Chief of Human Resources at the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Chief of Human Resources, P5

Job Number: 519730
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Work Type : Fixed Term Appointment

For every child, a fair chance

• The Chief of section, is accountable for leading and managing a team of HR professionals that implement HR services which enhance the capacity of their clients to deliver on their business goals and objectives.
• In doing so, the incumbent demonstrates the ability to create an environment in which his/her staff anticipate HR-related needs and develop subsequent plans and solutions that align HR management with business objectives.
• In addition, this position serves as a key strategic advisor to the leadership of their office in helping spearhead UNICEFs global HR transformation.

How can you make a difference?
Management of Section:

• Promote management excellence in the office 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 based on merit and the needs of the organization, staff aspiration and counselling, systematic and equitable performance management, and staff development and learning activities.
• Effectively manage the human and financial resources (budget planning, management and monitoring) of the office and ensure both are optimally utilized.
• Monitor compliance with all systems and procedures and ensure management integrity and accountability with high quality standards in all activities in HR; ensure the implementation of agreed audit recommendations; advise on corrective measures to be taken and establish relevant internal controls. 

Strategic Human Resources:

• Serve as a role model for transformation and capacity for acceptance of change.
• Use a solid knowledge of information technology to analyze and promote acceptance of new methods of work and effective communication skills to persuade and influence managers, supervisors and staff to adopt change.
• Manage change through consultations with UNICEF senior management, HR management and colleagues and outreach to client management, supervisors and staff to establish and maintain collaborative, open and regular communications pertaining to current and planned changes in HR strategy, policies, regulations and rules.
• Explain the scope and ramifications of proposed HR initiatives, promoting understanding of their purpose and functional advantages.
• Liaise with the senior management of HQ Divisions, regional and country offices to develop corporate HR strategy formulation and global implementation.
• Responsible for strategic human resources forecasting for his/her clients including identifying future human resource requirements in terms of numbers, types and levels of staff, and identifying emerging trends in profile requirements.
• Leads the design of optimal organizational, staffing structures and levels, and, in consultation with senior management develops standards and benchmarks staffing norms.

Networking and Partnerships:

• Internally, provide expert advice to senior management on a range of HRM questions and have the authority to negotiate solutions on sensitive or complex HR problems with client managers and staff representatives.
• Establish contacts with representatives with heads of HR units in other organizations of the common system for the purpose of obtaining information on HR policy approaches.
• Build and strengthen relationships with inter-agency bodies such as ICSC, CEB, etc on matters of importance for UNICEF and present UNICEFs policy position on HR issues

Business Partnering:

• Create a culture within their team where HR professionals work with clients to help fulfill their goals through advising on how to attract, retain and motivate staff of the highest caliber.
• Provide strategic advice to clients, in particular senior management, on HR processes and policies, ensuring the highest level of client-orientation.
• Establish a culture of proactively advising clients on the resolution of human resources
• issues ensuring equitable and transparent solutions that protects both the staff and organizations interests in accordance with policies, regulations and procedures.
• Promote the organizational goals and targets for gender equity and cultural diversity.

Leadership and Design of assigned Human Resources Services:

• Manage professionals in their execution of HR functions (recruitment, job classification, career development, performance management, data analytics, learning & development etc.) to help create efficient client services that help either attract, retain and/or motivate staff of the highest caliber.
• Create a culture, where HR professionals analyze and synthesize issues and problems, and interpret established, formal guidelines to address and recommend solutions or further actions required.
• Collaborate effectively with other DHR section heads and centers of expertise to provide coherent HR solutions for clients.

Learning and Capacity Development:

• In collaboration with business owners, lead the design and delivery of learning solutions for staff to enhance their knowledge and build skills in new areas.
• Map competencies for all staff in assigned client portfolio, developing a comprehensive framework in support of the development of the talent pipeline.
• Create efficient and cost-effective learning products which strengthen staff capacity to contribute effectively to business goals.
• Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders.

Provide orientation briefings to new staff:

• Provide day-to-day performance and talent management guidance to line management (e.g., coaching, counseling, career development, career conversations, and disciplinary actions)

HR Data Analytics:

• Spearhead the development of data collection systems to optimize data quality.
• Interpret and analyze HR data to help inform strategic decision making on HR processes and strategies.
• Coordinate with country offices and partners to provide assistance in their HR information management

Requirements, Qualification & Skills
Education:

• An Advanced University Degree in Human Resource Management, Business Management, International Relations, Psychology or another related field is required.

Experience:

• Ten years of increasingly responsible professional experience in human resource management in an international organization and/or large corporation is required.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.  Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.

Managerial skills:

• The ability to empower others to translate vision into results
• Capacity to anticipate and resolve conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions and demonstrate the courage to take unpopular stands.
• The ability to allocate appropriate time and resources for successful achievement of goals, and foresee risks and allow for contingencies when planning.
• Ability to develop clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies, identify priority activities and assignments, adjust priorities as required.

Strategic skills:

• Experience and ability to design and implement targeted and innovative human resources strategies to address clients people-related needs.
• Ability to deliver innovative HR programs within a fast paced, evolving, and wide organizational setting.
• Demonstrated ability and experience advising and influencing executives, providing insights that lead to key decision making within the business.
• Demonstrate strong business acumen and general management experience and capabilities that enable to effectively assess the internal business environment and deliver transformative change where necessary.

Technical skills:

• Authoritative technical knowledge of the principles and concepts of human resources management.
• Capacity to adapt policies, approaches and models to meet emerging needs.
• Ability to identify and analyze systemic issues, formulate opinions and make conclusions and recommendations to resolve same.

Interpersonal and Communication skills:

• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in a diverse organization tailoring language, tone, style and format to match audience; ability to present sometimes negative results in a considered and tactful manner to promote acceptance.
• Ability to empathize with client managers, supervisors and staff while advocating for consistent and equitable applications of promulgated HR regulations and rules.

For every Child, you demonstrate:

• UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

View our competency framework at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

Application Closing Date
23:55:00 GMT+0100 (W. Central Africa Standard Time); 20th February, 2019.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.
• UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.
• Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.