Regional Chief of Human Resources, P-5 (Fixed Term), Nairobi, Kenya, Eastern & Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO)

Contract

This is a P-5 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 10 years of experience, depending on education. More about P-5 contracts and their salaries.

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.

For every child, a future!

As incumbent of this position, you will be based in the Eastern & Southern Africa Region (ESARO), reporting to the Deputy Regional Director, and providing leadership in strategic Human Resources (HR) management to twenty-one country offices and the regional office. You will have direct supervisory responsibility of the Regional HR, whilst providing oversight to the country offices’ HR leads

How can you make a difference?

As Regional Chief of Human Resources, you will provide strategic vision and oversight on human resources function in UNICEF Eastern & Southern Africa Region (ESARO. You will be the first technical point of reference for country offices on HR management in the region and an expert adviser to the Regional Director/Deputy Regional Director, the Regional Management Team and Country Offices on the formulation, application, and implementation of regional HR goals, strategic approaches, policies, and best practices on human resource management in alignment with global HR strategies. Located in the Regional Office for ESAR in Nairobi, Kenya and reporting directly to the Deputy Regional Director, you will lead the implementation of HR priorities across the region and have direct supervisory responsibility of the Regional HR team and matrix management relationship to country office HR Chiefs.

The successful individual will be responsible for the following key accountabilities:

Management Excellence

• 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 human resources including staff selection based on merit and the needs of the organization, staff counselling, systematic and equitable performance management, and staff well-being and development.
• 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.
• Keep abreast of global and regional HR development trends and priorities to determine strategies, approaches, and innovations for global development of policies and procedures best suited for the region to ensure the ability of the organization to recruit, retain, develop, compensate and motivate a diverse body of highly qualified staff.
• Contribute to the culture and diversity journey for ESARO and offices in the region, in collaboration with management and other stakeholders. Provide strong support to staff wellbeing including the establishment of a values based, diverse, equitable, inclusive, and enabling workplace culture.

Strategic HR Planning and Management

• Provide ongoing strategy guidance, interpretation, and technical support to management of the ROs and COs in all areas of HR management. Provide expert support in the planning of budgets, staffing, organization design, and change management. Provide feedback and make recommendations from a field perspective on the establishment and improvement of systems and internal control and resolution of HR issues.
• Assist in identifying, addressing, and monitoring gender disparities and gender inequities in HR across all UNICEF country offices in the region.
• Contribute to the formulation of corporate HR strategies and implementation. Liaise with country offices and HR staff to facilitate the implementation of regional HR priorities, and quality assurance.

Recruitment, Selection and Placement

• Facilitate workforce plans, effective outreach, and resourcing strategies to attract diverse talented candidates. Provide advice and oversight on organizational policies and principles to select talented and diverse staff in the region. Lead international professional (IP) recruitment for the regional office.
• Support the HR needs for national professional officers, general service, and temporary staff by implementing proper and expedient recruitment procedures. Support the RD in the approval of recruitment of national officers ensuring compliance with organizational standards for recruitment of highly qualified staff aligning with policies and guidelines, standards of ethics, and transparency.
• Advise on and promote rosters for surge capacities for emergency response; promote efficient models to hire consultants; and explore innovative approaches to establish and monitor shared posts for efficiency in the regional context. Promote equity, transparency, and consistency in the selection and placement of staff.

Policy Implementation and HR Administration

• Promote equity, transparency and consistency in the interpretation, determination, implementation, and administration of HR policy, procedures, and guidelines on all HR related matters applicable to the staff.
• Ensure timely, equitable, transparent, and systematic administration of all HR benefits, entitlements, contracts renewal and termination, performance management, and other HR activities.
• In close coordination with the Country Offices and DHR, oversee to implement and administer the equitable, transparent, and efficient GS job classification system throughout the region in compliance with the established job classification policy, guidelines, procedures and

Learning and Development and HR Capacity Building

• Support the Regional HR Development Committee (HRDC) in establishing staff learning and development priorities for the region. Determine strategic learning needs in consultation with organizational units in the field to identify organizational competency gaps.
• Review country office strategic learning plans and learning budget allocation. Facilitate executive coaching programmes for the region and establish staff capacity-building initiatives. Enhance HR management capacity in the Region and strengthen staff competencies to meet the organization’s present and future requirements.

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Promote critical thinking and innovative approaches and good practices in the region for effective human resource management and services.
• Keep abreast, research, benchmark and implement best and cutting-edge practices in HR management and information systems. Institutionalize and share best practices and knowledge learned throughout the region.
• Lead and/or contribute to develop regional/global policies and procedures and introduce innovation and best practices to ensure optimum efficiency and efficacy of HR management.

Staff and Management Relationship Management

• Monitor staff/management issues and support/advise management and staff as appropriate to improve relations and resolve HR issues. Provide support to the staff-management bodies in the capacity of HR focal point in the region and the Regional Office.

Inter-agency Cooperation, Networking and Partnerships

• Ensure active coordination of HR initiatives with other agencies. Maintain effective and steady communication or working relations with UN Agencies to seek harmonization as well as new ways to enhance effective HR management and development in UNICEF. Support common strategies and approaches for enhancement of the HR reform within the Common system.

Emergency Preparedness and Response

• In coordination with management and the staff, plan and ensure effective emergency preparedness and rapid.
• Assist in monitoring and assessing the emergency preparedness plans in COs including its validity for the current crisis, i.e., the security situation and immediate actions needed, the ability of the office to function, the funds that have been reallocated from existing sources, etc. Advise on adapting the emergency preparedness and response plan as necessary, with particular attention to gender issues that may be expected to intensify during emergencies.

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

• An Advanced University Degree (Master's) in human resource management, business management, international relations, psychology, or other related social science field is required.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of increasingly responsible professional experience, with an international organization and/or large corporation at the national and international levels, in human resources planning and management is required.
• Demonstrated success in building, leading, or managing teams of high-performing individuals
• Creates and encourages a climate of teamwork and collaboration in a multi-cultural environment.
• Analyzes and integrates potentially conflicting numerical, verbal, and other data from several sources.
• Previous experience in change management /innovation projects for organizational efficiencies is highly desirable
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of an additional UN Language (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish) is considered a strong advantage.

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

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 and (8) Nurtures, leads and manages people.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

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. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. 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 is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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.

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government 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.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.