The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is inviting qualified professionals to apply for the position of HR Associate (Recruitment, Classification and Post Management) based at its Headquarters in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This role represents an excellent opportunity for experienced human resources practitioners who wish to contribute to a globally respected United Nations specialized agency while advancing their careers within the international civil service.
With a strong emphasis on integrity, professionalism, and respect for diversity, ICAO continues to strengthen its human resources systems to support its critical mission of ensuring safe, secure, and sustainable civil aviation worldwide.
Commitment to Gender Equality and Diversity
In line with the resolutions of the ICAO Assembly and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls), ICAO strongly encourages female candidates to apply, particularly for Professional and higher-level positions. Diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity are integral to ICAO’s organizational culture, and the Organization is committed to building a workforce that reflects global perspectives and talents.
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Organizational Context of the Role
The HR Associate position is located within the Recruitment, Classification and Post Management Section (RCP) of the Human Resources Branch at ICAO Headquarters. The incumbent plays a central role in coordinating and implementing recruitment activities across ICAO Headquarters and Regional Offices, while also handling job classification and post management functions.
Reporting to the Chief of Section or a designated HR Specialist, the HR Associate works closely with hiring managers, interview panels, senior leadership, and oversight bodies to ensure recruitment processes are efficient, transparent, fair, and compliant with ICAO rules and UN common system standards.
Key Functions and Responsibilities
This position is both operational and strategic, covering the full recruitment lifecycle as well as classification and post management activities.
Recruitment and Selection Coordination
The HR Associate coordinates and participates in recruitment and selection processes for Professional, General Service, and Director-level positions (D-1 and D-2). Responsibilities include planning recruitment timelines, publishing job openings on Inspira, ICAO platforms, and social media, guiding hiring managers on screening criteria, and ensuring strict adherence to policies and regulations.
The role also involves reviewing candidate shortlists, validating eligibility, overseeing written tests and interviews, and supporting submissions to compliance bodies such as Appointments and Promotions Boards. Discretion, confidentiality, and quality control are essential throughout the process.
Advisory and Systems Support
A major part of the role involves providing guidance and first-level support to hiring managers and panel members on ICAO recruitment procedures, the UN Inspira system, and the UN online examinations and testing platform. The HR Associate ensures recruitment stakeholders understand and correctly apply policies, resolves system-related issues, and delivers training on assessment tools and platforms.
By partnering with hiring managers, the incumbent helps define recruitment strategies, outreach plans, and realistic timelines, while monitoring progress and addressing bottlenecks to ensure timely filling of vacancies.
Interview Panel Participation
The HR Associate serves as an ex-officio member of interview panels across all categories of posts. In this capacity, the incumbent advises on panel composition, objectivity, diversity considerations, and conflict-of-interest mitigation. Participation in interviews ensures fairness, consistency, and compliance, while also supporting hiring managers in preparing accurate and well-documented selection reports.
Job Classification and Post Management
Beyond recruitment, the role plays a critical part in job classification and post management. This includes reviewing job descriptions, coordinating classification reviews with UN common system entities (such as OneHR Global Centre), ensuring quality control of classification recommendations, and guiding managers on classification policies.
The HR Associate also handles post management activities within ICAO’s ERP system, regularly reviewing staffing reports and ensuring organizational structures are accurately maintained.
Reporting, Process Improvement, and Policy Input
The position contributes to recruitment analytics and reporting, preparing statistics and management reports to support evidence-based decision-making. The HR Associate reviews recruitment workflows, identifies inefficiencies, and proposes improvements to systems, tools, and procedures.
The role further contributes to HR policy development, documentation updates, and cross-functional HR projects aimed at strengthening ICAO’s talent acquisition and workforce planning frameworks.
Talent Outreach and Employer Branding
Independently executing talent outreach initiatives, the HR Associate actively promotes ICAO as an employer of choice. This includes LinkedIn sourcing, social media outreach, participation in job fairs, coordination of recruitment missions, and collaboration with recruitment agencies. These efforts directly support ICAO’s diversity objectives and long-term talent strategy.
Required Qualifications and Experience
Education (Essential):
- High school diploma or equivalent, supplemented by training or certification in human resources, business administration, or a related field.
Professional Experience (Essential):
- At least six (6) years of experience in human resources or a related field.
- Demonstrated experience in recruitment, candidate assessment, and selection.
- Experience using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.
- Experience working with modern online recruitment systems.
Desirable Experience:
- Job analysis and job classification.
- HR data analytics.
- Prior experience within the UN system.
Languages:
- Fluency in English (reading, writing, speaking) is required.
- Knowledge of another ICAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) is an asset.
Core Competencies
Successful candidates will demonstrate strong competencies in professionalism, accountability, client orientation, planning and organizing, and creativity. The role requires a high level of judgment, ethical conduct, attention to detail, and the ability to remain composed in a demanding and fast-paced international environment.
Conditions of Employment and Benefits
This is a locally recruited, fixed-term position (Grade G-6) for an initial period of three (3) years, with the first year serving as probation for external candidates. Eligibility is limited to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or applicants with a valid Canadian work permit.
ICAO offers an attractive benefits package in accordance with the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) framework. The net base salary for this position is approximately CAD 55,741 per annum. Staff members are international civil servants and are expected to uphold the highest standards of conduct.
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Why This Role Matters
This HR Associate position places you at the heart of ICAO’s global talent acquisition and workforce management efforts. It is ideal for HR professionals seeking to influence recruitment policy, champion diversity, and contribute to the effective functioning of an international organization with worldwide impact.
How to Apply
Interested candidates must complete and submit an online application through the official ICAO careers platform before the deadline of 29 January 2026 at 06:59.
