Chief Risk Officer

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.

Chief Risk Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is actively engaged in responding to the needs of over 67 million forcibly displaced people seeking international protection.  Many of the organization's operations are taking place in fragile political environments with high risks such as risks of organised crime, terrorism, corruption and the abuse and exploitation of vulnerable people.  UNHCR continues to invest in enterprise risk management (ERM), and is committed to further enhancing its ¿culture¿ of risk, whereby risk management is an integral part of good management and used as a tool to strengthen commitments to integrity, impact and accountability to persons of concern and other stakeholders.

Reporting to the Deputy High Commissioner, the Chief Risk Officer (CRO) provides leadership and direction for enterprise risk management in UNHCR. S(he) will be responsible for enhancing and strengthening UNHCR¿s policies, processes and frameworks for enterprise risk management.

The incumbent will lead the ERM team at Headquarters as well as the network of Risk Management practitioners across UNHCR, with the objective of improving the application of risk management organisation-wide and meeting evolving organisational needs. The CRO will also act as a champion to embed risk management into the daily operations of UNHCR, helping to ensure proactive response throughout the organization. Special attention will be paid to coherence, identification of systemic and emerging risks requiring a corporate-wide response, and sharing of good risk management practices and lessons learnt across the organization.

The incumbent will work closely with the Senior Executive Team (SET) and other senior managers to assess risks faced by the organization, and will monitor, measure and coordinate action, as needed, on major and critical threats to the organization's operations and persons of concern. S(he) will support managers and risk management focal points at all levels of the organization to discharge their responsibilities with respect to UNHCR's ERM framework.

The incumbent shall work with a broad range of other internal stakeholders, including Internal Audit, Evaluation Service, Ethics Office, Legal Affairs Service and the Office of the Inspector General, as well as with the Regional Bureaux and relevant Divisions, to align reforms and initiatives and to bring forward issues of mutual focus.

The incumbent shall also actively engage with external stakeholders, including Member States, partners, donors, and refugee/host communities, to maximize collective efforts to identify and manage risk and strengthen compliance and quality of services provided to persons of concern. The incumbent provides updates on the implementation and functioning of ERM to the Independent Audit and Oversight Committee (IAOC), the Executive Committee (ExCom) and the Board of Auditors. Furthermore, the incumbent represents UNHCR in the UN ERM network, speaks with an authoritative voice on ERM matters, and works closely with other key UN agencies to develop ERM best practice and identify opportunities to improve UNHCR's ERM framework.


All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR¿s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties

- Provide overall vision, leadership and direction for enterprise risk management in UNHCR, providing authoritative guidance to UNHCR¿s senior management in this area.
- Lead and directly supervise the ERM team at HQ. Functionally supervise and coordinate the network of Senior Risk Management and Compliance Advisors in UNHCR, based both in country operations and in the Regional Bureaux, ensuring continuous skills development and proactive, effective and harmonized implementation of ERM in UNHCR.
- Support managers and risk management focal points at all levels of the organization to discharge their responsibilities with respect to UNHCR's ERM policy and framework.
- Ensure the maintenance and enhancement of a comprehensive ERM framework across the organization, supporting senior management in their efforts to embed and sustain risk management in UNHCR's daily operations.
- Promote the application of strong risk management processes, culture and practice and provide oversight and support for the implementation of related activities within UNHCR.
- Maintain the Strategic Risk Register, owned by the High Commissioner, and monitor and report on the implementation of mitigation strategies approved by the Senior Executive Team. Oversee and coordinate the bottom-up corporate risk management process.
- Provide regular updates, analysis and reports both internally and externally on matters related to risk, including on emerging risks and opportunities. Ensure critical and emerging risks are systematically escalated to the appropriate management level.
- Support the dissemination of information, best practices and lessons learnt with regard to risk management principles and practices across the organization. Develop and deliver, as appropriate, communication and training programs to enhance UNHCR's risk management culture. Lead risk assessments and other risk discussions with both UNHCR staff as well as external parties, as required.
- Implement and maintain the necessary ERM systems, tools and data management capabilities to properly support risk management. Ensure enhanced use of data as part of the risk management process.
- Lead the efforts to embed risk management and integrity considerations more consistently into strategic discussions, policy development, planning, decisions on resource allocation and other organizational processes across all three levels of the organization.
- Promote collaboration of different functions and / or entities within UNHCR to address cross cutting risks and issues. Support the organization's efforts to strengthen the culture of integrity and accountability.
- Represent UNHCR in relevant internal and external meetings on risk management related matters.
- Ensure, through coordinating the functional clearance process for the risk management positions and participating in the interview processes, that the incumbents hired for the risk positions possess the required technical and soft skills.
- Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For D1 - 17 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 16 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 15 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Business Administration; International Affairs;
Political Science; Risk Management;  or other relevant field.
(Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Certificates and/or Licenses
*Certification / degree in Risk Management from a well-recognized institution.
Prince2-Project Management or other project management certification
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential:
At least 8 years of experience in senior managerial/leadership positions, involving direct responsibilities in designing and implementing enterprise risk management frameworks and providing authoritative guidance to senior management in this area. Experience in liaising with governmental and / or diplomatic authorities as well as international institutions and partner organizations. 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 and writing skills, including demonstrated ability to speak in public in a credible manner. Strong management skills in collaboration, team building, capacity development and with ability to deliver quality results on time. Exposure to and understanding of UN or humanitarian operations. Demonstrated high level of integrity, objectivity, impartiality and fairness. Certification / degree in risk management from a well-recognized institution, demonstrating in-depth technical expertise in risk management.
Desirable:
Good working knowledge of UNHCR's mandate, field operations, organizational structure, and policies & procedures. Experience from leading change management projects and building and leading effective networks. Experience from facilitating senior level discussions, including risk assessments.

Functional Skills
MG- Risk Management;
TR-Training/Coaching/Facilitation;
MG-Change Management (Tools/Design/Administration)
MG-Project Management;
MS-Provide support, advice, and guidance in the relevant field;
MG-Strategic Planning;
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
Essential: Fluency in English (oral and written)
Desirable: Fluency in additional UN languages 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
X005L4 - Planning and Organizing Level 4
X001L4 - Analytical Thinking Level 4
X008L4 - Stakeholder Management Level 4

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.

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.

 

Please note that the closing date for all vacancies in this addendum is Tuesday 25 June 2019 (midnight Geneva time).