HR Officer (NOC) - Damascus - VA012-2026

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

WHY JOIN WFP? 

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.

• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.

• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.

• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

As Syria navigates a new chapter marked by historic opportunities and enduring challenges, the scale of humanitarian needs remains overwhelming. Today, more than 70 percent of Syria’s population continues to depend on some form of humanitarian assistance. Over half of the population is grappling with food insecurity, with nearly 3 million people facing severe food insecurity.  Around 7 million people remain displaced internally, while more than 4 million are refugees in neighbouring countries. Since December 2024, hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced Syrians have begun returning to their areas of origin. Many more plan to return and will require vital support as they reintegrate.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the largest humanitarian agency operating in Syria since 1964 and is uniquely positioned to support Syrian communities in their recovery through its expansive reach and scale. WFP’s interventions prioritize emergency relief and resilience-building efforts focused on the most severely food insecure populations. Additionally, WFP is a key actor in the country’s social protection sector also plays a vital role in strengthening Syria’s social safety-net systems.

Operating under its 2022-2026 Interim Country Strategic Plan (iCSP), WFP addresses the growing food and nutrition needs livelihood, resilience and early recovery, and reviving food systems, in close collaboration with the Syrian government, humanitarian and development stakeholders.

JOB PURPOSE:

The HR Officer will support in managing the delivery of integrated, client‑focused HR services across Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, and HR Operations. The incumbent will provide senior-level HR advisory support, ensure coherent implementation of HR policies and processes across all HR pillars, and act as a key resource for complex cases, planning, data analysis, and workforce management aligned with WFP Syria’s operational priorities.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Reporting to the Head of Human Resources, the HR Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

• Participate in the development of country specific plans and processes, and lead the delivery of HR operational activities or projects to meet local objectives and support WFP strategic goals, ensuring alignment with wider WFP policies.
• Provide advice to managers and employees on complex issues, understanding their needs and ensuring that HR policies, procedures, processes, systems and tools are available and correctly applied to support them.
• Ensure the effective management of the employment relationship between WFP and its staff, determining conditions of service, contracts and appropriate entitlements, and resolving more complex employee relations issues.
• Manage capability building, working with managers to understand individual skills and business requirements, and delivering development solutions which equip people with the skills and knowledge required to meet current and future challenges.
• Plan and deliver an onboarding process which ensures new employees have a positive experience of WFP, and are successfully integrated into their new role and the organisation.
• Contribute to building and managing talent within WFP, working with managers to understand their needs and planning/implementing solutions to recruit, retain, manage and develop a high caliber workforce to deliver business objectives.
• Deliver organizational design activities that enable senior management to define and organize structures and jobs, and allocate people to the right places in order to improve efficiency.
• Lead and motivate a small of HR staff, monitoring performance, providing coaching, training and guidance to ensure appropriate development and enable high performance.
• Monitor the accurate and compliant recording of data; coordinate and prepare timely corporate statistics and conduct analysis, identifying trends and potential issues, and proposing solutions to stakeholders.
• Maintain and share knowledge of best practice, and support the development and implementation of new/improved HR policies, systems and procedures to ensure they are reflective of legislation, and support WFP effectively.
• Support the Head of HR in ensuring cohesion, consistency and knowledge‑sharing across the three HR pillars, including harmonizing processes, reviewing workflows, and contributing to continuous improvement initiatives.
• Other duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

• Advanced university degree in Human Resource Management, Public or Business Administration, Industrial Psychology or other relevant field, or First University degree with two (2) additional years of related work experience or trainings/courses.

Experience:

• Five (5) years or more of postgraduate professional experience in Human Resources with an interest in international humanitarian development .
• Experience of managing small teams of staff with related areas of expertise.
• Experience providing HR advisory services across multiple HR functional areas.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Sound theoretical understanding of HR concepts and principles with a broad knowledge of best practices, techniques and processes.
• Ability to lead, coach and motivate a team.
• Capacity to handle sensitive and complex HR cases requiring discretion and judgment.
• Good communication skills with the ability to persuade, influence and adapt communication style to different situations and individuals.
• Knowledge of common business principles and processes and the ability to quickly assimilate UN/WFP specific processes and systems.
• Ability to build and maintain effective work relationships with human resources counterparts, managers and staff within Global HQ/country office.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to establish priorities, and to plan, coordinate and monitor own work plan and those under his/her supervision.
• Ability to draft clear concise reports or rationale for human resources decisions.

Languages:

• Fluency (Level C) in written and spoken English and Arabic.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact:  global.inclusion@wfp.org

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• All applications must be submitted exclusively through our online recruiting system. We do not consider CVs or applications sent by email, LinkedIn, or any other channel.

• We strongly recommend that your Workday profile is accurate and complete, and that all sections are filled in, including your employment history, academic qualifications, language skills, and UN grade (if applicable). Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• If you experience technical issues while submitting your application, you may contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org. Please note that this email is only for technical issues with an application - unsolicited applications or documents sent to this inbox will not receive a reply.

• At the application stage, the only required documents are your CV and Cover Letter. Additional documents (passport, certificates, recommendation letters, etc.) may be requested later in the process.

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process.

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.