UN Women: Technical Specialist – Risk Management and Legislative Framework

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The UN Women Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Framework was developed with a view to provide a framework for risk management and has been developed as part of a corporate wide initiative to proactively protect the organization’s goals and reputation.  The Legislative Framework Policy was developed with a view to: (a) establish the requirements for a central on-line repository as the sole authoritative source for all internal UN Women Policies, Procedures and Guidance across the Organization, and the maintenance thereof; (b) establish responsibilities, procedures and instructions for the management, development, approval, promulgation, review and update of Policies, Procedures and Guidance and the authorization of exceptions and resolution of inconsistencies relating to such documents; and, (c) establish the hierarchy of Policies, Procedures and Guidance.

Under the direct guidance and supervision of the Deputy Director, DMA and Chief, Legal Section, DMA, the Risk Management and Legislative Framework Specialist provides technical functional and administrative support required to achieve a sustained practice of ERM for the organization and to ensure that the practice of Enterprise Risk Management is embedded in UN Women’s daily operational work. The Risk Management and Legislative Framework Specialist oversees, analyzes and assesses operational controls and risk mitigation activities across the organization; and supports the establishment of a culture focused on pro-active risk awareness by the effective execution of control functions.

Under the guidance of the Chief, Legal Section (Matrix Manager), the Risk Management and Legislative Framework Specialist assists in the management, oversight and implementation of the Legislative Framework and the maintenance of UN Women’s repository for Policies, Procedures and Guidance, the Legislative Framework Portal (“LF Portal”), which includes the organization and coordination of the activities of the Legislative Framework in order to achieve the objectives set forth in the UN Women Legislative Framework Policy.   

Duties and Responsibilities

ERM:

Provide Strategic support to Enterprise Risk Management (ER management, planning and maintenance):

• Provide technical support in the design and implementation UN Women risk governance framework, risk management strategy, management processes and tools necessary to identify, evaluate, mitigate, and monitor the organization's operational and strategic risk;
• Provide technical support in the application of best practice ERM frameworks, including those of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO), International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 31000, in addition to other key ERM frameworks;
• Provide technical assistance in the formulation and strategic implementation of risk appetite statement and risk tolerance indicators suitable to UN Women’s business model and needs;
• Monitor and ensure that the organization’s risk management policies and strategies are in compliance with agreed ERM framework and strategic imperatives of the organization.

Provide technical support in Monitoring, Reporting and Oversight:

• Monitor risk management activities across the organization to ensure that the prescribed ERM approach is consistently followed;
• Maintain the Management Information System that identifies, assesses, and evaluates the reporting of risks (ERM One App);
• Consolidate risk data across all UN Women Risk entities in order to review and aggregate the information provided and determine a risk profile for the organization;
• Prepare and coordinate risk management reports at various levels in order to provide an analysis of key risks identified as a platform for decision making for Senior Management;  
• Prepare reports on ongoing risk maturity assessments and health checks;
• Undertake corporate qualitative and quantitative assessment of risks, where needed;
• Monitor external indicators and developments as a means of identifying emerging risks for consideration;
• Prepare reports and analyses for periodic update meetings with the Enterprise Risk Management Committee and the Audit Advisory Committee.

Provide Technical support related to Advisory, Communication, Guidance and Knowledge Management:

• Provide technical support and guidance to nominated Risk Focal Points to ensure that the ERM practice is implemented and sustained across all the identified Risk Entities (field offices and headquarters);
• Undertake ERM training and hold seminars and webinars for continued enhancement of risk management capabilities, awareness and culture across the organization;
• Identify lessons learned and disseminate learning; 
• Facilitate focused risk management meetings/workshops, where necessary;
• Work collaboratively with other corporate oversight functions to identify and implement consistent and effective approaches to risk governance and control-based activities and to build internal capabilities and competencies.
• Perform other duties as required to support activities and projects of the unit.

