HR Business Partner

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The Department of Business Operations Services is responsible for providing efficient and effective support services to all programmes and activities of the organization in the Eastern Mediterranean Region in respect of human resources and talent management, administration, budget and finance, supplies, OSS and IT services.
The objective of the Human Resources and Talent Management Unit in EMRO is to ensure that a competent and motivated workforce is available to deliver programme activities in accordance with WHO's global mission. This is achieved through the provision of sound advice to management, HR planning and succession planning, job design and classification, recruitment and selection, administration of contracts, staff onboarding, staff development and learning, performance management, career and mobility management, and management of staff relations.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

In constant cooperation and dialogue with the assigned clients in the Regional Office and EMR Country Offices, the incumbent is responsible for the following areas:
1. Workforce Planning and Talent Acquisition
• Advocate for best HR practices in organizational planning and designs which are aligned with WHO's Global Programme of Work.
• Provide expert advice and support to managers to develop the programme's workforce plans, including succession planning, design of functions and posts description/terms of reference & defining candidate profiles and contractual modalities.
• Partner with the responsible managers to ensure effective implementation of the workforce plan of the client group and oversee the associated HR actions.
• Manage and coordinate recruitment plans for the assigned clients in consultation with the EMR Sourcing and Recruitment team, and ensure competitions are organized in a timely manner, taking the role of HR Representative on selection panels where needed.
• Support the assigned clients with the interpretation of workforce data and statistics against the HR strategies on diversity to meet WHO's targets.

2. Strategic HR Partner and Career Management

• Coordinate and monitor all HR actions related to positions and staff based in the client group; onboarding, briefing of newcomers, reassignment/lateral moves, acting arrangements, temporary assignments, loans and secondments, waivers on specific policy requirements, contract extensions, special leaves, separations.
• Monitor the hiring of consultants and interns for the assigned clients, including review of requests for compliance, on-boarding and requests for waivers to HR policies.
• Provide managers with guidance and clarifications on HR policies, rules and regulations; recruitment and selection, contractual modalities, benefits and entitlements, performance management.
• Serve as first point-of-call for the workforce from the assigned clients on all HR related matters and provide counselling, briefing/induction to staff and management. Advise on performance management and evaluations, entitlements, grievances and other forms of conflict resolutions.

3. Performance and Change Management
• Support managers with implementation of organizational changes through effective change management practices, information sharing, problem-solving, innovation and transformation initiatives.
• Partner with and coach managers and staff through conflict situations to seek mutual understanding and resolution. Diagnose and identify triggers and make recommendations to senior management to mitigate the risk of recurrence.
• Advocate HR policies that support work-life balance and well-being initiatives.
• Ensure compliance of performance management cycles within client groups; promote active engagement of managers and the workforce to instill a culture of continuous performance management and improvement.
• Provide expertise and coaching to managers and staff in the area of performance management and evaluation, including the development of performance improvement plans.

4. Strategic HR Emergency function:
• Participate in and provide guidance on developing HR planning for events and emergencies; work with incident/hiring managers to develop and review HR plans and budgets and prioritize and forecast critical workforce needs.
• Supervise and coordinate all HR emergency operations linked to targeting pre-recruitment, recruitment, onboarding and end of assignment briefing/debriefing formalities and processes for staff and non-staff deployed for health emergencies. Coordinate with county offices and the Global Service Centre on all aspects of recruitment, contractual and staffing actions.
• Propose improvements to existing policies, processes, tools and reports and participate and/or take the lead in the shaping and developing the same.
• Support capacity building activities on human resources management in the region.

5. Any other duties
• Perform all other related duties as assigned and backstops and replaces other HR Business Partners when absent to ensure continued workflow of efficiency.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: Master's degree in human resources management, public or business administration, law, social sciences or another area relevant to the position

Desirable:

• Training in job design, classification systems, or recruitment techniques.
• Training in other relevant fields would be an advantage

Experience

Essential:

A minimum of 7 years of broad professional HR experience in at least three specialist areas relevant to the position (workforce planning, succession planning, talent acquisition (recruitment and selections), entitlements and benefits, classification, performance and career progression issues, training and leadership development, management of contracts and workforce other than staff, mobility programmes) at increasing levels responsibility with international exposure.

Proven experience providing advice and guidance to senior management teams.

Desirable:

• A minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in WHO or other UN system organization.

• International experience in a country or regional office.

• Prior experience as a HR Business partner is an asset.

Skills

• Strong knowledge and skills in the application of human resources management policies, practices and procedures and the ability to apply them in a constant changing and dynamic setting.
• Strong knowledge and skills in the classification, selection, recruitment, entitlements and benefits, HR staffing and performance management.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to identify issues and formulate recommendations.
• Excellent skills in demonstrating diplomacy, tact, discretion, and confidentiality.
• Strong communication skills and excellent ability to write and draft communication and proposals to HR policies.
• Skills in conflict resolution and coaching.
• Very good knowledge and skills in the use of integrated ERP systems/packages.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
Communication
Moving forward in a changing environment
Producing results
Creating an empowering and motivating environment

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.
Desirable: Knowledge of Arabic or French or other WHO official language is an asset.

Other Skills (e.g. IT)
Proficiency of Microsoft office applications.

REMUNERATION

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 77,326 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 2288 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level
  • Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to apply on-line through Stellis. For assessment of your application, please ensure that:
    1 -Your profile on Stellis is properly completed and updated.
    2- All required details regarding your qualifications, education, training and experience are provided under relevant sections.
    3- Your experience records are properly entered with elaboration on tasks performed at the time.

  • Enhanced WHO Global Competency Model:

    https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/enhanced-who-global-competency-model

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

• A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.

• In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.

• According to 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. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.

• Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.

• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.

• The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (

https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion

• ) are strongly encouraged to apply.

• Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to

reasonableaccommodation@who.int

• An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.

• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.

• Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with WHO and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Candidates appointed to an international post with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

• WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully.

• The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65 years. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.

• Please note that WHO's contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at shws@who.int.

• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

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