JOB DESCRIPTION

H (no hardship)

Family

Family

PR3

Professional

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2025-10-01

August 8, 2025

Workforce Engagement Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Workforce Engagement Officer plays a key role in advancing workforce engagement, HR communication, inclusion, and organizational culture across UNHCR. Positioned within the front office of the Director of the Division of People Management (DPM), the incumbent will collaborate across DPM, as well as with other divisions and regional bureaus, to ensure that the perspectives and experiences of the workforce inform strategic human resources policies and organizational priorities. The role places strong emphasis on employee engagement, with a focus on fostering motivation, alignment with organizational values, and a shared sense of purpose among personnel across all categories and duty stations. The Workforce Engagement Officer will play a critical role in designing and implementing engagement strategies and mechanisms that promote trust, transparency, and inclusion, thereby enabling a more connected and resilient workforce aligned with UNHCR’s mission and goals.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties

• Design and implement employee engagement strategies that align with UNHCR’s organizational objectives.
• Collaborate with senior management and various services to integrate engagement initiatives into broader HR policies and practices.​
• Develop and implement tools and platforms for collecting employee feedback, such as surveys and focus groups.
• Analyse engagement data and trends to inform continuous improvement and policy development.
• Establish metrics to assess the effectiveness of engagement initiatives.
• Prepare regular reports for senior management, highlighting key findings and recommendations.
• Design and deliver clear, consistent, and inclusive HR communication products and messaging to effectively inform and engage personnel on HR-related policies, initiatives, and organizational developments.
• Serve as the central coordination point for outgoing communications from the Division of People Management (DPM), ensuring alignment, coherence, and timely dissemination – particularly during organizational restructuring, workforce planning exercises, and other significant personnel-related changes.
• Facilitate open communication between employees and management through regular forums, workshops, and other dialogue-focused events.
• Coordinate closely with the Global Communications Service within the Division of External Relations to ensure consistent messaging and alignment with UNHCR’s overall communication strategies. This collaboration includes aligning internal communication plans with external messaging to maintain coherence, partnering with DER to disseminate employee engagement content where relevant, and sharing workforce insights and feedback to inform broader organizational communication approaches.
• Design and implement a structured system for the development and maintenance of knowledge bases and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), ensuring staff have access to a centralized, user-friendly, and consistently updated source of information.
• Coordinate with HR Partners and teams across DPM to support workforce engagement initiatives and communicate key messages on various DPM developments.
• Coordinate workforce engagement activities with other UN entities and inter-agency working groups, as required.
• Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For P3 – 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education

International Relations;                     Social Science;                   Human Resources;                            or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses

Not specified

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

Relevant professional experience in human resources, organizational development or employee engagement, preferably within international organizations. Proven ability to develop and implement engagement strategies in complex, multicultural environments.

Desirable

Familiarity with the UN system and its human resources policies and practices. Experience in change management and organizational development initiatives.​ Proficiency in using employee engagement tools and platforms.

Functional Skills

MG-Stakeholder Management

CO-Strategic Communication

CO-Drafting and Documentation

HR-Workforce Engagement Strategies and Programmes

SO-Critical Thinking and problem solving

SO-Interpersonal skills

(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements

For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.

For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.

For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

Competency Requirements

All jobs at UNHCR require six core competencies and may also require managerial competencies and/or cross-functional competencies. The six core competencies are listed below.

Core Competencies

Accountability

Communication

Organizational Awareness

Teamwork & Collaboration

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies

Empowering & Building Trust

Judgement & Decision Making

Strategic Planning & Vision

Cross-Functional Competencies

Political Awareness

Change Capability & Adaptability

Stakeholder Management

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination, and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex data and translate findings into actionable strategies.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships across diverse groups.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, inclusion, and cultural sensitivity.
• Fluency in English and French (written and oral) is required.
• Familiarity with the UN system and its human resources policies and practices.
• Experience in change management and organizational development initiatives desirable.
• Proficiency in using employee engagement tools and platforms highly desirable.

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position

The Division of People Management (DPM) aims to put people at the heart of everything we do, from talent management, HR policy and strategy to occupational health, workforce planning and safeguards against abuse and harassment. We partner with colleagues across the organization to build a skilled, diverse, and compassionate workforce that can rise to today’s challenges and prepare for the future. We harness technology and foster strong partnerships to shape a more responsive, strategic and sustainable people function. Our goal is to support every UNHCR colleague, wherever they are, with the tools, trust, and care they need to thrive, lead, and serve with purpose.

The position is based in the DPM Director ‘s Office, reporting to the HR Coordinator and working closely with the Director, the DPM leadership team, the Director’s front office, as well as various counterparts across the organization on people-related matters.

Living and Working Conditions:

Additional Qualifications

Skills

CO-Drafting and Documentation, CO-Strategic Communication, HR-Workforce Engagement Strategies and Programmes, MG-Stakeholder Management, SO-Critical Thinking and problem solving, SO-Interpersonal skills

Bachelor of Arts: Human Resources, Bachelor of Arts: International Relations, Bachelor of Arts: Social Science

Certifications

Competencies

Accountability, Change capability & adaptability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Strategic planning & visions, Teamwork & collaboration

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Add. 2 to the Bi-Annual 2025 Compendium – Part B

Additional Information

This position doesn”t require a functional clearance