Human Resources Officer

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:

• Proven experience in staffing reviews and strategic workforce planning.
• Good knowledge of UN/HCR HR policies, rules and procedures as well as hands on experience with workday, especially recruitment module.
• Proven experience in HR management in field and country operations, of both local and international staff and affiliated workforce.
• Proven experience in resource management, particularly in terms of Staff and AWF budget, within a continuously evolving context.
• Spanish and English are both essential. Fluency in Spanish is key as it is the working language in the operation, and it is needed to communicate with both internal and external parties.


Desirable attributes:

• Proven managerial skills and capacity to ensure guidance and functional coordination with the wider HR network in the region.
• Proven experience in mediation and conflicts resolution, with good judgement and problem solving-skills to develop solutions.
• Experience in the development and implementation of staff health and wellbeing strategies.
• Good understanding of the regional operational context in the Americas.

Spanish

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

The Human Resources Officer P3 is under supervision of the Senior Strategic Planning and Management Coordinator. S/he will supervise three national staff members. Given the operational context and the size of the operation, the incumbent will lead a team of 3 staff members at the RBA level and ensure guidance and functional coordination with the wider HR network in the region. The incumbent is required to maintain a direct working relationship with several units within the operation as well as working closely with the Division of People Management in HQ. The position requires knowledge of UN/HCR HR policies, rules and procedures; being familiar with the use of Workday and having a good understanding of the regional operational context in the Americas.

Living and Working Conditions:

Panama City is classified as a Category “A” duty station (family duty station) with security threat ratings raging from low for Armed Conflict and Terrorist threats to Substantial for Crime and Civil Unrest, while the exposure to hazards has been assessed as Moderate in Panama City. The city offers good infrastructure, including reliable health services, housing, banking, transportation, telecommunications, and recreational facilities. Goods and services are widely available, although the cost of living is relatively high compared to other countries in the region, particularly for housing and healthcare.

 

UNHCR offices are in the Ciudad del Saber (City of Knowledge), a green campus area outside the city centre, which also hosts other UN agencies, international schools, NGOs, and research centres. A variety of accommodation options are available both near the office and in central Panama City, ranging from modern apartments to family housing. The city is a regional transportation hub, with direct flight connections to mostly all countries in the Americas, as well as regular international routes. There is a wide range of international schools, several of which follow the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, making it a suitable location for families. Recreational options include shopping malls, restaurants, and a dynamic nightlife. While cultural activities are limited, Panama offers proximity to natural attractions. Beach and ocean hobbies are available on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts that are reachable within an hour, and hiking opportunities are available close to the city and in other parts of the country.

 

 Overall, Panama provides a safe and stable living environment with good amenities and connectivity, although staff should consider the relatively high cost of living when relocating. 
 

Additional Qualifications

Skills

HR-Affiliate workforce/contingent workforce management, HR-Career Counselling, Coaching and Development, HR-Career mapping and planning, HR-Employee Relationship Management, HR-Operational Workforce Planning, HR-Strategic Workforce Planning, HR-Vacancy Management

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

Certifications

Number of Persons of Concern Served, Statelessness, Work Context: Mixed Migration, Workforce to Supervise, Working with Persons of Concern: Asylum Seekers, Working with Persons of Concern: Internally Displaced Persons, Working with Persons of Concern: Others of Concern, Working with Persons of Concern: Refugees

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