Executive Director

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP). The Executive Director reports to the Secretary-General through the Deputy Secretary-General (DSG). UNOP provides advice and support on leveraging partnerships and co-creating collaborations for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and related internationally agreed outcomes to the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General, the United Nations offices and departments, funds, programmes, specialized agencies and Member States.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Executive Director will be responsible for the following duties:

•Directs and manages all activities and operations of UNOP, including the UN Fund for International Partnerships, UN Democracy Fund, and SDG advocacy including the efforts through the SDG Action Hub and the SDG Advocates of the Secretary-General (SG).

•Contributes to the formulation of UNOP’s overall strategies and policies by participating in various committees, preparing documents on relevant policy issues, and acting, as required, in an advisory, thought leadership and coordination capacity to the DSG and the SG in regards to strategic collaborations and alignment to drive progress during the Decade of Action to deliver the SDGs and recover better from the COVID-19 pandemic; contribute to the overall management of UNOP’s activities and operations.

•Provides leadership to the development of innovative and/or change management programmes including guidance regarding partnership opportunities for duly vetted stakeholders/non-state actors as well as UN Global Compact signatories to engage with the United Nations system to advance the SDGs.

•Formulates and implements the substantive work programme of the Office/ under his/her supervision, determining priorities, and effectively mobilizing and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery.

•Oversees the management of activities undertaken by the Office, ensuring that programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion and co-ordinates work in the different areas within the Office, and with other organizations of the United Nations System, donors and agencies as appropriate, conceptualizes new campaigns, initiatives, and partnerships to drive progress on the SDGs including at the country level working closely with the Development Coordination Office, Resident Coordinators and the UN Country Teams.

•Co-ordinates and oversees the preparation of reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions (ACABQ), Fifth Committee of the General Assembly, Committee for Programme Coordination, Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate.

•Reports to intergovernmental bodies on budget/programme performance or on programmatic/substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports.

•Ensures that the outputs produced by the Office maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the office under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates.

•Undertakes or oversees the programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Office, including preparation of budgets, assigning and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on budget/programme performance, preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting, evaluation of staff performance (PAS), interviews of candidates for job openings and evaluation of candidates.

•Oversees the recruitment of staff for Office taking due account geographical and gender balance and other institutional values.

•Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision; foster teamwork and communication among staff in the office and across organizational boundaries.

•Chairs meetings, seminars, etc., on substantive-related issues; represents the Organization at international, regional, inter-agency meetings, seminars and conference; provides programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue, or holds programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions. Serve as ex officio on the Advisory Boards of the United Nations Office for Partnerships and the United Nations Democracy Fund.

•Perform other related duties as requested by the senior management of the Organization.

Competencies

•Professionalism: Knowledge of the partnership and advocacy ecosystem required to advance the Decade of Action to deliver the SDGs. Shows ability to produce reports and papers on issues related to partnership and advocacy work for the SDGs and to review and edit the work of others. Shows ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

•Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

•Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

•Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.

•Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in business or public policy and administration, finance, accounting, law, communications, social sciences or related area. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

Over fifteen years of progressively responsible experience in stakeholder engagement, networking, communications, advocacy, programme management or related field is required.
Over 12 years of direct experience with designing and execution of successful programmes, high-profile collaborations to advance the Sustainable Development Goals and the preceding Millennium Development Goals is desirable.
Experience with forging multi-stakeholder partnerships engaging UN entities, leaders, foundations, media organizations, financial actors and the private sector related to SDG delivery is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview.

Special Notice

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

Staff members appointed to the current position are required to submit a financial disclosure statement upon assignment or appointment and annually thereafter.

At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.