Senior Human Resources Associate, GS-7, Fixed Term # 104109, Islamabad – Pakistan

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, Commitment!

Pakistan was the sixth country in the world to sign and ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, less than one year after it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. However, children and adolescents living in Pakistan still face acute challenges.

UNICEF supports the Government of Pakistan to accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help children realize their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children. This will be made through, among other things, strong partnerships with provincial authorities, teachers and health professionals, frontline workers and social mobilisers, communities and families, and of course the children and adolescents themselves. 

In particular, UNICEF will work so that:

• Every child survives and thrives — being in good health, immunized, protected from polio and accessing nutritious food.
• Every child learns.
• Every child is protected from violence and exploitation and registered at birth.
• Every child lives in a safe and clean environment, with access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

To learn more about UNICEF work in Pakistan, please visit the country website www.unicef.org/pakistan and videos on YouTube and Vimeo

The Sr. Human Resources Assistant, at G-7 level, is located within the UNICEF Pakistan country office, in the Human Resources section, reporting to the Human Resources Specialist.

Under the supervision of the HR Specialist, undertake assigned human resource activities in accordance with the HR work plan consistent with the Country Programme Management Plan.

You can make a difference by delivering the following key end results:

• Promote equity, transparency and consistency in the interpretation and administration of HR policy, procedures and guidelines on all HR related matters applicable to the staff in the office.
• Support, implement and administer the effective and timely recruitment processes in the hiring and retaining the best talents available to support the strategic human recourses needs of the office.
• Ensure timely, equitable, transparent and systematic administration of HR activities.
• Support the administration of the equitable, transparent and efficient GS job classification system in compliance with the established classification policy, guidelines, procedures and related requirements.
• Support effective training programmes and briefing on career management to all staff in the office in order to support the capacity building and career development of all staff.
• Provides technical analysis and support to the management and planning process as it relates to staffing, organization design and other HR planning.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks are as under;

• Undertakes effective and proactive recruitment planning to ensure that positions are filled in a timely manner and within time-to-hire parameters. Analyze, research, verify, and compile data which facilitates preparation of workforce planning reports for supervisor to review against benchmarks i.e. Gender and geographical balance and other recruitment related key performance indicators.
• Under the supervision of the supervisor, supports the development and implementation of an effective targeted outreach strategy, with a focus on increasing gender balance.
• Works closely with the recruitment team and hiring managers to promote best practice and address challenges and issues that may arise, ensuring that recommendations and solutions reflect organizational policies, guidelines and practices.
• Provides support to staff related to career opportunities and development.
• Ensure that talent groups are maintained, populated, and utilized effectively in order to reduce time-to-hire.
• Drafts vacancy announcements for positions within his/her office for review by supervisor to help attract ideal candidates.
• Ensures timely and efficient screening of applications for minimum eligibility, taking into account qualifications, competencies, and post requirements.
• Liaises with candidates and hiring managers in the various stages of the recruitment process.
• Coordinates recruitment process, including test administration and invigilation, interviews, interview notes, approvals at all levels. Ensures the process complies with UNICEF policies and procedures.
• Coordinates with interview panels and participates in interviews as the HR Representative.
• Prepares formal acknowledgement, offer and regret letters.
• Records and maintains recruitment files, ensuring all necessary documentation has been prepared.
• Monitors life-cycle of recruitment process to update supervisor as necessary. Tracks and compiles relevant recruitment data/information for KPls, to address queries, and for information, management and planning.
• Coordinate and follow-up with GSSC for recruitment cases.
• Contribute to ensuring organizational targets (geographic distribution, gender, etc.) are met while not compromising on the recruitment and retention of national staff of the highest caliber. Team with supervisors in the recruitment process to ensure integrity and merit in all selection procedures while supporting the needs of managers and goals of diversity. Promote equity, transparency and consistency in the selection and placement of staff.
• Contribute to programme budget review processes through an analysis of staffing pattern and needs of the office. Participate in management meetings affecting HR planning and management.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

The following minimum requirements:

• Education: Completion of secondary education, preferably supplemented by technical or university courses related to Human Resources Management, Business Administration or a related field.

• Work Experience: A minimum of 07 years of progressively responsible work experience in human resources required.

• Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Urdu is required.

The following desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.
• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

Life at UNICEF

Working at UNICEF is highly rewarding. With attractive remuneration package encompassing competitive pay and benefits, a culture that helps staff thrive and diverse opportunities for personal and professional development, we aim to help you maintain a fulfilling life both at and outside the office.

We make sure you and your loved ones receive the resources and care that you need to thrive. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. Our contracts, wellbeing policies and initiatives ensure that you are well equipped to effectively deliver for children such as;

• Tax exemption, family allowances, hardship benefits, 10 UN holidays and annual leave allowance, maternity, paternity, adoption leave, medical and dental insurance, pension etc.
• Career support, staff wellbeing programme, breastfeeding policy, flexible work arrangements, childcare room, family support, policies & initiatives, security etc.
• UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

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 be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

• Verified/ attested educational certificates/ degrees by HEC/ foreign institutions are a pre-requisite for employment at UNICEF, as the case may be.
• UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates will be prioritized.
• Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
• UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.