The Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) Talent Pipeline

Job Description

Devex is assisting UNDCO in identifying candidates for the RC/HC Talent Pipeline.

The RC/HC Talent Pipeline

The RC/HC Talent Pipeline is a talent initiative jointly managed by the United Nations Development Coordination Office (DCO) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The RC/HC Talent Pipeline aims to identify and groom a broad and diverse range of high calibre candidates for Resident Coordinator and/or Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator functions, and to develop them for those roles. It comprises both candidates who are ready for the Resident Coordinator Assessment Centre (RCAC) and those who have the potential of being ready within three years.

Placement in the RC/HC Talent Pipeline does not guarantee an invitation to the Resident Coordinator Assessment Centre (RCAC), which remains a prerequisite for applying for RC and RC/HC positions.

The call for expressions of interest for the RC/HC Talent Pipeline is currently open. Click HERE to access the application form.


The deadline for expressions of interest is Friday, 18 March 2022 (23:59 EST).

The assessment process is highly competitive, and this year only a maximum of 50 new candidates will be able to be accommodated in the RC/HC Talent Pipeline.

Who can apply?

We are looking for leaders who demonstrate the values, attributes, knowledge and competencies outlined in the RC Leadership Profile:

• Values: integrity, professionalism, and respect for diversity.
• Foundational attributes: passionate, courageous, emotionally intelligent, humble, open to learning, creative, flexible, resilient and accountable.
• Knowledge: wide range of knowledge across the development, humanitarian, human rights and security domains.
• Competencies: capacity to analyse complex environments and identify pathways for impact (Systems thinking); build trust with a wide variety of partners and facilitate collective action (Co-creation); drive a culture of achievement and impact for the 2030 Agenda and human rights (Focus on impact); foster innovation and lead change (Transformational change).

In addition, for the 2022 call for expressions of interest, candidates must meet all the following eligibility requirements:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in development studies, international relations, political science, economics, social sciences, human rights, law, or closely related fields (for otherwise suitably qualified candidates, a first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced post graduate university degree);
• Be at the P-5 level or above, or at an equivalent level of seniority outside of the UN system;
• A minimum of twelve years of substantive experience and results in leadership roles at the international level; including at least two years of cumulative experience in development, human rights, peacebuilding, political affairs and/or humanitarian work at the  country level;
• Ability to serve for at least one tour of duty (i.e., five years) before reaching the mandatory retirement age (65 years) at the time of RCAC participation, if invited;
• Rating of “Fully met performance expectations” or equivalent, in the last two performance appraisals, where applicable;
• Fluency in English and fluency in another UN official language than English and/or fluency in a local language of the countries where RCs and RC/HCs serve

For this year, eligible candidates may also be evaluated against the following desirable criteria:

• Recent international country-level experience in a leadership position (i.e. managerial and/or senior-level representational experience).;
• Experience serving on UN Country Teams/Humanitarian Country Teams, or equivalent;
• Experience in inter-agency coordination, or equivalent;
• Experience in developing strategic partnerships with governments, intergovernmental entities, the private sector and other stakeholders;
• Experience working in or with Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Placement in the RC/HC Talent Pipeline should normally not exceed 3 years and within that time, candidates must be able to meet the minimum eligibility criteria of the Resident Coordinator Assessment Centre (RCAC).

Placement in the RC/HC Talent Pipeline does not guarantee an invitation to the RCAC.

How are RC/HC Talent Pipeline members selected?

Once a year, DCO and OCHA issue a joint call for expressions of interest to the RC/HC Talent Pipeline. UN staff must be endorsed by their entity (UN staff on loan or secondment must seek endorsement from their parent organization); applications of candidates external to the UN system do not require endorsement.

Applications are reviewed against the eligibility criteria and selected candidates undergo a rigorous assessment focusing on the core elements of the RC Leadership Profile as well as reference checks. Those identified by the inter-agency Admission Panel as having the highest potential are included in the RC/HC Talent Pipeline

What do RC/HC Talent Pipeline members benefit from?

Members of the RC/HC Talent Pipeline will be offered opportunities to develop their knowledge, competencies, and experience across the pillars of the United Nations’ work (development, peace & security, human rights, humanitarian) and across programme, policy and coordination roles.

These may include :

• Training courses;
• Executive coaching;
• Mentoring by successful RCs and RC/HCs;
• Shadowing assignments, secondments;
• Stretch and other temporary assignments.

The duration of members’ stay in the pipeline will vary depending on their needs, and should normally not exceed 3 years. Once pipeline members are deemed ready, they are encouraged to apply to the Resident Coordinator Assessment Centre, which is a pre-requisite for applying for RC vacancies.

Membership of the RC/HC Talent Pipeline does not guarantee admission to the Resident Coordinator Assessment Centre.

Who are the RC/HC Talent Pipeline members?

There are currently 130 members in the RC/HC Talent Pipeline:

• 98 were recruited through the 2021 selection process (2 members graduated since), and;
• 34 were transferred from the IASC Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) High Potential Pool previously managed by OCHA which has been discontinued following the launch of the pipeline

The Talent Pipeline is gender balanced (53% of members are women) and diverse in terms of nationalities represented (50 nationalities).

More details on members of the RC/HC Talent Pipeline can be found via the RC/HC Talent Pipeline Members’ Key Data webpage.

These statistics are regularly updated to reflect members graduated or entering the pipeline.

Check out the FAQ on Becoming a Resident Coordinator.