Senior HR Assistant

April 27, 2026

H (no hardship)

Family

GS5

General Service

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2026-05-01

Senior Human Resources Assistant

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
Senior Human Resources Assistant will function under direct supervision of the Administrative or Human Resources Officer, assisting him/her in personnel administration and other HR related matters, including the process of recruitment and appointment of staff, and in the performance management and welfare issues of staff under area of responsibility (AOR).

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
- Assist in the recruitment, assignment, reassignment and separation of local service staff. Prepare documents for the interview panel for the recruitment of local staff.
- Process local staff members' contracts, entitlements and benefits in accordance with Staff Rules and established HR procedures.
- Update personnel related information in MSRP/HR module where this activity has been rolled out from PAS to the respective office.
- Advise staff members on their rights, obligations, benefits and entitlements, and assist them in interpreting UN/UNHCR staff rules and regulations.
- Assist newly-arrived international staff with administrative formalities related to their accreditations, security/ground passes, submission of completed forms and related documents to headquarters, arrange travel and hotel reservations
- Assist with shipment of their personal effects in coordination with the logistics section.
- Administer UNHCR medical insurance plan for locally recruited staff. Provide administrative support to staff and dependants in case of medical evacuations, as well as security evacuations/relocations. Maintain daily tracking record of staff and families to provide accurate information in case of emergency.
- Maintain personnel records in the office, including maintenance of the attendance, overtime and leave records.
- Initiate calculations for payments related to personnel issues such as settlement of travel claims, overtime claims, hazard pay, MIP reimbursements, medical and security evacuations, shipment costs.
- Initiate routine correspondence on HR matters for the authorizing officer's approval.

- 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 G5 - 2 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 1 year relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education
Not applicable

Certificates and/or Licenses
Secretarial Administrative
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Good knowledge of UNHCR administrative procedures and processes and exposure to provision of support services in an international organization.

Desirable
Field experience with UNHCR and/or with other humanitarian organizations is an asset.
High IT affinity and working experience of PeopleSoft/MSRP.

Functional Skills
IT-Computer Literacy
PG-Resource planning
FI-ERP Financial Management (SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Workday and other)
HR-PeopleSoft Human Capital Management
UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures
IT-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
(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.

This position includes responsibility for business critical Cigna medical insurance administration with weekly eligibility file and monthly premium/cost recovery cycles and is not an occasional or ad hoc task.

Essential (minimum suitability criteria)

1. Demonstrated experience in HR administration in a high volume, deadline driven environment, with exposure to managing time bound engagements and contract data; administering an insurance, medical coverage or closely comparable recurring operational process that requires weekly and monthly deliverables, strict deadlines, and detailed data validation. Experience supporting affiliate workforce / contingent worker (CWR) or other non staff personnel processes is a strong advantage.
2. Strong Excel skills and confidence working with structured datasets linked to UNHCR's affiliate populations, including filtering, basic lookups, validating completeness/consistency of records, and supporting periodic reconciliations and recovery file preparation.
3. High attention to detail and reliability in handling sensitive HR data, including verifying key personal and contract data required for enrollment/coverage and following up where required to correct or complete records.
4. Clear and professional communication skills, including drafting routine correspondence and providing process guidance to HR/Admin/Programme/Resource Management colleagues on affiliate/non staff matters; able to follow up firmly and diplomatically to obtain required inputs within deadlines and to coordinate effectively with external counterparts in a procedural, service oriented manner.

Desirable
- Experience using Workday (or another ERP/HR system) to review and validate contingent worker (CWR) records, including contract dates, engagement type, and key data fields that drive eligibility/coverage and downstream processing; familiarity with the particularities of contingent/affiliate records and transactions.
- Familiarity with administering and explaining eligibility rules and exceptions that are typical in affiliate environments (e.g., differences by contract type or assignment conditions), and with maintaining data accuracy where actions are completed by multiple hiring entities across locations.
- Familiarity with supporting finance facing charging/recovery workflows for non staff costs (e.g., cost allocation details such as PTEO, and preparation of structured templates for downstream processing), and comfortable coordinating with finance colleagues to support timely, accurate recoveries.
- Experience working with service channels/shared services and high volume stakeholder follow up (e.g., submitting complete, well structured packages and supporting clarifications to enable timely processing), ideally in support of affiliate administration.

Additional information:

Candidates are expected to have the right to work in Hungary. UNHCR does not facilitate the obtaining of the visa for recruitment.

For G5 - 2 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 1 year relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher.

NOTE: A completed and relevant minimum first level university degree (equivalent to BA or higher) shall count in full (100%) towards the required years of work experience. Priority will be given to eligible applicants meeting the full requirements


Remuneration:

In case of appointment, a competitive compensation and benefits package is offered.

G5 - Salary range: NET 724,718.6 HUF - NET 848,943 HUF.

Benefits:

Annual leave: UNHCR staff members holding a fixed-term appointment will accrue annual leave at the rate of 2.5 working days for each full calendar months of service (i.e. 30 working days per year).

Pension system: Staff members holding a fixed-term appointment will become participants in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF).


Health insurance plan: locally recruited staff members in Budapest will be enrolled in the Medical Insurance Plan (MIP). The coverage is also optionally available for eligible family members.


Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for a test. No late applications will be accepted. UNHCR is committed to diversity and welcomes applications from qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).

English

,

,

,

,

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

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

Nature of Position:

The position is located in the Partnerships and Affiliate Workforce Unit (DPM, Global Service Centre), supporting the delivery of affiliate workforce HR administration in a high‑volume, deadline‑driven environment. In addition to the standard responsibilities reflected in the G5 Senior Human Resources Assistant Job Description, the post includes a business‑critical operational portfolio: serving as the focal point for the end‑to‑end administration of the Cigna medical insurance scheme for eligible affiliate personnel.

 

This Cigna portfolio requires recurring delivery with a strict weekly and monthly cadence, and continuity is essential. On a weekly basis, the team prepares and submits an eligibility file (based on Workday data and established eligibility checks) to ensure that eligible affiliates are correctly reflected in Cigna’s records and that contract changes (extensions, end dates, terminations) are processed without disruption. The role, therefore, requires careful data validation, reliable follow‑through, and disciplined adherence to established step‑by‑step procedures to meet deadlines and maintain data quality.

On a monthly basis, the incumbent supports the consolidation and reconciliation of premium information derived from weekly submissions, follows up on discrepancies as needed, and contributes to the preparation of standardized monthly premium documentation in line with agreed formats and internal guidance. In parallel, the incumbent supports the preparation of periodic cost recovery documentation to ensure that premium costs are appropriately allocated to the relevant hiring entities, in coordination with finance colleagues. The role requires strong attention to detail, confident use of Excel, and the ability to verify relevant information against Workday records while maintaining completeness, timeliness, and audit‑readiness.

 

The incumbent also provides frontline operational guidance to internal stakeholders (HR/Admin/Programme/Resource Management colleagues in operations and HQ entities) on process requirements related to Cigna enrollment and related data expectations. In addition, the post holder supports enrolled members with administrative queries related to their coverage status (within established boundaries) and serves as the main interlocutor with Cigna on operational matters, coordinating follow‑up and resolution of member or data-related issues as required.

 

Additional Qualifications

Skills

FI-ERP Financial Management (SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Workday and other), HR-PeopleSoft Human Capital Management, IT-Computer Literacy, IT-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), PG-Resource planning, UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures

Certifications

Administration - Other, Secretarial - Other

Competencies

Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Teamwork & collaboration, Technological awareness

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Additional Information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance