Senior ERM Coordinator

Before submitting an application, UNHCR staff members intending to apply to this Job Opening are requested to consult the Recruitment and Assignments Policy (RAP, UNHCR/HCP/2017/2 and the Recruitment and Assignments Administrative Instruction (RAAI), UNHCR/AI/2017/7 OF 15 August 2017.

Senior Enterprise Risk Management Coordinator

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

In the context of expanding and maintaining an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) system throughout the organization UNHCR's Risk Management 2.0 initiative will increase investment in and attention to risk management and oversight to better identify, mitigate and respond to important risks in field operations.  Key operational risks that affect delivery and impact will be reviewed with particular attention being paid to risks of fraud, corruption, partnerships related risks, money laundering and sexual exploitation and abuse of persons of concern as well as harassment among team members.

The incumbent is directly supervised by the Chief Risk Officer who defines general work objectives and provides necessary advice and guidance. S/he is the main Headquarters level coordinator of field-based Senior Risk Management and Compliance Advisors reviewing the adequacy of risk management and compliance systems, structures, procedures and capacities in their operations of deployment.  The incumbent will coordinate a network to ensure that best practices are shared and discussed, and that the network addresses overarching issues efficiently and systematically in coordination with Headquarters Bureaux and Divisions.

The incumbent shall actively engage with internal stakeholders, including with the Bureau and Headquarters¿ Divisions, as appropriate, to ensure alignment in reforms at the country-office level with relevant efforts/reforms at the Headquarters and Regional levels.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT

Accountability
- Systems, structures, procedures and capabilities relating to risk management, compliance and quality assurance are assessed across the selected operations in a coherent manner and recommendations are made on how to strengthen same at country, regional and/or Headquarters/global levels.
- The Senior Executive Team is informed through the Deputy High Commissioner about the progress, successes and difficulties of the deployed Senior Risk Management and Compliance Advisors.
- Donors and other stakeholders in the Operation are kept abreast of efforts, achievements and obstacles in the management of risk, in ensuring compliance and in ensuring quality of results. 

- Systems, structures, procedures and capabilities relating to risk management, compliance and quality assurance are assessed across the selected operations in a coherent manner and recommendations are made on how to strengthen same at country, regional and/or Headquarters/global levels.
- The Senior Executive Team is informed through the Deputy High Commissioner about the progress, successes and difficulties of the deployed Senior Risk Management and Compliance Advisors.
- Donors and other stakeholders in the Operation are kept abreast of efforts, achievements and obstacles in the management of risk, in ensuring compliance and in ensuring quality of results. 

Responsibility
- Coordinate and promote collaboration in the network of Snr Risk Management and Compliance Advisors to help address cross cutting issues.
- Share best practices within the network and with focal points in other operations on risk management, compliance, and oversight matters.
- Ensure that good examples on risk management considerations integrated into decision making, planning, monitoring, evaluation, reporting and contingency activities in the operations are shared and communicated.
- Conduct analysis of common findings in risk management, compliance, and oversight matters. In coordination with other expertise in the region and at HQs, identify lessons learnt and root cause(s) of recurring systemic issues in field operations that present high risks to the Organization.
- Prepare summary reports, with recommendations, on significant matters requiring management action or intervention;
- In collaboration with other units at Headquarters, the IGO and LAS, prepare, review and provide input to oversight information that may need to be shared outside the Organisation.
- Work closely with internal and external oversight entities, develop and implement a system and procedures to collect relevant data and efficiently track and report specific issues, trends and cross-cutting matters representing a high risk to the organization;
- Develop and disseminate training and communication materials on risk management and compliance responsibilities to ensure knowledge and skills gained are sustainable.
- Support the ERM inputs for official guidance on planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting.
- Contribute to risk management analysis, reporting, communication and policy writing.
- Provide regular updates to the Chief Risk Officer and senior management on the progress of Risk Management 2.0 in the field operations.
- Recommend changes in the approaches and assist the Senior Risk Management and Compliance Advisors in timely planning for a phase-out of the engagements.

