HR Senior Officer - Navigation and Support

The People and Culture Group (PCG) positions UNOPS as a people-centered, high-performing organization by driving the development of HR policies, talent frameworks, and inclusive practices aligned with the strategic plan. Through the Integrated People Strategy, PCG empowers personnel, fosters an engaging and inclusive work culture, and enables the delivery of sustainable development solutions. Partnering closely with UNOPS leadership, PCG delivers on the organization’s People Goals—shaping culture, nurturing leaders, enabling flexibility and fairness, building future-ready teams, and setting people up for success. Core capabilities include strategic HR partnering, policy integration, and process simplification through digitization. PCG prioritizes leadership development, workforce diversity, personnel well-being, and innovation in HR practices. By focusing on culture transformation and talent excellence, PCG ensures that UNOPS remains agile, equitable, and capable of delivering results in complex operational environments.

The Navigation and Support Senior Officer conducts substantive analysis, interprets complex rules and policies, and synthesizes proposals to provide comprehensive support and guidance to UNOPS personnel, particularly in sensitive matters such as misconduct, crisis, and victim support. The role ensures the integrity of case management processes and builds capacity for a survivor-centered approach across the organization.

1. Navigational Support:

• Analyze and triage incoming inquiries and support requests, providing initial responses and referring personnel to relevant resources based on needs assessments. 

• Contribute to providing a confidential, safe, and enabling environment for UNOPS personnel, particularly those experiencing crisis or alleged misconduct.  

• Interpret whistle-blowing processes and guide reporters/victims/survivors on applicable procedures.  

• Provide advice on maintaining and continuously improving UNOPS’ use of the Integrity Portal and related frameworks.

2. Facilitation of Case Management:

• Assess individual cases to minimize the potential for retraumatization during reporting, investigation, and support-seeking processes.  

• Analyze and adapt precedents or previous decisions to provide information and direction on resources/avenues available for early conflict resolution and de-escalation support. 

• Contribute to the ongoing monitoring of victims/survivors/other personnel seeking support, ensuring timely action on requests made as part of needs assessments and case analysis.  

• Uphold and maintain confidentiality and ethical standards in all interactions with victims/survivors, ensuring duties are performed in accordance with protection mechanisms and action plans.

3. Monitoring and Reporting:

• Contribute to the preparation of quarterly and ad hoc internal and external reports by synthesizing information and applying knowledge of UN and Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) systems.  

• Support the maintenance of an up-to-date case database and assist in monitoring changes in policy and guidance to ensure alignment with UN and international standards.  

• Analyze trends in misconduct reporting from the People Exit Survey and contribute insights to the management team.

4. Capacity Building:

• Synthesize and prepare communication products and outreach materials (e.g., intranet updates, newsletters, awareness campaign content) to promote well-being and navigation support services.  

• Contribute to the development and delivery of training on victim/survivor-centered approaches and other safeguarding matters.  

• Develop and maintain training materials on the Navigation and Support mandate for outreach strategies.  

• Propose guidance and provide advice and support for supervisors, HR practitioners, and other key personnel on safely and ethically reacting to and responding to incidents of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment, ensuring confidentiality and informed consent.  

• Advocate and communicate with internal and external stakeholders (UN agency working groups, UN Victim Rights Advocate, the IASC, etc.) on behavior change and support strategies and communication and outreach materials to promote survivor-centered approaches in internal justice mechanisms.  

• Analyze and log lessons learned from individual cases to improve support for individuals and contribute to the development of knowledge materials and communications products.

Required:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Human Resources, Social Sciences, Psychology, Law, International Relations, Social Work, or a related field.

• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in a relevant field, combined with two additional years of relevant work experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.

Desirable:

• Additional training or certification in safeguarding, psychosocial support, conflict resolution, or case management.

Required:

• A minimum of 2 years of relevant professional experience with a Master’s degree, or 4 years with a Bachelor’s degree, in areas such as case management, staff support, safeguarding, human rights, victim support, HR, misconduct prevention and response, or related fields.

• Experience handling sensitive and confidential cases, providing guidance and support, and coordinating with relevant stakeholders.

Desirable:

• Experience in a UN or international organization, particularly in safeguarding, protection from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PSEAH), or victim/survivor support.

• Experience in data analysis, reporting, training development, or capacity building related to safeguarding, staff well-being, or misconduct prevention and response.

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.