Chief of Section  (APRS)

Before submitting an application, UNHCR staff members intending to apply to this Job Opening are requested to consult the Recruitment and Assignments Policy (RAP, UNHCR/HCP/2017/2 and the Recruitment and Assignments Administrative Instruction (RAAI), UNHCR/AI/2017/7 OF 15 August 2017.

Chief of Section  (APRS)

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT.
The position is part of the Division of Human Resources (DHR), whose mission statement indicates that DHR is a strategic, trusted and innovative partner in enabling UNHCR to protect and respond to persons of concern by attracting, motivating, retaining and developing a talented, diverse and agile workforce, while nurturing a culture of excellence, respect and wellbeing for all.

The incumbent of this position supports the UNHCR's People Strategy and contributes to the implementation of the 2018 independent HR review which resulted in the establishment of HR strategic priorities and the reconfiguration and transformation of the Division from a largely transactional model into a strategic business partner for field operations and senior management.

The Chief of Affiliate Partnerships and Recruitment Section (APRS) is a member of the Senior Leadership Team supporting the Assignments and Talent Mobilization (ATMS) Head of Service. He/she will provide leadership, strategic direction and implementation for UNHCR's People Strategy especially in the area of staffing through strategic partnerships, recruitment and risk mitigation. S/he will be responsible for establishing, managing and maintaining the overall process of access to group 2 and external applicants through development of recruitment strategy for UNHCR which prioritizes the recruitment of talents to respond to the current and future needs of the organization. S/he will ensure the risk oversight through proper assessment of potential risk in the recruitment process and proactively identify and take action to prevent / respond. S/he will be responsible for the overall management of Affiliate Workforce (AWF) leading negotiation and working closely with partner agencies, and will provide oversight to the work and living conditions of the Affiliate Workforce in close cooperation with operations. The incumbent will be in charge of all recruitment related functions and provide supervision of day-to-day functions and procedures, while ensuring adherence to established policies and processes.

The Chief of Section (APRS) will supervise three units: Partnerships and Affiliates, Recruitment and Risk Oversight with a proposed staff of 29 including four international professional staff (3 P4 and 1 P3), five National Officers, and twenty general service staff to be located in Budapest, Hungary.

The function leads the work to design, build, and evolve an integrated global talent acquisition and sourcing capability at UNHCR, including strategic alignment and full cycle recruitment. This is a high impact role in the attraction of talent to ensure the UNHCR global workforce has the skills and capabilities needed to successfully carry out its mandate.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT
Accountability
- UNHCR recruits, contracts and deploys staff and makes sufficient use of affiliate workforce to meet its current and future operational needs and in a manner that promotes career development and respects diversity.
- UNHCR has effective Outreach and Acquisition strategies and policies which meet its diversity, nationality and gender benchmarks.
- Leveraging well-defined outreach strategies and the uses of social media sourcing strategies to attract and hire a diverse workforce by gender, nationality, and under-represented groups within the workforce are ensured.
- Representatives, Line and Field based Managers, Directors of Services and Bureaux are provided with due advice and guidance on the development, design and implementation of HR policies related to Talent Management and Workforce Strategies while their comments and feedback are seriously considered for improvement of the process and anticipation of the workforce needs.
- Coordination mechanisms are established and effective between UNHCR, other UN organizations, implementing partners, and relevant operational partners so as to maximize collective efforts to manage risks, ensure compliance and maximize quality.
- Effective risk oversight of the recruitment process minimizes potential fraud and deficiency in the system.
-       APRS has fully integrated Affiliate Partnerships strategies, plans, policy and systems.
- APRS targets for Strategic Partnerships are met according to plan.
- Affiliate Partnerships Unit receives continuous guidance on management of Partnerships prospects.
- Turnaround time from hire to placement is reduced for TA and FTA from group 2, and talent pool especially for L2 and L3 emergencies.

