JOB DESCRIPTION

Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) is the UN headquarters in Africa and the Director-General of UNON is the representative of the Secretary-General in Kenya. UNON supports programme implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the Resident Coordination System (RCS) globally, as well as other UN offices in Kenya and elsewhere, by providing administrative, security, conference and information services. For more information, visit www.unon.org. This post is located in the Human Resources Management Service (HRMS), Division of Administrative Services (DAS), UNON. The incumbent reports to the Chief, Human Resources Management Service.

Responsibilities

1. Strategic Leadership and Management of the Talent Acquisition Unit:

• Provide strategic leadership, direction, and day-to-day management of the Talent Acquisition Unit, ensuring innovation in service delivery, continuous staff development, and equitable workload distribution.
• Lead the planning, organization, and implementation of the Unit”s annual work programme, aligning activities with organizational priorities and HRMS strategic goals.
• Drive innovation and the adoption of automation and transformative practices across talent acquisition services. 2. Talent Acquisition and Recruitment Services:
• Oversee end-to-end recruitment process, including job openings across all applicable categories (General Service, National Professional Officers and Professional and higher levels), ensuring timely, transparent, and inclusive processes in line with the relevant Staff Regulations and Staff Rules.
• Lead the design and implementation of innovative, proactive outreach and sourcing strategies to attract diverse, high-quality talent, including non- and underrepresented groups, in alignment with the organization”s Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
• Direct the development of talent pools, rosters, and skills databases to support workforce mobility, succession planning, and critical talent pipelines.
• Oversee vacancy management under managed reassignment programmes (e.g., JPO, YPP, G-to-P) in coordination with OHR in New York.
• Oversee the engagement of consultants and individual contractors, ensuring effective use of expert rosters.
• Champion the use of data-driven insights, predictive analytics, and recruitment technologies to enhance decision-making and service delivery.
• Ensure alignment with inter-agency HR frameworks and lead the provision of Common Back Office recruitment services, fostering harmonization and shared efficiencies. 3. Job design and Classification Services:
• Manage classification and reclassification of posts up to and including D1 level, ensuring fairness, transparency, and adherence to ICSC standards; review and endorse submissions for D2-level posts to OHR, New York.
• Provide strategic advice on job design, development of job descriptions, and the effective use of Generic Job Profiles to support consistency and mobility.
• Interpret and advise on classification policies and procedures, offering proactive guidance to managers.
• Manage classification appeals for General Service posts and coordinate with OHR on appeals for Professional and higher-level posts.
• Prepare analytical reports, statistics, and policy inputs on classification trends and issues. 4. Compensation and Benefits:
• Represent the organization in compensation and benefits matters, including coordination and participation in local salary and housing surveys, in close liaison with the International Civil Service Commission.
• Serve as Secretary of the Local Salary Survey Committee, ensuring effective organization and outcomes. 5. Representation, Outreach, and Inter-Agency Collaboration:
• Represent HRMS in internal committees, inter-agency working groups, HR networks, and statutory or staff-management bodies.
• Lead outreach and partnership-building efforts with other UN entities, governments, academia, and professional networks to strengthen talent pipelines and share recruitment innovations.
• Deliver briefings, presentations, and advisory sessions to senior management, staff, and stakeholders on recruitment, classification, and talent acquisition policies and practices. 6. Acting as Officer-in-Charge. 7. Perform other related duties as may be assigned.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of human resources policies, practices and procedures and ability to apply them in an organizational setting. Ability to identify issues, analyze and formulate opinions, make conclusions and recommendations on complex human resources policy and development issues. The ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. Shows pride in work and in achievements. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges. Remains calm in stressful situations.
• CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients” point of view. Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect. Identifies clients” needs and matches them to appropriate solutions. Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients” environment to keep informed and anticipate problems. Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects. Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.
• ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments. Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards. Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules. Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments. Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.
• LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow. Empowers others to translate vision into results. Is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives. Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support. Anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions. Drives for change and improvements. Does not accept the status quo. Shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing. JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation and comes to the heart of the problem quickly. Gathers relevant information before making a decision. Considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them. Takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization. Proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information. Checks assumptions against facts. Determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision. Makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master”s degree or equivalent) in human resources management, business or public administration, law or related area is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in human resources management or administrative services is required. A minimum of five (5) years of experience leading talent acquisition services as a service provider for large organizations, working with a wide range of clients in an international setting, is required. At least three (3) years of hands-on experience in implementing advanced technologies and automation tools within talent acquisition and sourcing services is required. At least five (5) years of experience in supervising internationally diverse teams of not less than 7 staff is desirable. Two (2) years or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. French is desirable. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).

Required Languages

LanguageReadingWritingListeningSpeakingEnglishUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level II

Desirable Languages

LanguageReadingWritingListeningSpeakingFrenchUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level II

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

Appointment against this post is for an initial period of one year and extension will be subject to availability of funds. The appointment and renewal thereof are subject to the availability of the post or funds, budgetary approval or extension of the mandate. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. The United Nations is Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Individual contractors and consultants who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for professional and higher temporary or fixed-term positions and their applications will not be considered. For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or under-represented in the UN Secretariat as of 31 August 2025 are strongly encouraged to apply: Andorra, Angola, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, China, Cuba, Democratic People”s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People”s Democratic Republic, Liechtenstein, Libya, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu. All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. On-line applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira “Need Help?” link.

United Nations Considerations

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. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.