The United Nations Office for Project Services is an operational arm of the United Nations, dedicated to implementing projects for the United Nations System, international financial institutions, governments and other partners in the aid world.

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Head of People Business Partnering

Job Type

Contract , Full Time

Qualification

BA/BSc/HND , MBA/MSc/MA , Professional Certificate

Experience

12 years

Location

Nairobi

Job Field

Human Resources / HR

Role Purpose

The Head of People Business Partnering leads the global People Business Partnering function, ensuring it operates as a high-performing, business-aligned capability that directly enables service line delivery, operational excellence, organizational impact and strategic human capital management.

In terms of service line delivery, the role acts as a critical integrator, ensuring that people strategies are embedded across the full lifecycle of services UNOPS provides to partners—from planning and pipeline development to execution. By establishing rigorous feedback loops and partner-facing insights, the role informs adjustments in service design and pricing, ensuring HR expertise directly supports the organization’s ability to deliver timely, cost-effective, and high-impact solutions.

Simultaneously, the role serves as a high-level architect for people partnering and talent management, acting as a trusted advisor to senior leadership to drive superior organizational performance. This involves developing strategies that enforce leadership accountability and depth, and translating global people policies into value-adding outcomes tailored to diverse operating contexts. The incumbent is accountable for positioning Regional People Partners as strategic advisors who enhance leadership effectiveness and organizational design, ensuring the global talent landscape is optimized for long-term impact.

As steward of the People Business Partnering function at UNOPS, the Head of People Business Partnering plays a critical role in coordinating with the wider PCG leadership team to translate global people policies, programmes and initiatives into practical, value-adding outcomes tailored to diverse operating contexts.

Functions / Key Results Expected

Strategic Leadership

Service Line Performance

People Partnering and Talent Management

Policy Application and Operational Excellence

Culture, Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness

Knowledge Management and Innovation

• Define and drive the global strategy for People Business Partnering, positioning it as a core enabler of service line delivery, operational performance, and sustainable growth.
• Ensure alignment between people strategies and UNOPS strategic priorities, service line objectives, and delivery targets
• Establish a clear operating model for People Partnering which enables scalability, consistency and impact across regions.
• Lead, guide and hold Regional People Partners accountable for delivering high-impact, business-aligned partnering which enables service line success.
• Build the capability of the People Partnering function to operate as strategic co-owners of organizational performance, not solely HR advisors
• Establish performance metrics for People Business Partnering that measure contribution to delivery outcomes, workforce effectiveness, and organizational impact.
• With service line owners, establish a formal service viability analysis process, providing robust analysis of technical skills and talent availability before agreements are finalized.
• As a member of the Practice owner’s team, position the People Business Partnering team to proactively advise on optimal organizational structures, talent acquisition, contractual modalities, and realistic resourcing timelines to ensure service delivery remains on the agreed timetable.
• Lead on advising on and supporting the structured onboarding of new partners and service line personnel, ensuring alignment with organizational standards and specific partner expectations.
• Lead on identifying systemic workforce risks across service and ensure proactive mitigation to protect delivery timelines and quality
• Collaborate with global leadership to tailor and package HR service line offerings that align with specific regional demands, ensuring UNOPS services are fit-for-purpose and contextually relevant.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, architecting talent management strategies that enforce leadership accountability, build bench depth, and drive superior organizational performance
• Lead partnering with regional and country stakeholders on key talent management activities, including leadership development, talent acquisition, workforce planning, retention, performance management, and mobility, ensuring that People Partners deliver accurate, complete, and timely inputs in line with established standards and deadlines.
• Contribute practical advice and hands-on support to organizational change initiatives of varying scale, including workforce transitions and restructuring efforts, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities, sound governance, and effective change management
• Enhance Practice owners' understanding of the impact and effectiveness of corporate talent management policies and processes by providing cross-regional insights and synthesizing feedback gathered by People Partners on their practical application and outcomes.
• Ensure consistent application of people-related standards, tools and approaches across regions to strengthen delivery capability and operational efficiency.
• Lead collaboration with Practice owners to define key measures and develop dashboards to track and report on productivity, efficiency, and delivery outcomes.
• Exercise delegated authorities to facilitate decision-making that is compliant with the UNOPS regulatory framework.
• Ensure consistent and pragmatic application of HR policies which support efficient operations while maintaining compliance and integrity.
• Serve as a senior escalation point for complex or high-risk workforce issues impacting delivery or organizational performance.
• Mitigate relationship risks by acting as a senior-level escalation point for HR service delivery issues within the region.
• Ensure People Partners exercise delegated authorities to facilitate decision-making that is compliant with the UNOPS regulatory framework.
• Contribute towards continuous improvement of policies and practices to better align with operational realities and service line needs.
• Champion a culture of performance, accountability, integrity and inclusion, aligned with UNOPS values and strategic priorities. Position leadership and culture as key enablers of sustainable development impact.
• Support end-to-end planning and implementation of the annual culture and engagement survey, coordinating with People Partners at HQ and regional levels to drive strong participation and facilitate timely communication of results across the organization.
• Ensure meaningful discussions and structured action-planning sessions are conducted across HQ and regions following communication of the culture and engagement survey results
• Use insights from the culture and engagement survey to identify systemic engagement risks and culture trends, and apply these insights to drive improvements in organizational effectiveness and delivery performance.
• Champion a values-driven, ethical culture across the People Partnering function
• Establish systems to capture and leverage cross-regional insights to strengthen People Business Partnering effecti

• BA/BSc/HND
• MBA/MSc/MA
• Professional Certificate