Result of Service

As a final deliverable, the Consultant will provide an assessment to be piloted for a recruitment process(es) determined by HRSD. This will include:¿

– Valid, reliable, and fair multiple-choice questions relevant for use across the UN Secretariat¿(including a minimum of 80¿personality items and¿25¿cognitive ability items).¿

– Documentation of¿what the¿test items¿measure, as well as documentation as to why the recommended items are appropriate for use in the UN context, how they avoid bias and how best to score these items and use their results.¿

– Candidate preparation material, including sample items and instructions on how to prepare oneself for the assessment.¿

– Analysis of test results and any further recommendations for improvement and next steps for broader usage.

Work Location

Remote

Expected duration

3 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Background:

The Human Resources Services Division (HRSD) within the Department of Operational Support, is seeking to enhance the quality of the talent recruitment and selection process while mitigating any potential bias. This project is a continuation of HRSD’s work on the implementation of the Anti-Racism Strategic Action Plan. The goal of this project is to develop a valid and reliable cross-cutting / foundational assessment that can be used across job families, in the early stages of a recruitment process. It is critical that there is an emphasis on fairness, inclusiveness and mitigating potential bias among the global applicant pool.

Overview of Work:

The Consultant will first familiarize themself with several key documents and reports regarding the recruitment process at the UN and the Anti-Racism Strategic Action Plan, as well as hold consultations with several HRSD focal points and stakeholders across the organization. Following this initial learning phase, the Consultant will submit a proposed project plan as the first deliverable, approximately 10 working days after start. The proposed project plan will contain a detailed timeline with milestones.

The UN Values and Behaviors Framework defines organizational fit in a standardized manner. Assessing candidates’ alignment with this framework in the early stages of the recruitment process will ensure a more diverse workforce while maintaining consistency and fairness. The Consultant will develop/identify a set of test items that are appropriate for cross-cutting selection purposes in the UN environment (e.g., personality/values, cognitive/reasoning). They will provide rationale why specific items were identified (such as linking the assessment content to the UN Values and Behaviors Framework) and provide recommendations on how to best implement these assessments, including sample items and candidate preparation and communication materials. All test items and content to be approved by HRSD focal points.¿Finally, the Consultant will analyze the results of a pilot administration of the assessment, to assist HRSD in determining next steps for possible broader usage. ¿¿

The Consultant will report to a Human Resources Officer and will provide regular progress updates (exact frequency to be determined), draft¿recommendations, and will adjust plans and deliverables based on feedback received.¿¿

For reference:
– Anti-Racism Strategic Action Plan: https://hr.un.org/sites/hr.un.org/files/sap_final_report_0.pdf
– UN Values & Behaviors Framework: https://hr.un.org/page/un-values-and-behaviours-framework-0

Qualifications/special skills

Education:
Advanced university degree (Master’s degree, equivalent or higher) in¿human resources management or industrial/organizational psychology. A first-level university degree in combination with¿additional¿two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.¿¿

Required Experience:
– A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in (1) talent/employment assessment as part of a corporate (profit or non-profit) recruiting or development function and/or in (2) psychometric test development and/or research or related area.¿¿

– Experience in job analysis as well as in designing, developing, executing various types of employment tests, including personality assessments as well as cognitive ability tests.¿

– Experience in psychometric analysis of test data to determine measurement quality.¿¿

– Use of platforms for online test delivery.¿

Desired Experience:
– Experience in¿conducting change management process in implementation of a new assessment method¿for a¿public sector or¿international organization.¿¿

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, fluency in English is required.¿

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.