Job Description

Please note that this vacancy is only open to eligible staff members who have been individually notified of their eligibility to apply for positions advertised in the Accelerated Posting Compendium.

June 12, 2026

A (least hardship)

Family

PR3

Professional

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2026-05-26

Human Resources Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Human Resources Officer supports the UNHCR's People Strategy and contributes to the implementation of the 2018 independent Human Resources review, which resulted in the establishment of HR strategic priorities and the reconfiguration and transformation of the Division of People Management (DPM) from a largely transactional model into a strategic business partner for field operations and senior management. Having the right people in the right place at the right time is at the core of enabling UNHCR to protect and respond to forcibly displaced and stateless persons. By attracting, retaining and developing a talented, diverse and agile workforce while nurturing a culture of excellence, respect and wellbeing for all, UNHCR's Human Resources acts as a strategic partner to the organization enabling a people-centric culture.
The Human Resources Officer contributes to the development of a HR customer service-oriented culture that values proactivity, continuous improvement, innovation and high performance. By translating operational needs into workforce action and individual development needs, the Human Resources Officer plays a critical role. The main areas of work of the Human Resources Officer include the implementation of HR policies, staff administration, workforce planning, recruitment, and talent development with inclusion, diversity and gender as a cross-cutting issue. S/he will also support the implementation of the staff health and counselling plans and in fostering an inclusive and respectful working environment. The incumbent maintains employee confidence and protects the organization and its workforce by keeping human resource information confidential.

The Human Resources Officer is usually supervised by Head of Office, or Senior HR Officer in a Country Operation, or the most senior HR staff in a Regional Bureau. She/he supervises HR Professional and General Service staff.

The incumbent maintains a direct working relationship with a number of functions across the Division of People Management (DPM). For positions in Bureaux or Country Operations, the incumbent also works closely with the Senior HR Partner, the Senior Medical Officer and Senior Staff counsellor for his/her region.
He/she also maintains contact and close cooperation with other UN agencies in the region or country and represent UNHCR in the working groups/task forces within country/regional UN inter-agency mechanisms.

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
- Strategic workforce advice and operational support:
- Engage with management to understand priorities, and provide advice and solutions on all aspects of HR in line with delegated HR authorities.
- Support HR initiatives that support organizational culture change such as good people management practices, and promoting gender, inclusion and diversity.
- Plan and implement HR operational activities to ensure timely provision of HR solutions, prioritizing according to the needs and risks.
Assignments and Talent Acquisition:
- Manage the process of recruitment, assignment and reassignment of locally-recruited staff and affiliate workforce, ensuring compliance with UNHCR rules and procedures, and providing advice to managers where required.
- Set up and run (Regional) Assignments Committee.
- Conduct outreach campaigns to attract diverse applicants. Ensure proper consideration is given to all applicants without discrimination.
- Analyse, track and report on recruitment and assignments trends for management, including efforts to reach gender parity.
- Take a proactive approach to risk management in the areas of recruitment, ensuring the issues are identified, addressed and reported and, where appropriate, escalated.
Advice to managers and staff, and contribution to an inclusive work environment:
- Build dialog and outreach with staff to provide support with their queries; and also promote dialog between staff and management to help find solutions to HR-related issues.
- Be proactive in identifying issues, themes and patterns affecting the workforce's health and welfare, including sexual harassment and abuse of authority.
- Ensure that on-boarding, induction, re-integration into the workplace and off-boarding support, is provided to colleagues; Induction programmes should include information on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and Sexual Harassment, Code of Conduct as well as workforce's rights and obligations.
HR policies and inter-agency:
- Enforce compliance with UNHCR's Human Resources policies and procedures and the UN staff rules, regulations and UNHCR administrative instructions.
- Participate in a network among HR staff members in the region in order to harmonize implementation of HR policies and initiatives, collect field insights to inform the development of DPM policies and activities; identify and share HR best practices, also through contacts with other UN agencies.
Duty of Care:
- Contribute to establishing and maintaining a medical evacuation plan with senior management, Field safety and the Senior
- Medical Officer.
- Support the development and implementation of a Duty of Care strategy. Identify and assess issues related to duty of care including physical, mental health and safety of UNHCR's workforce. Promote work/life balance and flexible working arrangements with managers and staff.
For positions in Regional Bureaux only:
- In the absence of a Senior Talent Development Officer in the Bureau:
- Implement a talent development and sourcing strategy for UNHCR workforce in the region, in line with UNHCR's needs and staff members' career planning.
- Equip HR teams and Managers in the region with skills on people management and tools related to talent development, career guidance and performance management.

