Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

  • Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
  • Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
  • Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
  • Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations’ lead agency for international development. It works with countries and partners to address interconnected development challenges, strengthen institutions and resilience, and advance sustainable development. UNDP operates through a global network of headquarters, regional and country offices, and delivers programmes across development, humanitarian, crisis and post-crisis contexts.

The Bureau for Management Services (BMS) is one of the key UNDP corporate Bureaus that provides the corporate management architecture, policies, systems, advisory support and operational services that enable UNDP to deliver results with accountability and effective stewardship of resources. 

Within BMS, the Office of Human Resources (OHR) is responsible for UNDP’s people management function, with a focus on enabling UNDP to have the right capacity and organizational culture to deliver on its mandate and enable people who work for the organization to perform at their best in the environment of inclusion and respect. 

UNDP is currently operating in a period of significant institutional transformation, requiring OHR to strengthen strategic people leadership, modernize HR service delivery and enable the organization to adapt with agility while sustaining performance and accountability. In this context, OHR is seeking a high-caliber leader with a strong HR management background and the capacity, commitment and mindset to foster a culture of innovation, entrepreneurship and transformative results in the role of Chief, HR Services.

Duties and Responsibilities

As a member of OHR’s leadership team, working under the direct supervision of the Director, OHR and in close partnership with the Deputy Director, OHR and Director, BMS/Global Shared Services Centre (GSSC), the Chief, HR Services, provides strategic leadership for the design and delivery of integrated, client-focused HR services to UNDP offices, teams and personnel globally, including policy advice, business partnering, HR (re-)alignment, career transition, people analytics, special people and early-career programmes and insurance services. 

The Chief, HR Services fosters innovation across the strategic HR services portfolio by using workforce data, artificial intelligence, automation and other digital solutions responsibly to improve decision quality, user experience, operational efficiency and organizational agility. 

The Chief, HR Services champions organizational excellence and professionalism and models inclusive and supportive people leadership and management by fostering accountability, collaboration, innovation and high performance and creating an environment in which personnel can perform, develop and thrive.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. This is a recognition of the interconnected nature of development risks and crises that the world is facing and that call for assembling multidisciplinary teams for an integrated and systemic response. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across issues, units, functions, teams and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration. 

1. Provide Leadership to Strategic Business Partnering

  • Provide strategic leadership and technical oversight of HR business partnering, ensuring high-quality advisory support, capacity building and effective backstopping to headquarters units, regional bureaux and country offices. 
  • Spearhead the redesign and implementation of an integrated HR Business Partnering model to strengthen organizational effectiveness and enable the delivery of UNDP’s strategic priorities.
  • Provide HR advice to ensure people decisions are consistent, fair, transparent and compliant with the UN Staff Regulations and Rules, applicable legal frameworks and UNDP policies, while effectively managing institutional and people-related risks.
  • Work with the Management Consulting Team and other relevant partners in the design and implementation of Organizational Unit Restructuring Plans (OURP), establishing effective governance, monitoring progress and organizational impact, managing workforce and institutional risks, and ensuring consistent application and alignment with UNDP’s strategic priorities.
  • Foster cross-functional collaboration across OHR and maintain strategic engagement with BMS/Office of Legal Services and Global Shared Services Centre to ensure coordinated, consistent and effective delivery of people-management initiatives and services across UNDP.
  • Make a strategic contribution to the development of a solid HR policy portfolio, ensuring HR policies are responsive to evolving organizational needs and informed by operational experience, workforce data, legal considerations and consultations with key stakeholders.
  • Foster collaboration with the global UNDP HR community to ensure effective capacity building and support.

2. Provide Strategic Leadership for Partner Personnel Service Agreement (PPSA) Services and Other Agency Services

  • Provide strategic leadership and executive oversight of the development and delivery of a comprehensive portfolio of OHR services to UNDP business units and external partners; ensure effective service delivery models and financial sustainability. 
  • Strengthen client relationship management to ensure responsive, high-quality delivery.
  • Lead the identification and implementation of technology solutions supporting effective service delivery.
  • Oversee the delivery of Partner Personnel Service Agreement services to partner agencies, ensuring effective governance, responsible financial management, appropriate risk controls, service quality, and compliance with UNDP policies and partnership agreements.
  • Provide strategic leadership to and effective management of the insurance portfolio.