Authority
- Make decisions on the content of reports and presentations to the Chief Risk Officer and senior management on the progress of engagements organisation-wide, on lessons learnt and common root causes of recurring high risks or emerging trends throughout the organization.
- Represent the Chief Risk Officer in relevant internal and external engagements within areas of the responsibility.
- Decide on administrative approaches and procedures pertinent to areas of the responsibility.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- Graduate degree (equivalent of a Master's) in Business Administration, Management, Law, Economics, International Relations or related field plus minimum 11 years of previous work experience relevant to the function. Undergraduate degree (equivalent of a BA/BS) plus 12 years or Doctorate degree (equivalent of a PhD) plus 10 years of previous relevant work experience may also be accepted.
- At least 6 years of experience in a senior managerial/leadership/advisory position involving, amongst other things, responsibilities relating to risk management, policy, compliance and/or quality of results.
- Excellent judgement with proven ability to deal with complex interrelated issues and strong analytical and problem solving skills to develop solutions that address root causes.
- Excellent communicator with strong interpersonal skills.
- Strong management skills in collaboration, team building, capacity development and with ability to deliver quality results on time. 
- Proven managerial experience in UNHCR, UN or humanitarian field and complex operations including emergencies in various geographical locations.
-    Willingness to undertake frequent travel and missions including to high-risk duty stations.
- Demonstrated high level of integrity, objectivity, impartiality and fairness.
- Fluency in English, including excellent drafting skills and capacity to communicate complex matters to a wide non-expert audience as well as to experts involved in the area of responsibility.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES
- Excellent knowledge of UNHCR¿s mandate, field operations, organizational structure, and policies.
- Working experience in an oversight function within the UN.
- Knowledge of and working experience with Enterprise Risk Management frameworks.
- Good working knowledge of French. C001L4 - Accountability Level 4
C002L4 - Teamwork & Collaboration Level 4
C003L4 - Communication Level 4
C004L4 - Commitment to Continuous Learning Level 4
C005L4 - Client & Result Orientation Level 4
C006L4 - Organizational Awareness Level 4
M001L4 - Empowering and Building Trust Level 4
M002L4 - Managing Performance Level 4
M006L4 - Managing Resources Level 4
M005L4 - Leadership Level 4
M003L4 - Judgement and Decision Making Level 4
M004L4 - Strategic Planning and Vision Level 4
X006L4 - Policy Development & Research Level 4
X001L4 - Analytical Thinking Level 4
X008L4 - Stakeholder Management Level 4 <p>The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.</p>
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See below for this postion's Operational Context
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For those people applying for High Risk Duty Stations, we strongly encourage them – before deciding to apply- to read the country specific security and welfare country profiles which can be found on the Intranet under Support Services - Duty of Care (https://intranet.unhcr.org/en/support-services/duty-of-care.html). Ensuring staff are better informed is part of the increased attention UNHCR is paying to Duty of Care.

 

Staff after having applied to High Risk Duty Stations will have access to country specific information webinars with Field Safety Section (FSS) and Staff Welfare Section (SWS) colleagues and provided with a tool to test their psychological preparedness for serving in High Risk Duty Stations. Applicants who applied for a position in a High Risk country will receive, after the deadline for applications has expired, a joint invitation from the Staff Welfare Section (SWS) and the Field Safety Section (FSS) to participate in these webinars. During the Webinars, latest updates on security and well-being will be provided, and FSS and SWS will address questions raised by participants. Applicants are highly encouraged to benefit, when applicable, from all measures as they provide most up-to-date security and well-being information helpful to assess staff’s readiness to serve in a High Risk Duty Station. A Staff Welfare Officer will also be available, if and when required, to discuss with interested applicants the results of the psychological preparedness tool as well as readiness for assignment in High Risk Duty Stations.

 

The understanding gained in different geographical locations, large and complex humanitarian operations, and high-risk environments (including emergencies) is essential to be successful in this position.  In addition to extensive field experience, the incumbent should have preferably served at headquarters, and should have proven capacity in translating field realities (including risks) into development of control/risk management frameworks, policies and internal controls.
Experience in managing partnerships, government stakeholders and inter-agency relations (gained from coordinating Refugee Response Plans, for example), is a requisite for a suitable candidate. The incumbent of this position must have demonstrated, sound understanding of enterprise risk management, coupled with hands-on experience in implementing an organization-wide risk management framework (with exposure to a wide range of risks), either at HQs or in a field setting. Additionally, the incumbent should have experience in policy setting and compliance monitoring within an international organization.
It is a requirement for a suitable candidate to have worked in diverse functional responsibilities in the field with direct programming, and operations management responsibilities (e.g. Senior Operations Manager, Senior Program Officer, Snr Field Coordinating roles). For external applicants, experience in organizations with multi-country presence and wide operational coverage, preferably in the public sector, NGOs or United Nations, is needed.  Responsibilities and experience should be in line with those explained above. Demonstrated understanding of the humanitarian field is required.
Strong ¿soft skills¿ in building the effective team of risk practitioners are needed, including the excellent drafting, communications and presentation skills. UNHCR has adopted a formal risk management system in 2014. The progress made by the organization in institutionalizing risk management in a light form has been acknowledged both internally and externally. In 2018 an organization-wide Risk Management 2.0 initiative was launched to further strengthen risk management, responding to the evolution of its operating environment. The aim of the initiative is to better identify, mitigate and respond to important risks in field operations, and to strengthen proactive risk aware decision-making.
Under the initiative, high risk operations will benefit from having additional risk management capacity embedded within the operations, with two roving positions supporting selected high-risk operations for a specific period of time (2-6 months).  Creating the effective network of risk advisors and practitioners will be required.
Risk management tools, best practices, lessons learnt will be further developed with the progress of field engagements in the course of the coming years. The open space working environment is in place at UNHCR HQs. Irregular workload spikes due to fluctuations of work intensity depending on the phase of the operations management cycle can be expected. Frequent international travel to UNHCR field operations may be required at short notice, including to high risk operations If an external applicant is selected, applicant with relevant UN or humanitarian work experience should be given high consideration as knowledge of the organization is essential to be able to assume the functions of the job with a minimum lead time.

Please note that the closing date for all vacancies in the September 2018 Compendium is Thursday 18 October  2018 (midnight Geneva time).