in an international, public or corporate organization at the national and/or international level.
Desired
Experience in a multicultural setting is desirable.
UNOPS experience is desirable.
Language Requirements
| Language | Proficiency Level | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| English | Fluent | Required |
Additional Information
- Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
- Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
- Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. 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.
- For more details about the contract types, please click 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.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.