Organization: UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Fund
Location: Istanbul
Grade: Mid level – P-4, International Professional – Internationally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
Social Affairs
Human Resources
External Relations, Partnerships and Resource mobilization
Culture and Sport
Managerial positions
Closing Date: 2025-01-03
Lead the transformation of UNICEF’s talent acquisition and development as the Human Resources Manager (Talent Partnerships). In this strategic role, you will spearhead initiatives to attract diverse, high-potential talent through partnerships with public and private sectors, advancing equity and inclusion priorities. Oversee key programs like Junior Professional Officers (JPOs), government secondments, fellowships, and internships, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s People and Culture Strategy. Collaborate globally to design innovative HR solutions, mentor young professionals, and strengthen organizational impact. If you are passionate about shaping the future workforce and driving meaningful change, join UNICEF in creating a better world for every child.
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.
Responsibilities
Management of Unit and Technical HR Leadership
- Assist the Chief of Section in creating annual work plans, setting priorities, targets, and performance metrics.
- Monitor progress to ensure timely achievement of results aligned with performance standards.
- Define clear performance objectives, goals, and timelines while providing necessary guidance to the team.
- Recruit, source, and supervise external technical experts and consultants to support program delivery.
- Provide technical leadership in HR specialty areas, ensuring compliance with policies, principles, and sound judgment in staff evaluations.
- Develop, implement, and oversee new HR policies and procedures, addressing evolving needs and managing sensitive cases impacting organizational systems.
Strategic Partnerships
- Align new talent programs with the People and Culture strategy to attract diverse talent.
- Design and implement strategic talent initiatives (e.g., young talent, diversity, and inclusion programs).
- Lead the integrated talent management process for JPOs, ensuring alignment with current and future organizational needs.
- Build and maintain relationships with current donors while cultivating prospective donors to expand strategic talent pipelines, including underrepresented groups.
- Collaborate with UN agencies on JPO programs and government secondments, ensuring UNICEF’s interests are represented.
- Oversee secondment frameworks and develop procedures for deploying secondees.
- Manage global internship and fellowship programs through academic partnerships, addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) priorities.
- Oversee partnerships with United Nations Volunteers (UNV) and talent programs to build DEI-focused pipelines.
- Lead the Senior Fellowship program, including private sector outreach, and foster exchange programs with UNICEF National Committees in collaboration with PFP.
Knowledge Management and Evaluations
- Ensure team activities are evaluated, meeting organizational quality standards, and incorporate lessons learned into new strategies and tools.
- Monitor and assess the effectiveness of program interventions, ensuring goals and standards are achieved.
- Facilitate data collection and analysis on service uptake to inform reporting and knowledge sharing.
- Contribute to the development and refinement of policies and guidance for JPOs, secondments, fellowships, and related programs
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Requirements
Minimum requirements:
- Education: An Advanced University Degree in human resource management, business management, international relations, psychology or another related field is required.
- Work Experience:
- A minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience in human resource management in an international organization and/or large corporation is required.
- Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
- Ability to allocate appropriate time and resources for successful achievement of goals, and foresee risks and allow for contingencies when planning.
- Ability to implement clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies, identify priority activities and assignments, adjust priorities as required.
- Strategic Experience and ability to help design and implement targeted and innovative human resources strategies to address clients’ people-related needs.
- Ability to help design and implement innovative HR programs within a fast paced, evolving, and wide organizational setting.
Technical
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- Experience in working with external partners and/ or Government Officials
- Authoritative technical knowledge of the principles and concepts of human resources management.
- Capacity to adapt policies, approaches, and models to meet emerging needs.
- Ability to identify and analyze systemic issues, formulate opinions, and make conclusions and recommendations to resolve same.
- Excellent knowledge of organizational and HR information technology systems and tools.
- Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
(8) Nurtures, Leads and Manages People
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.
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.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.
How to apply
Simply click on the apply button, fill out of the form, and upload your documents