NOTE: Internal staff on abolished posts will be prioritized in line with UN Staff Rules. The position will commence in January 2026
The Position:
The HR Specialist, Learning, Leadership Development & Talent Mobility is a critical position in the Branch. Reporting to the Chief, Career Development and Talent Mobility, and working closely with the HR Client Teams, the HR Specialist will lead the Global design, development and implementation of comprehensive learning, leadership development and talent/career mobility strategies, programmes and initiatives that ensure UNFPAโs ability to meet the current and future capacity and capability needs of the organization.
How you can make a difference:
UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.ย UNFPAโs strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to โbuild forward betterโ, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on womenโs and girlsโ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.
In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.
UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.
Job Purpose:
As a member of UNFPAโs Career Development & Talent Mobility Branch, the HR Specialist, Learning, Leadership Development & Talent Mobility leads the global design, development and implementation of comprehensive learning, leadership development, and talent mobility strategies and initiatives. This role collaborates extensively with HR Client Teams and Market Expertsย to produce career tools, frameworks, and approaches to suit specific organizational needs including rolling out curated learning programs that address UNFPAโs learning needs, builds organizational capacity to respond to current and future needs, develops leadership resilience and supports talent mobility. Reporting to the Chief, Career Development and Talent Mobility Branch, based in NYC, you will manage a team based in Nairobi.
You would be responsible for:
A. Learning & Capacity Development
Lead the development and continuous improvement of organization-wide learning strategies in support of UNFPAโs new Strategic Plan (2026-29). Identify key skills, capabilities, and mindsets for learning, unlearning, and relearning across business areas to support organizational priorities. Collaborate with Business Units, HR Business Partners and HR Teams to understand learning needs while ensuring an integrated, global roll-out of corporate learning strategies/priorities. Develop and implement learning and skill development programs, integrating experiential, guided, and formal learning methods. Ensure innovative learning methods are adopted and programs align with organizational needs. Collaborate with the Humanitarian Response Division to align learning programs with humanitarian capacity-building efforts, ensuring field-level readiness for humanitarian responses. Oversee the evaluation of learning outcomes and conduct impact assessments, applying insights to enhance program effectiveness. Oversee procurement and vendor management.B. Leadership and Management Development
Lead the development and continuous improvement of prioritized and organization-wide leadership and management development strategies to enhance transformational leadership across UNFPA. Design and implement leadership development initiatives and programs for e.g. emerging leaders, (entry-level) supervisors, senior leaders and executive leadership to build leadership capacity and resilience at all organizational levels. Ensure leadership development initiatives support efficient program delivery, including in humanitarian settings. Oversee the coaching offer for leaders and managers. Oversee procurement and vendor management.C. Career Development and Talent Assessments
Design and manage a cohesive career framework that links corporate talent review outcomes to individual career conversations, team growth and actionable follow-up. Design and manage a talent identification and development program for high-potential General support staff moving into professional roles. Design and build career incentives and support for UNFPA staff serving in Emergency or Humanitarian postings to identify potential and increase attraction to critical field positions. Design and implement career coaching, mentoring, and sponsorship to address organizational goals including workplace harmony, DEI initiatives, individual career growth. Design and maintain an online talent management tool (Talent Marketplace) aimed at quickly linking managers with internal talent to address short-term business needs Oversee procurement and vendor management. Partner with HR Business Partner teams to support career guidance and development of management and staff.D. Talent Mobility and Assessments
Design and manage UNFPAโs global talent mobility architecture, including talent reviews and annual rotation. Manage and oversee the leadership pool to ensure effective and timely recruitment and placement for key leadership roles globally. Design and manage assessment and development centers to ensure selection of strong candidates and to provide targeted leadership development solutions. Link talent mobility to career development, performance management, strategic staffing and other talent management initiatives. Closely partner with HR Business Partners and Management to ensure a successful implementation of these initiatives. Perform other tasks assigned by the Chief, Career Development and Talent Mobility or the Director, Division for Human Resources.E. Inter-Agency Collaboration
Represent UNFPA in inter-agency working groups and task forces, sharing UNFPAโs thought leadership in external networks, including private sector and academic forums. Stay abreast of global learning, leadership development, talent management and assessment trends, integrating best practices into UNFPAโs programs.F. Monitoring, Evaluation and Client Management
Establish key metrics to measure the success of above mentioned talent initiatives, ensuring continuous improvement and alignment with organizational goals. Prepare reports and presentations to communicate insights and program outcomes to HR Business Partners, leadership and stakeholders. Develop policy, procedures, operational guidance and Frequently Asked Questions related to area of work Build DHR capacity on learning, leadership development and Talent mobility by conducting regular briefings and intake sessions with the HR CSOB teams. Provide regular monitoring and evaluation of programs. Ensure responses to external and internal requests for information are handled. Regularly provide management insights based on external benchmarks and trends in learning, leadership development and Talent mobility.Qualifications and Experience:ย
Education:ย ย
Advanced university degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business Administration, Public Administration or related discipline
Knowledge and Experience:ย
7+ yearsโ experience in managing a team of people, preferably in the field of organizational development and/or human resources management including progressive experience in learning, leadership development, talent management, talent mobility and talent assessments -ย some of which should be in a globally present company or an international organization. Background/studies in behavioral sciences in organizational psychology preferred.ย Demonstrated knowledge and experience in organizational psychology, team dynamics, micro-cultures to effectively design and implement change programs, manage conflict to achieve healthy resolutions, create team cohesiveness. In-depth experience in managing change and delivering effective solutions to complex HR challenges in a multicultural environment is desired. Experience working, and having sophisticated knowledge of, multi-lateral organizations, matrix structures, UN Staff rules and Regulations and understanding of organizational development and successful design and delivery of global mobility programs An understanding of and experience working with HR Business Partners in an HR function within a multi-national organization with matrix structures. Demonstrated experience in the design of learning and leadership development strategy, learning curriculum design and learning certifications. Demonstrated professional competence in the delivery of innovative career development services, including succession programs, in a multicultural environment. Familiarity with assessment methodologies and experience in working with external providers of assessment center services. Highly skilled relationship builder. Able to build effective coalitions to move forward an agenda. Seeks the views of others before making key decisions. Excellent interpersonal skills and the capacity to establish and sustain collaborative and productive relationships at multiple levels within a global organization. Excellent project management, written and oral communications skills.Languages:ย
Fluency in English is required; Knowledge of other official UN languages, preferably French and/or Spanish, is desirable.ย
Required Competencies:ย
Values:
Exemplifying integrity,ย Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,ย Embracing cultural diversity,ย Embracing changeCore Competencies:ย
Achieving results, Being accountable, Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen, Thinking analytically and strategically, Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships, Communicating for impactFunctional Competencies:
Human Resources Management Talent Management incl. Talent Reviews Talent Mobility incl. Annual Rotations, Succession Planning Learning & Leadership Development Organizational Developmentย Career Development Talent AssessmentsManagerial Competencies:
Providing strategic focus Engaging in internal/external partners and stakeholders Leading, developing and empowering people, creating a culture of performance Making decisions and exercising judgmentCompensation and Benefits:ย
This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.
UNFPA Work Environment:
UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click hereย to learn more.
Disclaimer:
Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements.ย
UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.ย
Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.