HR Senior Assistant

The UNOPS Africa Regional Office, based in Nairobi, Kenya, oversees the delivery of over 250 projects across 40 countries, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings. Supported by more than 1,000 personnel across five multi-country offices—spanning North, West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Horn of Africa—the office advances national priorities through strategic initiatives in Climate Action, Health, Infrastructure, Peace and Security, Middle-Income Country Support, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The Regional Office provides strategic leadership, operational support, and oversight in key areas including Partnerships, Communications, Management and Oversight, Infrastructure and Project Management, Health and Safety, and Security. By promoting excellence in project delivery, fostering knowledge sharing, and driving continuous improvement, the office contributes to sustainable infrastructure, transparent resource management, and a better quality of life for communities across the continent.

Based in Dakar, Senegal, the West Africa Multi-Country Office (WAMCO) delivers high-quality project management, infrastructure, and procurement services across 16 countries in West Africa and the Sahel, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Togo. Aligned with UNOPS’ mission, WAMCO supports partners in peacebuilding, humanitarian assistance, and sustainable development. WAMCO’s portfolio spans key sectors such as health, climate change, renewable energy, agriculture, water and sanitation, environment, infrastructure, justice, and peace and security. Notable projects include the construction of pre-preschools for early childhood development in Senegal (in partnership with KOICA and UNICEF), capacity-building for national agencies on disaster risk reduction and resource management, and the development of rural mini-grid electrification systems in Sierra Leone. Through these initiatives, WAMCO contributes to inclusive growth and the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the region.

The HR Senior Assistant provides technical and administrative support to ensure the efficient processing, documentation, monitoring, and maintenance of a wide range of HR transactions and services delivered to Office personnel.

HR Advice

• Provide guidance to personnel on administrative procedures, processes and practices related to the delivery of HR services.
• Assist the HR Lead in engaging with internal and external clients, addressing routine inquiries and escalating complex or exceptional issues as needed.
• Contribute to a positive onboarding experience by supporting the timely processing of new hire documentation and orientation tasks.
• Advise personnel on standard aspects of recruitment, performance management, and learning and development processes in accordance with UNOPS policies.

Talent Acquisition and Administration

• Support the end-to-end recruitment process, including the preparation of offers and rejections, data entry in the HR information system (HRIS), and coordination of reference checks.
• Assist in the longlisting, testing, and interviewing stages, including calculating applicable fees and documenting recruitment proceedings, particularly for General Service (GS) positions. Finalize selection and other required process approvals
• Inform and advise personnel, consultants, partners, and project resources on standard conditions of service and entitlements based on their contract modality, ensuring timely and efficient onboarding.
• Follow up with supervisors and personnel to ensure timely completion of HR processes such as absence requests and performance evaluations in HRIS.
• Support payroll verification processes and maintain accurate HR records and reference files.
• Monitor the status of HR actions, including expiring contracts and pending separations, to enable timely intervention by the HR Lead and supervisors.

Knowledge Building and Sharing

• Provide planning, logistical, and administrative support for HR-related training sessions and learning initiatives.
• Participate in the delivery and facilitation of knowledge-sharing activities to build HR capacity within the organization.

Required

• Secondary school (or equivalent) with 5 years of relevant experience OR
• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 1 year of relevant experience is required

Desired

• A globally or nationally recognized professional certificate in Human Resource Management (HRM) is desired.

Required

• Relevant experience is work in recruitment and HR generalist services.
• Experience in the use of collaboration and productivity tools (e.g. MS Office, G-Suite, etc) and web-based management systems are required.

Desired

• Experience of working in multicultural environments or UN system organizations in a developing country is desired.
• Experience in development or humanitarian contexts is desired.

• 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.