Responsibility
- Lead the work to ensure a best in class talent experience from employer branding, talent segmentation, sourcing and recruitment to an ultimately great candidate experience.
- Act as a key partner to the HR community, in proactively defining and implementing the talent sourcing needs and strategies to ensure the right people are in the place at the right time.
- Lead UNHCR's external talent acquisition and sourcing efforts and selection process, positioning the organization as an employer of choice in the humanitarian sector.
- Partner with the HR Technology and colleagues in HR Systems & People Analytics Section (HRSPAS) to ensure that UNHCR has the right technical solutions for talent acquisition and sourcing, enabling a positive candidate experience and minimise administrative work of managers, HR and applicants.
- Leverage technology and virtual solutions to create a positive candidate experience and strengthen the UNHCR employer brand in targeted outreach and overall employer positioning.
- Work in close integration with relevant sections mainly ATMS to unify approaches and procedures to ensure coherence in recruitment process for the three groups and manage the risk of things falling between the gaps among different sections / units.
- Lead negotiations with partner agencies regarding Affiliate Workforce hiring and management.
- Work with Operations in a meaningful way to identify and understand the Affiliate Workforce needs and develop the appropriate solutions for the context.
- Work closely with relevant DHR sections to define an appropriate workforce mode to manage the strategic risk of misaligned workforce.
- Develop recruitment and staffing strategies and implement relevant policies and programs for staff and contractual employees.
- Work with relevant sections to put in place an induction program for the whole workforce (international, national and AWF) with targeted content for each segment (ex Onboarding).
- Work with Global Learning and Development Centre (GLDC) to oversee the new staff orientation and on boarding program.
- Identify, establish and maintain contacts with worldwide recruitment sources.
- Develop search methods to attract diverse candidates for different professions and maintain pipelines of suitable candidates.
- Leverage data and workforce insights to measure impact and efficiency of the section and monitor recruitment and retention issues.
- Manage all units in the Section to ensure organizational strategies for acquiring talent under the Talent Pool, JPO, UNV, UNOPS and monitor the use of consultants and interns.
- Ensure the qualitative/quantitative output are in conformity with the expected standards of UNHCR, for international recruitment including grading, reference checking and selection criteria.
- Spearhead the introduction of new innovative strategies to professionalize the recruitment function based on industry best practice.
- Proactively manage and monitor strategic organizational objectives of meeting diversity, nationality and gender benchmarks in the talent acquisition strategic efforts.
- Advise senior management on challenges for filling vacancies and monitor recruitment trends and retention of staff.
- Consult with bureaus and divisions on current and future staffing needs and maintain close working relations with senior DHR staff.  Establish fair and transparent recruitment processes taking into account both the UN rules and UNHCR policies.
- Provide leadership, strategic direction and implementation for Affiliate Partnerships programme in order to generate increased yearly staffing and build holistic strategic partnerships with the private sector.
- Work closely with DHR Senior Management Team to facilitate relationships with other UN agencies, Governments, foundations, and private sector.
- Collaborate with other UNHCR units, to ensure seamless and coordinated outreach to strategic partners.
- Develop and monitor metrics to assess the achievement of recruitment, retention, placement and other outcomes.
- Stay abreast of policy developments and application of administrative procedures on Personnel/Human Resources issues so that appropriate responses can be given to various queries by the staff members. This requires being aware of policies related to Joint Review Board (JRB) (or its equivalent) processes, UNHCR Emergency situations/Fast track posting procedures.
- Simplify end to end recruitment processes, with coordinated and streamlined workflows.
- Seek the feedback of managers on screened in candidates in order to ensure the accuracy of the screening process.
- Work with Talent Development and Performance Section (TDPS) to identify potential talent from Group 2 and establish robust referral mechanism for talent development.
- Work closely in partnership with UN agencies for the optimal use of the one UN platform for reference checking.
- Ensure consistent sourcing process with regular updates to reflect market trends.
- Interpret risk policies, procedures and regulations to provide guidance, consultation and assistance to both management and staff on various risk matters such as selection, grading, reference checking and other liability issues.
- Ensure regular risk oversight for the overall recruitment process and that Onboarding, approvals and establishment controls are regularly reviewed for improvement.
- Ensure that risk management considerations are integrated into decision making, planning, monitoring, evaluation, reporting and contingency activities in the Section.
- Ensure that talent recruitment is fully integrated into the organisation programmes and branding.
- Adapt best practices of other UN agencies and international humanitarian bodies of recruiting practices to market changes.
- Provide risk assessment through identifying talent pools gaps, specific needs in the field, difficulty in hiring certain profiles, etc.
- Contribute to the formulation of other human resources policies.