Legal Framework:

Provide technical support in Management, Planning and Maintenance:

• Coordinate the implementation of the Legislative Framework, e.g., overseeing implementation of transitional arrangements of the Legislative Framework Policy such as identifying the needs for alignment or removal of materials in the LF Portal;
• Plan, prioritize and coordinate the day-to-day work relating to the Legislative Framework;
• Provide support and guidance towards ongoing improvement, alignment and implementation of the Legislative Framework, including lessons drawn from operations etc. (Keep a status matrix of UN Women Policies, Procedures and Guidance);
• Provide numbering to Policies, Procedures and Guidance;
• Act as the sole person who may upload documents to the repository;
• Keep records of all exceptions authorized to Policies and Procedures;
• Keep records of all inconsistencies/conflicts between documents; 
• Keep records of when documents are promulgated;
• Take steps to resolve problems with the functionality of the LF Portal;  
• Co-ordinate Legislative Framework issues with the LF Focal Points; and, 
• Conduct quality assurance of drafts of Policies, Procedures and Guidance.

Provide Monitoring and Oversight support:

• Act as a contact person for staff members for questions relating to the management of the Legislative Framework and the functioning of the LF Portal;
• Monitor that legal documents are reviewed annually and reporting to DMA if reviews are not done;
• Report any problem relating to the LF Portal that hasn’t been solved within reasonable time;
• Brief Senior staff on issues relating to the LF Portal and the Legislative Framework, as requested; and,
• Contribute input to audit responses or audit observations relating to the LF Portal or the Legislative Framework.

Provide Advisory, Communication, Guidance and Knowledge Management support:

• Promote knowledge of the Legislative Framework and compliance therewith through online content and facilitate live learning events for personnel at all levels;
• Make templates and guidance on how to write Policy, Procedure and Guidance available to personnel;
• Keep such templates and guidance updated; and,
• Assist personnel in all aspects of the Legislative Framework, e.g., determining if new legislation is required, if new content should be integrated, who should be consulted in the pre-legislative consultation, drafting issues, requesting authorization, resolving inconsistencies/conflicts, promulgation;
• Provide advice on ad hoc questions that arise; and,    
• Assist DMA in any ad hoc projects related to the Legislative Framework as requested.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Effective and consistent application across UN-Women of prescribed ERM methodology for risk identification, assessment, evaluation and reporting;
• Enhanced clarity of collected risk response and mitigation actions through prescribed escalation procedures;
• Increased awareness and practice of prescribed ERM approach across the organization through the alignment of risk management with mainstream business processes;
• Timely, quality analysis and collection of data to produce reports for decision making;
• Legislative framework policy is implemented and compliance is documented;
• Policies, Procedures and Guidance are quality assured to a high level and any promulgations, exceptions, resolution of inconsistencies are recorded;
• Regular reviews of Policies, Procedures and Guidance are conducted and follow up action taken;
• Questions relating to the management of the Legislative Framework and the functioning of the LF Portal are answered in a timely manner and problems escalated;
• Organizational awareness of the Legislative Framework is raised and training regularly conducted;
• Lessons learned are documented and suggestions made regarding the ongoing improvement, alignment and implementation of the Legislative Framework.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf.

Functional Competencies:

• Strong analytical and planning skills;
• Strong knowledge of Enterprise Risk Management and legal frameworks, particularly within the UN system;
• Strong conceptual and analytical abilities;
• Strong drafting skills, including the preparation of policies, procedures, guidance and other administrative documents,  and clear and concise reports;
• Ability to efficiently and effectively analyze complex information and to abstract general conditions from specific information;
• Excellent communication, presentation and facilitation skills;
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of variables in situations where only limited standardization exists;
• Ability to set and work towards defined goals, work well during transition, and able to help others adjust to change;
• Excellent organizational skills, sound judgment and attention to detail;
• Strong sense of initiative and ability to prioritize and work independently;
• Good understanding and appreciation of UN Women’s mandate, overall operational environment and frameworks. 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in one or more of the following disciplines: law, economics, finance, social sciences, business or public administration/management, or other field related to international development.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of proven international professional work experience in risk management and organizational planning and strategy or related area;
• Proven experience in Enterprise Risk Management development and implementation and organizational change management, particularly business process review, in a non-profitable international organization is preferred.
• Proven experience in conducting organizational training and awareness raising sessions with a diverse audience;
• Proven experience in the development and design of Management Information Systems;
• Must have experience with working across functions in a multi-cultural environment to achieve common organizational objectives.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required;
• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.

Application:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.