[UNHCR MCO Panama] Senior Human Resources Assistant, G5 (Fixed Term Appointment)

Eligible Applicants:

This position is advertised to Group 1, Group 2 and external applicants.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Persons interested in applying for this position must be Panamanian Nationals or must be legally present in Panama at the time of application, recruitment and appointment.

Position Competencies:

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
Not specified.

Cross-Functional Competencies
Analytical Thinking
Technological Awareness
Planning and Organizing

Duties and Qualifications:

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

Senior Human Resources Assistant will function under direct supervision of the Administrative or Human Resources Officer, assisting him/her in personnel administration and other HR related matters, including the process of recruitment and appointment of staff, and in the performance management and welfare issues of staff under area of responsibility (AOR).

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

• Assist in the recruitment, assignment, reassignment and separation of local service staff. Prepare documents for the interview panel for the recruitment of local staff.
• Process local staff members’ contracts, entitlements and benefits in accordance with Staff Rules and established HR procedures.
• Update personnel related information in MSRP/HR module where this activity has been rolled out from PAS to the respective office.
• Advise staff members on their rights, obligations, benefits and entitlements, and assist them in interpreting UN/UNHCR staff rules and regulations.
• Assist newly-arrived international staff with administrative formalities related to their accreditations, security/ground passes, submission of completed forms and related documents to headquarters, arrange travel and hotel reservations
• Assist with shipment of their personal effects in coordination with the logistics section.
• Administer UNHCR medical insurance plan for locally recruited staff. Provide administrative support to staff and dependants in case of medical evacuations, as well as security evacuations/relocations. Maintain daily tracking record of staff and families to provide accurate information in case of emergency.
• Maintain personnel records in the office, including maintenance of the attendance, overtime and leave records.
• Initiate calculations for payments related to personnel issues such as settlement of travel claims, overtime claims, hazard pay, MIP reimbursements, medical and security evacuations, shipment costs.
• Initiate routine correspondence on HR matters for the authorizing officer’s approval.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Professional Work Experience

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For G5 – 2 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 1 year relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education
Not applicable.
(Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk are essential)

Certificates and/or Licenses
Secretarial; Administrative;
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk are essential)

Relevant Job Experience

Essential
Good knowledge of UNHCR administrative procedures and processes and exposure to provision of support services in an international organization.

Desirable
Field experience with UNHCR and/or with other humanitarian organizations is an asset. High IT affinity and working experience of PeopleSoft/MSRP.

Functional Skills
IT-Computer Literacy;
PG-Resource Planning; eg. FOCUS, Global Focus Insight;
FI-PeopleSoft Financial Management;
HR-PeopleSoft Human Capital Management;
UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures;
IT-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP);
EX-Field experience with UNHCR and/or with other humanitarian organizations;

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.

Language Requirements:
Please note that fluency in English and Spanish is essential for this job opening.

Additional Information
Please note that this position is offered under one year Fixed-term appointment. Extension is subject to operational needs, budget and performance.

Only short-listed candidates will be notified, and might be requested to sit a test. No late applications will be accepted.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted based on the information submitted during the application. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications. 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.

UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).

The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.