1A021A02
• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.
Organizational Setting
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through FAO's Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.
The Shared Services Centre (SSC), which is a part of the Logistics Services Division (CSL), is responsible for service delivery, process management and maintenance of procedures in specific areas of administration (HR, Finance, Travel), striving for effective execution; ensures the management of quality assurance activities associated with the transactional processes and implementation of service delivery; seeks to continuously improve the satisfaction of its customers, internal or external, while pursuing a continuous improvement agenda that will drive up service excellence while driving down the costs of service delivery through process standardization, process automation and self-service capabilities.
The SSC is a key user and stakeholder of the organizational Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System, consisting of Oracle eBusiness Suite and Business Intelligence platform and a number of satellite systems. The SSC is responsible for a large number of ERP processes and contributes to the evolution of the ERP System (and other systems) and its alignment with the business needs of the Organization.
The post is located in the Shared Services Centre (SSC) in Budapest, Hungary.
Reporting Lines
The Senior Continuous Improvement Officer reports to Chief of the Shared Services Centre (SSC) and works in close collaboration with the Digitization and Informatics Division (CSI). S/he supervises a number of staff and consultants in the Continuous Improvement unit as well as SSC projects.
Technical Focus
Lead and coordinate the functional architecture, process design and functional integration of the ERP environment, as well as the delivery of process innovation and continuous improvement initiatives. Contribute to the definition of future functional needs for the Organization's ERP in collaboration with CSI and policy owners; lead functional analysts in providing process improvement opportunities to deliver business transformation to meet the business needs and other continuous improvement projects.
Key Results
Identification and implementation of business improvements leading to increased effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of administrative services of the Organization.
Key Functions
• Identifies opportunities for improvement and efficiency of business processes; recommends solutions (as prioritized by key stakeholders), working with process owners and other subject matter experts to identify scope of processes to be examined, defines business requirements, establishes success criteria;
• Prepares work plans and monitors progress to ensure delivery of process and system improvement initiatives as per organizational needs and agreed priorities;
• Develops proposals for recommendations/solutions that allow senior management and process owners to make decisions about strategies and projects;
• Seeks opportunities for increasing organizational effectiveness and customer satisfaction in collaboration with key stakeholders;
• Recommends/facilitates quality improvement efforts and new best practices to ensure realization of improvement benefits;
• Coordinates rollout of changes/improvements including: deployment and communication plans, training material and other aspects of capacity building that contribute to continuous improvement.
Specific Functions
• Manages the design that underpins the development of the underlying technology solutions, in order to ensure that a proper and common design approach is adopted across the ERP system, for the adoption of realistic solution designs;
• Oversees the work in the following areas: scope identification, requirements analysis, gap analysis, solution feasibility, functional design, application configuration in collaboration with CSI, integration and user acceptance testing, support to deployment, and coordination between the technical and functional teams and business units during all phases of initiatives or changes;
• Evaluates and validates the design, quality, stability and maintainability of proposed modifications and enhancements required to fill gaps between standard ERP functionality (or other systems) and business requirements, or between existing processes and new requirements;
• Coordinates the resolution of design issues at system level and across functional units;
• Ensures that process changes are documented and communicated with due consideration for change management best practices;
• Manages the performance of team members under her/his supervision, defines objectives, and clarifies expectations, while delegating and managing deliverables; and otherwise coaches, mentors, motivates and supervises functional teams;
• Reports status of the design activities and projects to relevant parties; develops integrated plans and other relevant documentation (system and processes);
• Performs other activities, as required.
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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
• Advanced university degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Human Resources or related field.
• Ten years of relevant experience in administration and project management, or in implementing business transformation initiatives related to ERP environments.
• Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of English and limited knowledge (intermediate – level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish
Competencies
• Results Focus.
• Leading, Engaging and Empowering
• Communication
• Partnering and Advocating
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
• Strategic Thinking
Technical/Functional Skills
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions, is desirable.
• Extent and relevance of experience in leading diverse teams in international and multi-cultural settings
• Extent and relevance of functional experience working in ERP environments based on Oracle eBusiness suite or similar technologies (e.g. SAP), preferably in a public sector or international organization would be considered an asset.
• Extent and relevance of experience and knowledge of the UN Common system, and in particular in HR and Finance and Travel policies and procedures is considered an asset.
• Demonstrated ability in customer relationship management, negotiation and communication.