Authority
- Define and articulate the vision and set the strategic direction for the recruitment.
- Represent UNHCR in the working groups/task forces within UN inter-agency on issues related to the functions.
- Assign responsibilities to Heads of Units and staff members within the section of varying complexity; hold managers accountable for meeting deadlines and performance targets.
- Make recommendation to the Head of Service to take discretionary decisions on relevant human resources matters, such as access to vetting process under special consideration etc.
- Ensure global compliance with UN/UNHCR staff rules and regulations.
- Make recommendations to the Head of Service on the content of reports and presentations to the Representative and HQs on lessons learnt and root causes to address systemic and recurring high risks or emerging trends in the Operation.
- Make recommendations to the Head of Service on the implementation of the tools and procedures to manage partnerships, recruitment and risk in the Section.
- Make recommendations to the Head of Service on administrative approaches and procedures pertinent to areas of the responsibility.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- Graduate degree (equivalent of a Master¿s) plus minimum 11 years of previous work experience relevant to the function. Undergraduate degree (equivalent of a BA/BS) plus 12 years or Doctorate degree (equivalent of a PhD) plus 10 years of previous relevant work experience may also be accepted.
- At least 6 years of experience in a senior managerial/leadership position involving, amongst other things, responsibilities relating to recruitment, partnership and risk and oversight management.
- Demonstrated recruitment work experience particularly in the sourcing, selection and recruitment of candidates using social media and outreach initiatives.
- Demonstrated excellent knowledge of human resources principles and best practices specifically in the field of recruitment and staffing.
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to interact effectively and independently with staff and managers at all levels.
- An understanding of the business needs and its implications for recruitment and staffing.
- Fluency in English (written/oral/comprehension (C1/2 level of the Common European Framework of References for Languages (CEFR), minimum).

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES
- Relevant experience, ability, and judgment to conceptualize, design and implement effective and innovative recruitment and staffing strategies to meet the workforce and diversity objectives of UNHCR.
- Relevant experience in leveraging technology, robotics and artificial intelligence for talent acquisition
- Strong strategic vision for establishing a world class talent acquisition and sourcing
- Excellent client orientation and an affinity for transcending the impact of the section's work throughout the organization in partnerships with others.
- Excellent judgement with proven ability to deal with complex interrelated issues and strong analytical and problem solving skills to develop solutions that address root causes.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Strong leadership skills to mobilize and energizes the team to deliver excellent results in alignment with strategic needs, yet comfortable dealing with ambiguity and managing dynamically changing, competing priorities and deadlines.
- Knowledge of international organizational or UN/UNHCR staff rules and regulations, staffing, and grading.
- Knowledge of principles of risk oversight.
- Excellent networking skills to build and further develop a network of agencies and organizations within and outside the UN.
- Familiarity with data systems and analysis.
- Working knowledge at B2 level of another UN language. C002L4 - Teamwork & Collaboration Level 4
C001L4 - Accountability Level 4
C003L4 - Communication Level 4
C004L4 - Commitment to Continuous Learning Level 4
C005L4 - Client & Result Orientation Level 4
C006L4 - Organizational Awareness Level 4
M002L4 - Managing Performance Level 4
M001L4 - Empowering and Building Trust Level 4
M003L4 - Judgement and Decision Making Level 4
M006L4 - Managing Resources Level 4
M005L4 - Leadership Level 4
M004L4 - Strategic Planning and Vision Level 4
X001L4 - Analytical Thinking Level 4
X008L4 - Stakeholder Management Level 4
X005L4 - Planning and Organizing Level 4
X003L4 - Technological Awareness Level 4
X009L4 - Change Capability and Adaptability Level 4

The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.

For those people applying for High Risk Duty Stations, we strongly encourage them – before deciding to apply- to read the country specific security and welfare country profiles which can be found on the Intranet under Support Services - Duty of Care (https://intranet.unhcr.org/en/support-services/duty-of-care.html). Ensuring staff are better informed is part of the increased attention UNHCR is paying to Duty of Care.

 

Staff after having applied to High Risk Duty Stations will have access to country specific information webinars with Field Safety Section (FSS) and Staff Welfare Section (SWS) colleagues and provided with a tool to test their psychological preparedness for serving in High Risk Duty Stations. Applicants who applied for a position in a High Risk country will receive, after the deadline for applications has expired, a joint invitation from the Staff Welfare Section (SWS) and the Field Safety Section (FSS) to participate in these webinars. During the Webinars, latest updates on security and well-being will be provided, and FSS and SWS will address questions raised by participants. Applicants are highly encouraged to benefit, when applicable, from all measures as they provide most up-to-date security and well-being information helpful to assess staff’s readiness to serve in a High Risk Duty Station. A Staff Welfare Officer will also be available, if and when required, to discuss with interested applicants the results of the psychological preparedness tool as well as readiness for assignment in High Risk Duty Stations.

 

Please note that the closing date for vacancies in the Addendum 4 is Thursday 28 February 2019 (midnight Geneva time)