3. Oversee Career Transition and Separation Services  

  • Provide strategic oversight of HR programmes supporting career transitions, including terminations, separations and inter-agency mobility, ensuring consistent, timely and people-centered delivery. 
  • Strengthen strategic partnerships with UN entities and other stakeholders to facilitate seamless inter-agency mobility and coordinated transition support. 
  • Ensure that career transition services are governed by robust standards and delivered in compliance with applicable legal, regulatory and UNDP policy frameworks, while proactively managing institutional and people-related risks.

4. Provide Strategic Leadership and Oversight of People Analytics 

  • Provide strategic leadership and oversight of the people analytics function, ensuring the delivery of timely, high-quality workforce and talent insights that inform executive decision-making, strategic workforce planning and organizational priorities.
  • Champion the enterprise-wide use of workforce data, predictive analytics and responsible artificial intelligence to anticipate workforce trends, strengthen evidence-based people strategies and drive organizational performance and continuous improvement.
  • Strengthen the governance, quality and accessibility of workforce data and analytics, ensuring appropriate standards, safeguards and capabilities are in place to support reliable and responsible organizational decision-making.

5. Oversee Special People Programmes, e.g. JPOSC and Medical Insurance Services

  • Undertake senior-level engagement with UN entities, donor governments, and external partners to strengthen strategic partnerships, mobilize resources, and enhance UNDP's position as an employer of choice. 
  • Oversee pipeline programmes for early career talent, including Junior Professional Officers, Young Professionals, and Internships/fellowships; 
  • Exercise oversight and monitoring of the medical insurance portfolio managed by UNDP, including annual meetings, complaint handling, and regular reporting.
  • Provide expert advice to senior management and stakeholders on medical insurance-related issues, medevac, and liaise with third-party administrators and providers

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: The incumbent directly oversees three HR Advisors (P5) and two HR Specialists (P4).

Competencies

Core:

  • Achieve Results: ​​LEVEL 4: Prioritize team workflow, mobilize resources, drive scalable results/strategic impact
  • Think Innovatively: LEVEL 4: Easily navigate complexity, encourage/enable radical innovation, has foresight
  • Learn Continuously: LEVEL 4: Create systems and processes that enable learning and development for all
  • Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 4: Proactively initiate/lead organizational change, champion new systems/processes
  • Act with Determination: ​​LEVEL 4: Able to make difficult decisions in challenging situations, inspire confidence
  • Engage and Partner: LEVEL 4: Construct strategic multi-partner alliances in high stake situations, foster co-creation 
  • Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 4: Create ethical culture,  identify/address barriers to inclusion ​

People Management:

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.  

Cross-Functional & Technical:

  • Business Direction and Strategy -
    • Systems Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
    • Strategic Thinking: Develop effective strategies and prioritised plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight
  • Business Management - 
    • Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization's programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity. Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management
    • Change Management: Initiate, design and ensure successful implementation of organizational change; prepare and support individuals and teams in implementing change
    • Partnership Management: Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies 
  • HR People Strategy & Planning - 
    • People Analytics: Ability to generate and align people data with business intelligence data to inform strategic decision-making; knowledge of databases, their architecture, integration and landscape; ability to create and use data models; knowledge of visualization techniques. Gathering and using data and information to provide insights into people issues and guide decision-making
    • Business Partnering: Strategic thinking and development of long-term plans for the organization’s human resources needs while analyzing the current environment and developing strategies to achieve long-term objectives

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Human Resources Management, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or other relevant field is required. Or
  • A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.  

Experience:

  • Minimum of 15 years (with master’s degree) or 17 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible professional experience in human resources management or related fields at senior levels is required.
  • At least five (5) years of experience managing teams in a diverse workplace in private or public international organizations is required. 
  • Professional certification in human resources management is desired.
  • Experience working in the UN system or other international organizations is desired.
  • Experience working across headquarters, shared service centres and/or field office environments is desired.
  • Experience delivering HR business partnering and/or designing HR business partnering models is an advantage.
  • Experience providing authoritative advice on complex, sensitive or high-risk HR matters to senior executives is an advantage. 
  • Experience leading organizational restructuring, workforce realignment or change-management initiatives is desired.
  • Experience interpreting and implementing HR policies and ensuring consistent application across multiple organizational entities is desired.
  • Experience leveraging workforce analytics, predictive analytics or business intelligence to support executive decision-making is desired.
  • Experience developing and managing services, cost-recovery mechanisms or service delivery funding models is desired.
  • Experience establishing and managing strategic partnerships with UN entities, governments, international organizations or other external stakeholders is desired.
  • Experience supporting inter-agency mobility, career transition, or workforce transition programmes is desired. 

Language:

  • Fluency in English is required. 

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

Data Privacy

Please click here to view UNDP Data Privacy Statement

At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.