Regional People Operations Senior Officer

Job Highlight

Contribute to a culture of HR service excellence through the timely provision of frontline HR advice and efficient processing of HR requests.

About The Group

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.

Role Purpose

The Regional People Operations Senior Officer reports to the Regional People Partner and is responsible for effectively delivering delegated HR services, including advice and implementation, across the entire personnel lifecycle, leveraging data and technology to drive efficiency and quality.

The role collaborates closely with in-country HR practitioners and serves as the first point of escalation from countries to the regional office on HR and people issues. The role reviews and analyzes cases and requests for compliance with HR policies and regulatory frameworks, acting within delegated authority and escalating exceptions to the attention of the Regional People Partner as required.

The Regional People Operations Senior Officer is also responsible for sourcing, collecting, and analyzing data to generate policy-aligned, data-driven insights which enable the Regional People Partner to provide reliable and credible advice at both regional and country levels.

Functions / Key Results Expected

• HR Case Management and Service Delivery
• Manage the regional HR ticketing system, ensuring timely intake, triage, resolution, escalation and closure of HR- and people-related cases in line with established service level agreements (SLAs)
• Review and process a broad range of HR cases, including terms of reference (ToRs), job classifications, temporary fee increases for specified contract modalities, contract terminations, performance management matters, and other global HR processes
• Provide recommendations and take actions that are compliant with HR policies, delegated authorities, and regulatory frameworks, escalating complex or high-risk cases for the attention of the Regional People Partner as required
• Maintain complete, accurate and audit-ready documentation within the ticketing system to uphold transparency and compliance standards
• Monitor and analyze case trends, volumes, and service metrics to identify systemic issues, inform decision-making, and enhance service delivery effectiveness
• Propose improvements to workflows, guidance materialism and knowledge resources to promote consistency, strengthen governance, and support in-country HR practitioners
• HR Advice and Governance
• Contribute to HR policy development by providing data-driven insights on workforce trends, risks, opportunities, and region-specific best practices
• Assist the Regional People Partner in implementing approved organization design changes, restructurings, and rightsizing initiatives and personnel realignment processes
• Provide frontline guidance and advisory support on HR policies, processes and systems in accordance with the UNOPS regulatory framework.
• Review policy exception requests for compliance and risk implications, escalating to the Regional People Partner as mandated to ensure sound decision-making
• Communicate and support the implementation of HR policy updates and new initiatives at the regional and country levels
• Assist or participate in the evaluation and classification of positions
• Project Advisory
• Review and advise the Regional People Partner on HR aspects of project agreements ('engagement reviews), with a focus on identifying HR risks and opportunities
• Contribute towards region-wide awareness of high-risk engagements by escalating issues identified during engagement reviews to the attention of the Regional People Partner
• Provide quality inputs on HR aspects in project proposals and holistic HR advice, based on the application, interpretation and adoption of corporate policy, guidance and best practices.
• Collect feedback on challenges, gaps and possible areas of improvement for HR components in project engagements, escalate issues and provide recommendations
• Knowledge Building and Sharing
• Support the organization, facilitation and delivery of training and learning sessions on HR topics
• Participate in knowledge-sharing initiatives and Communities of Practice (CoPs), contributing insights and lessons learned from HR project implementation
• Conduct research on HR-related topics and contribute to the drafting of reports, summaries and briefing notes
  
  

Education Requirements

Required

• Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 4 years of relevant experience OR
• Master's degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 2 years of relevant experience is required
  
  

Desired

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

Required

Experience Requirements

• Relevant experience is work in recruitment and selection, HR policies and processes, employee relations, performance management or related areas.
  
  

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.