People & Culture Officer, Integrated Talent Management

Host entity: UNICEF

Volunteer type: International

Areas of expertise: Human resources, Administration, Communication, advocacy, public information

Application deadline: 18/11/2026

Mission and objectives

At the heart of UNICEF's work is the program countries. Each office works in line with UNICEF's mission as part of a specific program of cooperation with local governments. Their work is based on a five-year plan based on a situation analysis and is provided with technical assistance by the regional offices. UNICEF's work is part of other UN activities in the country.

Assignment context

The Integrated Talent Management (People and Culture) Specialist will join the Integrated Talent Management (ITM) team in UNICEF’s Division of People & Culture, based in Budapest. ITM manages approaches for the full talent cycle across UNICEF through six connected areas: workforce strategy and planning, sourcing and recruiting, performance culture, engagement and retention, learning and development, succession planning and mobility. 2027 is the year ITM puts its new frameworks into practice, as well as new approaches development and roll out. ITM is hiring four UN Volunteer Specialists who work as one flexible team. Each has a main specialization and supports colleagues across the six areas as priorities evolving. Candidates are invited to apply specialized skills in supporting integrated talent management. Any additional skills are considered an advantage, such as the following, and in related areas beyond them: coordination, project management, communication, support roll out of talent initiatives, change management, learning and development, data analytics, evaluations and assessments, talent management. The specialists will work as one Team and the individual areas of support to ITM projects will be agreed with supervisor depending on priority projects. You will be collaborating with ITM colleagues, the broader people and culture teams in regional and country offices, and other HQ divisions. This is an excellent opportunity for an early-career entry to point into UNICEF’s people and culture talent network.

Task description

The Integrated Talent Management (People and Culture) Specialsit will work as part of a flexible ITM support pool of four Specialists, each with a main specialization and availability to support ITM across four main areas. 2027 is the year UNICEF puts its new talent management frameworks and approaches into practice, so your work will directly support in reaching colleagues worldwide. Specific tasks follow ITM’s workplan and may be adjusted during the assignment.
Main specialization support (approx. 60%)
Applies to all specializations:
• Support the design, implementation and rollout of ITM workplan deliverables under your specialization.
• Support the development of communication and outreach products for these initiatives (announcements, intranet/SharePoint content, newsletters, infographics, videos, slide decks and talking points) and support their sharing with target audiences.
• Prepare drafts, guidance materials and meeting documentation.
• Coordinate logistics and follow-up for meetings, consultations, workshops, learning events or exercises, as applicable.
• Collect, clean and analyse data (surveys, HR metrics, learning completion, recruitment pipelines) and support building clear outputs such as dashboards, trend summaries and visualizations to inform decisions
• Keep up-to-date records of activities, strengthen knowledge management and learning.
Typical emphasis by specialization:
• Change & Engagement Support: prepare toolkits and guidance packs (presentations, FAQs, SharePoint pages, webinars, short videos) that explain new frameworks, approaches and policies to P&C colleagues and all personnel worldwide; help organize and co-facilitate consultations and online learning sessions with regions, offices and divisions.
• Talent Initiatives Support: support coordination on young talent, UN Volunteer, internship, fellowship, JPO and mobility programmes; prepare programme communications, orientation sessions and bulletins; follow up with partners and participants.
• Professional Development & Capacity Building Support: coordinate coaching, mentoring and other development programmes (requests, matching, administration, feedback, evaluation); support the design and rollout of learning paths, including those specific to P&C staff, and the evaluation of learning initiatives.
• Talent Management Data, Monitoring & Evidence Support: maintain talent management trackers, dashboards; support monitoring and reporting and data requests on learning, performance management and workforce data; help with presentations to reflect findings clearly to non-specialists and follow up on data gaps and incomplete records.
Cross-team collaboration and support (approx. 40%)
• Support colleagues in the other specializations during peak periods, as agreed quarterly
• Provide project management support across workstreams: maintain project plans and timelines, track milestones, coordinate inputs from contributors, flag risks early.
• Support knowledge management: maintain shared workspaces, and document lessons learned and good practices.
• Perform other related duties as required by the ITM.

Skills and experience

A University Degree in human resource management, business management, international relations, social work, or other related social science field.
• Previous experience in HR, community engagement, or program management preferred.
• A minimum of two years of professional experience in human resource management in an international organization and/or large corporation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English is required. Knowledge of a second UN language (i.e., Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish) is a distinct advantage
• Excellent knowledge of MS Office (Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Teams) and relevant computer systems and applications.
• Excellent research and report writing skills.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to synthesize concepts and communicate these concisely in both written and oral formats.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel.
• Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines.
• Have affinity with or interest in UNICEF volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.

By specialization:
• Change & Engagement: writing and materials design, facilitation, knowledge management, project management, change management.
• Talent Initiatives: project management, stakeholder engagement, problem solving. Experience with youth, internship or volunteer programmes is an asset.
• Professional Development & Capacity Building: facilitation, learning content design, coordination. Experience with coaching, mentoring or learning programmes is an asset.
• Data, Monitoring & Evidence: quantitative and qualitative analysis, dashboards and data storytelling, monitoring and reporting. Excel, Power BI, PowerApps is an asset.

Competencies and values

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and
Sustainability (CRITAS)
The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

Living conditions

Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is a family duty station with a stable and generally safe security environment. It is a vibrant, historic city that offers a rich cultural life and a high quality of life. The city is well connected through Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport and has an efficient public transport network of metro, trams and buses. The climate is continental, with hot summers and cold winters, when temperatures often fall below freezing. Hungarian is the official language. English is widely spoken in central areas, but some basic Hungarian is helpful in daily life

You can check full entitlements at the duty station at https://app.unv.org/calculator.

Please note that the amounts can vary according to fluctuations of the monthly post adjustment.

Monthly Living Allowance (Per month): USD 3034.38
Entry lump sum (one-time payment): USD 3500
Exit allowance (for each month served, paid on completion of contract): USD 225
Family allowance: $250 per month for one dependent. $450 per month for two or more dependents
Medical and life insurance: Cigna Private Insurance

Leave entitlements:
Annual leave: 2.5 days accrued per calendar month
Certified sick leave: UN Volunteers are entitled to up to 30 days of certified sick leave based on a 12-month cycle. This amount is reset every 12-month cycle.
Uncertified sick leave: 7 days for 12 months and 4 days for shorter assignments
Learning leave: 10 working days per consecutive 12 months (shorter assignments are prorated)
Maternity Leave: 16 weeks
Paternity Leave: 4 weeks
For more information on entitlements please read the Condition of Service (https://explore.unv.org/cos).

Full eligibility requirements, conditions of service and application instructions are available on the official UNV platform.