- 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
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P3/NOC - 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
Human Resources Management; Human Resource Development;
Personnel Administration; Business Administration; or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Experience working in Human Resources. Sound knowledge of general HR policies, processes and systems.
Desirable
Proven ability to identify and implement successful business related HR interventions. Experience in some of the following areas: HR administration, workforce planning, recruitment, HR policy or talent development. Experience in HR information technology systems and tools. Experience in field humanitarian operations and/or emergency settings. Experience working with the United Nations. Experience working in a multi-cultural setting.

Functional Skills
HR-Local mass recruitment
HR-Talent Development and Nurturing
HR-Coordination and Oversight of Workforce Mobility
HR-HR data and people analytics
HR-Employee Relationship Management
SO-Critical Thinking and problem solving
SO-Situational Judgement
SO-Learning Agility
HR-HR Business Partnering
HR-Inclusion, Diversity and Gender strategy design and implementation
RM-Risk Management
(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.

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.

Essential Attributes
1. Demonstrated experience in strategic workforce planning and staffing review processes, including analysis of workforce structures, identification of people-related gaps, and development of practical staffing options aligned with operational priorities and available resources.
2. Experience managing HR implications of organizational change, including restructuring, downsizing, separations, reassignment options, footprint rationalization, emergency response or other major operational transitions.
3. Experience managing or coordinating HR service delivery across multiple workforce categories, including regular staff and affiliate or contingent workforce, in an operation with diverse contract types and changing staffing needs.
4. Experience in HR risk management, internal controls, audit follow-up or workforce-related compliance monitoring, including the ability to identify, document, mitigate and escalate HR-related risks.
5. Experience using HR data, HR systems or workforce analytics to support management decision-making, including monitoring trends, preparing workforce analysis and ensuring quality assurance of HR information.
________________________________________
Desirable Attributes
1. Experience with Workday or similar HR information systems, particularly for workforce planning, reporting, recruitment, performance management or personnel administration.
2. Experience developing or implementing practical HR tools, HR action plans, dashboards, process improvements or other initiatives that strengthen HR planning, monitoring and service delivery.
3. Experience supporting staff engagement, staff wellbeing or respectful workplace initiatives during periods of organizational change.
4. Experience coordinating with Finance, Programme, Administration, Staff Counsellor, Medical Services, regional HR partners or HQ entities on workforce-related matters, including monitoring staffing-related ABOD expenditures, salary charging, position costs or workforce budget data.
5. Arabic language skills would be an asset.

,

,

Arabic

,

,

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations

Amman is classified as an “A” duty station and offers good living and working conditions, including access to housing, medical facilities, schools and other services. The overall security environment in Amman and most parts of Jordan remains stable. The north-eastern border area with Syria may present higher security considerations. Road traffic accidents remain one of the main safety risks, particularly during periods of heavy traffic, adverse weather or low visibility.

The incumbent may be required to travel to field locations, including Mafraq, Zaatari, Azraq and Irbid, depending on operational needs.

Nature of Position

UNHCR Jordan is operating in a period of significant transition. The operation continues to support a large refugee population, predominantly Syrian refugees, alongside refugees from other countries, while adapting to declining humanitarian funding, reduced partner presence, increased voluntary returns to Syria, and a sharper focus on mandate-critical protection, targeted assistance and solutions.

