Human Resources Officer (Recruitment & Int'l Personnel Onboarding)

Org. Setting and Reporting

UNRWA, the largest United Nations operation in the Middle East with over 30,000 staff working across five areas of operation, is looking for highly committed personnel wishing to make a change.

If you are looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference for one of the most vulnerable communities in the world, UNRWA would like to hear from you.

The Human Resources Officer (Recruitment and International Personnel Onboarding) reports to the Head Recruitment Section, P-4 and receives technical guidance from Head International Personnel Services Section.

Responsibilities

- In collaboration with interview panels, leads the preparation and facilitation of interviews and provides guidance on matters related to the recruitment and selection process; in close coordination with the Head, Recruitment Section (HRS), identifies recruitment sources for vacancies and contributes to outreach recruitment efforts; oversees the development of appropriate tools for assessment in coordination with hiring departments; represents the Human Resources Department on interview panels; prepares interview reports and oversees the preparation of relevant documents for submission to the Director of Human Resources or Field Office Directors.

- Provides support to HRS in the management of all aspects of the recruitment process for international recruitment Agency-wide and may assist with area recruitment at Headquarters, if required; reviews and publishes job openings in coordination with the vacancy owners, recommending amendments to the post requirements where needed to better attract a solid pool of applicants and facilitate short-listing; reviews screened applications against established post criteria for determination of candidates' qualifications and experience accordingly; reviews shortlists proposed by the hiring departments against the post’s requirements and prepares the final shortlist for approval of the HRS; prepares submission memos, correspondence, as well as notes to file to address extraordinary circumstances for review of HRS; assists in the management and improvement of the various rosters utilized in the Agency.

- Advises HRS on suitable strategies with regard to the refinement of the Agency’s recruitment and selection policies and procedures; contributes to the development and improvement of tools and templates, substantively contributes to the development, implementation and monitoring of the Recruitment Section (RS) annual work plan and various initiatives for the continued effectiveness of recruitment activities; may participate in recruitment related fairs.

- Provides guidance to Hiring Departments and candidates on matters related to the recruitment process, employment with the Agency; in close coordination with the HRS, builds and leverages contacts with external parties, including counterparts in missions, non-governmental organizations and recruitment services with regard to Agency job openings and applications to ensure effective implementation of outreach strategy.

- Performs the following actions and any similar actions of client services related to the employment cycle from onboarding to separation in a timely and accurate manner involving appropriate coordination with all required parties including but not limited to the staff member, the Department/Field concerned, HRD management, Finance, Administrative and General Services Support Department, and other agencies (including Cigna, AETNA (etc.) and United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) to ensure that the required client employment status is up to date and related documentation are processed timely for the end payroll result.

- Prepares and implements key employment related documents, entitlements, allowances and benefits for international staff, such as but not limited to new offers of appointment, letters of appointment, contract extensions, salary increments, promotion letters, transfer letters, Certificates of employment, Testimonials, Special leave with/without pay/with half pay, sick leave, separation letters, administrative details and fact sheets, miscellaneous correspondence; contacts clients at onboarding and prior to separation to verify accuracy of information and address any questions/concerns; Is responsible for providing client services to the designated group of clients/offices and administering the employment in a timely and accurate manner.

- Ensures proper placement of the above referenced and any related documents in the Official Status File (OSF) chronologically; ensures that OSF for designated group of clients is up to date and in good order at all times. Coordinates all necessary follow up actions to ensure completeness of processes in delivering the client service and avoid delays.

- Finalizes data entry into the HRM and payroll system (REACH) in a timely manner to meet payroll deadlines and timely disbursement of overall salary and allowances.

- Monitors and completes administration and recording of attendance for designated group of clients; feeds necessary information for completion of annual end of year closure reports for finance; Provides the staff members with annual Attendance Records Summary (ARCs) for signature and placement on OSF; Monitors the completion rate of PERs for relevant international staff PERs Agency wide and provides collated monthly reports and maintains a shared drive file on the same.

- Coordinates with Head Int’l Personnel Services Section (HIPSS) and Entitlements and Payroll Officer in the administration of personnel entitlements as required and ensures compliance with Staff Regulations, Rules and Personnel Directives and issuances; Provides immediate report on any issues that have a potential of impeding client service and delivery; Payroll and ERP related issues.

Competencies

UN Core Values of Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for Diversity, and Core Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by default. Default managerial competencies may apply.

- Relating and Networking
- Deciding and Initiating Action
- Planning and Organizing
- Coping with Pressure and Setbacks
- Creating and Innovating
- Judgement / Decision Making
- Client Orientation

For guidance on how to prepare for competency-based interviews: https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=AYI

Education

A university degree from an accredited educational institution in human resources management, public or business administration or a related field.

Job - Specific Qualification

Formal training in human resources management is desirable.

Work Experience

At least six years of progressively responsible and relevant experience in human resources management in an international, governmental or large commercial organization is required.

Four years of professional work experience in recruitment, succession planning, entitlement administration and client services is required.

Unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, a candidate for an international posts must have a minimum of 2 continuous years of relevant international experience outside UNRWA, and outside the country(s) of which the candidate is a national or holds citizenship, a passport or a national identity number is required.

A university degree from an accredited educational institution in human resources management, public or business administration or a related field is required.

Knowledge of UNRWA’s Staff Rules and Regulations is desirable.

Knowledge of ICSC/UN policies that govern the basis of UN salaries, allowance, and benefits is desirable.

Familiarity with the Agency’s HRM system is desirable.

Ability to interpret policy into cost calculations and formulas is desirable.

Languages

Excellent command of spoken and written English.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

Type of Contract and duration: 2 years, with the possibility of further extension.


The Human Resources Officer (Recruitment and International Personnel Onboarding) will be required to reside at the duty station of assignment and may be required to travel occasionally in the Agency's area of operations.

Applicants have to complete the Personal History Profile (PHP) in inspira in order to be considered. The PHP should be completed with full relevant work experience as per the requirements in the Job Opening, in order to be considered.

UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities.

A roster may be created from the selection exercise, and successful candidates may become eligible for appointment to the same post or a similar post.

Equivalency may apply as per policy.
NB: work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination.

UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states, regional bodies, business foundations and individual contributions. The mission of UNRWA is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development under the difficult circumstances in which they live.

For more details on UNRWA, please visit: https://www.unrwa.org/

United Nations Considerations

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA and to assignment by him or her.

UNRWA is committed to achieving gender parity at all levels of staffing under the current UN-wide gender agenda and strongly encourages applications from qualified applicants from under-represented groups.

At UNRWA, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. UNRWA is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application.

UNRWA Considerations
UNRWA staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of efficiency, competence, neutrality, impartiality and integrity. This includes respect for and commitment to human rights, diversity and non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. Candidates will not be considered for employment with UNRWA if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. The Agency may disqualify applicants who have separated for reason of misconduct, who left a UN Agency while misconduct processes were pending, or who appear on the UN Sanctions List.
UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.