Consultancy: Performance Rebuttal Review Consultants

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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.

And we never give up.

Context and Purpose of the Job

As part of its talent management strategy, UNICEF has launched a revised approach to performance management to foster a performance culture that recognizes and rewards outstanding achievements, supports open, honest, and ongoing feedback throughout performance period, offers opportunities for rectifying performance shortcomings, and ensures proper, fair, and evidence-based performance evaluation. With this approach and with the new performance management policy, the performance evaluation rebuttal (i.e. supervisee’s contestation against supervisor’s appraisal of performance) is to be improved for higher effectiveness and efficiency. The policy provides for the review of performance rebuttal cases to be supported by external reviewers. The utilization of external reviewers is expected to shorten the time span and ensure neutrality and comprehensiveness of rebuttal review. External consultants will help review the cases as soon as they are determined to meet all formal requirements as stipulated in the performance management policy and make recommendations to the Director, DHR on the cases upon review completion.

This consultancy assignment is mainly home-based (travel is only required when absolutely necessary), and virtually carried out through email, skype (or other similar means), or phone. A contracted consultant will be called for service when there is a case requiring support for review.

The consultants will work with HR Managers (Case Management) of DHR. The HR Officer will liaise with and coordinate the consultants for reviewing rebuttal requests that meet all requirements established in the performance management policy. They will also monitor and evaluate the consultants’ work.

Key Duties & Tasks

The consultants will perform the following:

• Study thoroughly UNICEF performance management policy and relevant jurisprudence from the UN Dispute Tribunal (UNDT) and UN Appeals Tribunal (UNAT);
• Review and assess rebuttal request(s) assigned to them (including all supporting documents) in a timely manner;
• Share relevant documents with staff member and supervisor involved; and collect further information/documentation from them, if necessary;
• Conduct interview(s), if necessary, with staff member, supervisor, and other relevant parties;
• Consult with HR Managers (Case Management) as and when needed;
• Prepare a rebuttal report containing recommendations on the case to submit to the Director, DHR;
• Support DHR in preparing other report(s) on rebuttal, and documenting good practices and lessons learned in rebuttal process.

Expected Deliverables

The consultants are expected to deliver the following outputs:

• A brief rebuttal report on each reviewed case submitted to DHR normally within 15 calendar days after referral to the consultant(s). The report should cover, at minimum, the case background, review process, analysis of information and documentation collected/reviewed, and recommendations with regards to the performance rating(s) and related comments (if any) including alternative language;
• Inputs on good practices and lessons learned through rebuttal cases, and on measures to avoid occurrence of similar cases in future.
• Inputs and contributions to DHR report(s) (if required) on rebuttal;

Qualifications and Experience of Successful Candidate

1) Education

• Advanced degree in Human Resources Management (HRM), Psychology, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a relevant social sciences field. A first university degree and additional years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree;
• Recognized professional certification in HRM is highly desirable.

2) Work experience

• At least ten years of progressive experience in human resources management and performance management;
• Proven track record in performance evaluation and rebuttal review, and/or performance management policy interpretation and analysis;
• Own experience as a supervisor of at least three international professional supervisees;
• Knowledge about the performance management system of UN entities is an advantage;

3) Other skills

• Strong organizational, analytical, and interpersonal skills;
• Excellent written and verbal communication in English and/or French and/or Spanish and/or Arabic. Candidates fluent in two or more UN languages will have a competitive advantage.
• Good judgment, high sense of responsibility, tact and discretion.
• Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and ability to work in a multicultural environment.

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

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 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.