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Special Assistant

New York City

  • Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
  • Location: New York City
  • Grade: Mid level - P-4, International Professional - Internationally recruited position
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Operations and Administrations
    • Administrative support
  • Closing Date: Closed

Background

The Bureau for Management Services is based in UNDP Headquarters, New York, and with outposted locations across multiple country locations, regional hubs, global shared service centres. 
 
The Directorate is BMS’ "one-stop shop" for management expertise, policy advice, implementation support, and innovative operations solutions to unique business needs of its clients - UNDP Country Offices and HQs units and UN Agencies. 
 
In performing her/his functions, the Special Assistant provides day-to-day comprehensive support to the Assistant Administrator and Director, working in close collaboration with other BMS senior managers and staff, as well as the Executive Office, and other senior level officials across the organization and the UN system. The Special Assistant ensures full confidentiality and discretion in all aspects of the business of the office, maintenance of protocol procedures, management of information flow and follow-up on deadlines and commitments made. 
 
The Special Assistant also coordinates inputs on UN reform initiatives, including support to follow up on the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review process, United Nations Development Group (UNDG), Chief Executive Board, and High-Level Committee on Management meetings. The Special Assistant supports the Director on inputs relevant to support the UN Secretary Generals reform initiatives in line with the ASGs role in various high-level advisory groups.
 
 

Duties and Responsibilities

Provides technical support to advance the BMS Director’s priorities with a focus on supporting the Director, Deputy Director, and Management Practice leaders in creating traction and organization for critical organizational investments
  • Keeps abreast of major trends and events across the UN Development System and advises Directorate management especially on impact to BMS management and operations services. 
  • Identifying holistic impact of new UN policy or procedures changes on BMS operations and services and recommending new solutions; 
  • Prepares policies, procedures, position papers, guidance notes and project documents on cross-cutting management issues; 
  • Reviews, analyzes and quality assures key policy documents prepared by BMS Units before submission to internal and external governance bodies. This includes submissions to the Executive Group (EG) and Organizational Performance Group (OPG).
Facilitates effective corporate collaboration between BMS and Central and Regional Bureaux
  • Represents the BMS policy agenda in inter-bureau working mechanisms and negotiates and coordinates follow-up on specific deliverables with senior managers of BMS and other HQs units to ensure their quality and timely delivery; 
  • Provides advice and guidance to BMS units on result-based management and corporate planning matters; 
  • Contributes to the collaborative design of key corporate initiatives, in direct support of the Directorate;
  • Analyzes components of new service delivery models and new client delivery requirements, identifying coordination issues, recommending solutions, and working across teams to assist in implementation.
 
Leads substantive internal communication practices for the BMS Directorate
  • Synthesizes substantive content for internal and external communication, to ensure that BMS is effectively contributing to UNDP’s public relations and client relationship management approach; 
  • Prepares substantive briefs for UNDP’s management practice leaders and BMS Directors; 
  • Serves as a focal point to the BERA Communications Team and resource people supporting the BMS communications requirements;
  • Supports the coordination of UNDP Management Practice Networks; 
  • Contributes to strengthening the capability of the BMS Directorate to lead on consolidated business Intelligence for management practices as well as UNDP’s SDG integrator network.
Facilitates seamless information-sharing across and between Management Practice leaders located outside of HQ
  • Serves as an on-the-ground and engaged assistant for Managers leading complex corporate initiatives from afar (e.g. clustering);
  • Champions internal knowledge management and supports easy access to essential management information for Directors and team leaders;
  • Promotes and tests internal collaboration approaches to be used by BMS team leaders and colleagues with the intent of creating visibility of work efforts planned or in progress.
Support to Management of Directorate  
  • Manages specific projects on behalf of the Directorate, and serves as Manager Level 1 approver for all Directorate projects; 
  • Serves as the primary support for the Director/Deputy Director in managing the BMS Director meetings;
  • Performs other duties, as assigned by the Director / Deputy Director.
 
Impact of Results 
 
Affects a wide range of the organization’s activities and commitments that directly reflects on the competence of the organization, e.g. failure to provide effective and efficient management solutions will significantly affect BMS and UNDP’s ability to deliver on the Strategic Plan. 
 

Competencies

Core
Innovation
  • Ability to make new and useful ideas work
Leadership
  • Ability to persuade others to follow

People Management

  • Ability to improve performance and satisfaction
Communication
  • Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform
Delivery
  • Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement
Technical/Functional
Relationship Management
  • Ability to engage with other parties and forge productive working relationships
Risk Management
  • Ability to identify and prioritize risks, and organize action around mitigating them
Operational Efficiency
  • Ability to identify and execute opportunities to improve operational efficiency
Quality Assurance
  • Ability to perform administrative and procedural activities to insure that quality requirements and goals are fulfilled
Stakeholder Management
  • Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and balance often contradictory expectations, building and maintaining relationships
Internal Reporting and Accountability
  • Ability to create internal reporting and accountability processes and standards
Data Analysis
  • Ability to evaluate, transform and model data to derive relevant findings- undertake & provide analysis of data to assess organizational performance and or global trends
Knowledge Management
  • Ability to capture, develop, share and effectively use information and knowledge

Required Skills and Experience

Education:
  • Advanced degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Information Technology, Finance, or relevant field of professional management and operational management. 
Experience:
  • Minimum 7 years of relevant professional experience in UNDP operational management, or with comparable operations management experience in a complex, global, organization.
  • Experience in policy advisory roles internal to UNDP/UN system is an asset; 
  • Experience in the field of development, part of which should be in the UN System; 
  • Experience of country or regional office work is an asset; 
  • Solid experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (Analytics and ERP systems, etc.) required
Language Requirements:
  • Fluent in English; knowledge of another UN language an asset.

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders)

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment. 

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Workforce diversity

UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

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This vacancy is now closed.
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