UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. 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 professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

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

For every child, Hope

As a part of the integral enabling support for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the People and Culture (P&C) Specialist is urgently needed to provide additional support to the Regional P&C Section due to the current regional transition and ongoing emergency support needs of the region’s country offices.

How can you make a difference? 

The P&C Specialist, within their area of responsibility, is accountable for implementing HR services that enhance the capacity of their clients to deliver on their business goals and objectives. In doing so, the incumbent demonstrates the ability to anticipate HR-related needs and develop subsequent plans and solutions that align HR management with business objectives, particularly in supporting the different ongoing emergencies in the region. The incumbent will be the designated focal point for basic HR emergency support, ensuring timely recruitment, onboarding, and deployment of personnel during crisis situations. The incumbent will also support the regional office and country offices’ emergency preparedness.

Key Functions:

1. Business Partnering

• Serve as the single point of contact for his/her client portfolio including country offices managing emergencies, on advice pertaining to all aspects of the employment life cycle in line with existing HR policies, procedures, and processes.
• Provide accurate and timely advice to clients on HR processes and policies, ensuring the highest level of client-orientation.
• Proactively advise clients on the resolution of human resources issues ensuring equitable and transparent solutions that protect both the staff and organizations’ interests in accordance with policies, regulations and procedures.
• Provide technical inputs before selection of candidates for emergency assignments in the country offices affected by different emergencies.
• Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the employment cycle.

2. Strategic Human Resources

•  Keep abreast of HR tools and practices relevant to recruitment, talent management, and emergency staffing.
• Support the alignment of MENA and ECA regional HR practices, lessons learned and best practices.
• Contribute to the implementation of HR initiatives that enhance workforce readiness and emergency preparedness.

3. Implementation of assigned Human Resources Services

• Assist with recruitment, job classification inputs, HR data updates, performance management support, and learning initiatives.
• Facilitate short‑term and surge deployments arrangements in coordination with relevant HQ and Regional partners.
• Serve as the Regional P&C Emergency Focal Point providing timely HR assistance to COs during crisis scale ups.
• Support HR emergency preparedness activities including updating rosters, SOPs, tools, and checklists.
• Participate in emergency coordination meetings and share HR updates as required.

4. Learning and Capacity Development

• Participate as a resource person in HR emergency preparedness and response capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders at RO and CO levels.
• Deliver HR orientation sessions for new staff and surge personnel.

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

Minimum requirements: 

Education: 

 An Advanced University Degree in human resource management, business management, international relations, psychology or another related field is required.

A first level university degree (Bachelor's) in a relevant technical field (as identified above), in conjunction with seven (7) years of relevant work experience in Human Resources Management and/or other directly related technical field, may be taken in lieu of an advanced university degree, (this flexibility only applies to internal UNICEF staff on FT, Continuing or Permanent appointment holders on abolished post).

Work Experience: 

Five 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 Arabic, French and/or Russian is considered an asset.

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 

(8) Manages ambiguity and complexity

 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

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:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates with disability are encouraged to apply.

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.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.