The strategic direction of the Jordan operation is centred on two mutually reinforcing priorities: supporting refugees who remain in Jordan through focused, protection-centred and increasingly sustainable approaches, and enabling voluntary, safe, dignified and informed returns to Syria where conditions allow. These priorities are supported by strengthened data and analysis, coordinated advocacy, footprint rationalization, and partnerships with the Government of Jordan, development actors, donors, civil society and refugee communities.

The Human Resources Officer is based in the Country Office in Amman and serves as the most senior HR function in the operation. The position provides strategic HR advice, technical oversight and operational support across the Jordan operation, covering national, international and affiliate workforce categories. The incumbent works closely with the Representative, Deputy Representative, Senior Management Team, heads of offices, managers, the Regional Bureau for MENA, DPM and relevant HQ entities.

The position is central to helping the operation align its workforce with changing operational priorities, reduced resources and evolving field presence. In the current context, the incumbent will be expected to support senior management in workforce planning, staffing reviews, structural adjustments, position management, affiliate workforce monitoring, separations, reassignment options, and related HR risk analysis. The role requires the ability to translate operational direction and budgetary constraints into practical workforce options while maintaining fairness, transparency, policy compliance and duty of care.

HR services in Jordan are centralized in Amman and support all offices and field locations. The incumbent leads the HR team and ensures continuity and quality of HR service delivery across the full employee lifecycle. This includes personnel administration, recruitment and assignment processes, contract management, onboarding and offboarding, entitlements, medical insurance administration, Workday actions, performance cycle support, HR reporting, and staff support during periods of organizational change.

The operational environment requires a mature HR professional who can balance strategic advice with hands-on delivery. The role requires the ability to manage high volumes of sensitive HR work, to provide clear and consistent guidance to managers and staff, to identify and escalate risks, and ensure that workforce decisions are properly documented and aligned with UNHCR rules, policies and procedures. Close coordination with Finance, Programme, Administration, Field Safety, Staff Counsellor, Medical Services, PAS, DPM and the Regional Bureau is essential to ensure that HR advice is aligned with operational, budgetary, internal control and duty of care considerations.

The role also has an important staff engagement and organizational culture dimension. In a period of restructuring, reduced resources and uncertainty, the incumbent will be expected to maintain open communication with staff and managers, support respectful workplace initiatives, contribute to staff well-being and resilience efforts, and help ensure that staff affected by change receive timely information, clear guidance and appropriate referrals.

The incumbent should be comfortable working with HR data, Workday and other systems to support analysis, quality assurance and evidence-based decision-making. The position also requires strong judgement, discretion and the ability to handle sensitive matters with professionalism and empathy, while safeguarding organizational interests and maintaining staff trust.

Living and Working Conditions

Jordan remains an important refugee-hosting country in the region. UNHCR Jordan operates through the Country Office in Amman and field locations supporting refugees in urban areas and camps, including Zaatari and Azraq. The operation works closely with the Government of Jordan, UN agencies, NGOs, civil society, development actors, donors and refugee communities.

The registered refugee population is expected to continue declining due to voluntary returns and other population movements, while those remaining in Jordan are expected to include individuals and families with increasingly complex vulnerabilities. Funding reductions and the scaling down of partners continue to place pressure on UNHCR to focus on mandate-critical protection, targeted assistance, solutions, and transition to more sustainable national and local arrangements.

Amman offers good living conditions, with access to health services, schools, housing and commercial services. The climate is generally Mediterranean, with hot summers and cool winters. Most international schools and major medical facilities are located in Amman. Travel to field locations may be required.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Bachelor of Arts: Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts: Human Resource Development, Bachelor of Arts: Human Resources Management, Bachelor of Arts: Personnel Administration

Certifications

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Change capability & adaptability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Managing performance, Managing resource, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Teamwork & collaboration

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

Compendium

Accelerated Posting Compendium 2026 - Part B

Additional Information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance