Consultancy : Human Resources Consultant, MENARO (Remote)

The consultant will support the MENARO HR Team and the recruitment hub with Longlisting and HR Admin support while s/he assists several countries in L3 as well as regional office needs.

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, Hope.

Duty Station: Home Based 

Since 2011, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has undergone a dramatic transformation. What was once a middle-income region, where UNICEF was implementing mostly upstream work, has now become the region with the greatest concentration of humanitarian needs in the world with two Level 3 emergencies (Sudan and Lebanon, State of Palestine) and many countries that are facing protracted conflicts as well as civil unrest and/or political transition. The role of MENARO is to support all countries in the region in a more deliberate, consistent and value-added way, explicitly allocating the vast majority of programme and cross-cutting staff time and resources to country office technical assistance and quality assurance.

The “MENA-R Recruitment Hub” was established to support and facilitate recruitment for FT positions (GS, NO, and IP), for the country offices in MENA that engaged the Hub for this specific purpose. This Hub was created initiated to significantly upscale on talent outreach activities, speed up and increase the quality of recruitment of positions established by the PBR, temporary vacancies, and emergency response scale up recruitments. The recruitment hub also enables the MENA region to promote consistency in recruitment processes.

The recruitment cases outsourced by Country Offices to the Recruitment hub follow and align with the UNICEF staff selection procedures and guidance, and with the UNICEF emergencies recruitment procedures. The recruitment Hub is a service provider and the accountability of talent acquisition remains with those identified by the UNICEF Staff Selection policy i.e., hiring manager, the Country Office HR Lead, and the approving authority.

How can you make a difference? 

The consultant will support the MENARO HR Team and the recruitment hub with Longlisting and HR Admin support while s/he assists several countries in L3 as well as regional office needs. 

Under the direction of the MENA RO HR Manager and in close collaboration with MENA RO HR team, and the country offices as needed, the consultant (Home-Based) will support the MENA RO Team in the following important tasks:

1. Longlisting of Candidates: From the applicant’s list, identify and rank candidates who meet both minimum and desirable qualifications, ensuring alignment with the job's required competencies and technical skills.
2. Screening Justifications: determine the rationale for the inclusion or exclusion of each candidate in the longlist.
3. Longlist Submission Report: Submit a detailed report with a summary of longlisted candidates, including key qualifications and strengths.
4. Communication to HR and hub recruiters: Provide the Hub Team with a finalized list of screened candidates for their review and input.
5. Feedback and Adjustments: Address any queries or adjustments requested by the HR and Hub team or review the longlist of candidates.
6. Audit Trail Maintenance: Ensure all comments included against eligibility of candidates, screening of candidates against minimum requirements, assets and desirables.

Below are details of the assignment and timelines:

Work assignment:

• • Completion of longlisting and screening within 2 days of VA closure
  • Alignment with job-specific criteria and the staff selection policy and guidelines.
  • Clear statuses changed in TMS.

Deliverable/Output:

Completion of longlisting and screening of applicants within 2 days of the VA closure ensuring alignment with job specific criteria and the SSP. Clear status changes in TMS. 

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

• Completion of secondary education, preferably supplemented by technical or university courses related to the field of work.
• A bachelor’s degree from a recognized academic institution in a relevant field may replace three years of related work experience, A master’s degree may replace additional two years of experience.
• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible administrative or clerical work experience required.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.   
• Knowledge of UNICEF Policies and Procedures related to Recruitment and staffing is considered an asset.
• Familiarity with UNICEF Recruitment process is considered an asset

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

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.

Remarks:  

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.