Chief Risk Officer, D-1, Office of the Executive Director (OED), New York HQ

Contract

This is a D-1 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 15 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 242,484 USD and 305,990 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, hope..

The Chief Risk Officer (CRO) will report to the Deputy Executive Director and lead the RMU. The CRO supports the elaboration of risk registers and facilitates risk assessments in large and complex operations with a view to updating analysis and management measures and, when required, integrating new measures to mitigate priority risks in programme implementation while protecting operational delivery.

The incumbent leads the ERM Secretariat at Headquarters as well as the network of Risk Management practitioners across UNICEF, with the objective of improving the application of risk management and meeting evolving organizational needs. The CRO shall identify systemic and emerging risks requiring a corporate-wide response and champion good risk management practices and lessons learnt across the organization. The CRO represents UNICEF in high level meetings, symposia, fora, and conferences and builds organizational networks with peers in the UN system and other relevant sectors as applicable.

How can you make a difference?

This role Champions Enterprise Risk Management and ensures effective reporting. Key functions include:

• Oversees the implementation of the Enterprise Risk Management framework in compliance with the organization’s risk appetite framework ensuring ongoing engagement across UNICEF to identify risks, while protecting UNICEF’s ability to deliver results for children.

• Performs analysis on risk data and reports to senior management on the risk profile and potential impact on emerging risks in line with the UNICEF Risk Appetite Statements.

• Develops a Strategic vision and promotes a children-focused Risk Appetite approach - specifically ensuring that ERM is embedded into

Strategic and Operational planning processes and in decision making processes through risk guidelines.

• Communicates with management through a forum such as SMRC about status of enterprise risks including severity and emerging risks, as well as mitigating actions.

• Leads the development of the overall risk management framework and re-calibration of the UNICEF risk appetite statement.

• Develops and continuously monitors the ERM implementation plan that includes responsibilities, approach, concrete steps, and performance measures, and maintains the Corporate Risk Register.

• Provides support for maintaining accurate data for timely risk reporting, and formulation of UNICEF policies, guidelines, and practices on risk management.

• Acts as secretariat of the SMRC, determines the agenda with the committee chair and organizes relevant speakers, and ensures necessary endorsement procedures by the committee.

• Prepares and delivers presentations as well as other special presentations on ERM. This includes the drafting of an annual report to the

Executive Director and relevant stakeholders; frequent reviews by the Senior Management Risk Committee, the Audit Advisory Committee and executive management; as appropriate, to ensure the ongoing relevance of the strategy and to maintain enterprise-wide commitment to ERM.

• Disseminates enterprise risk policies and guidance and promotes good practices on risk management to reinforce a coherent approach

throughout the Organization, through benchmarking within UNICEF and across UN agencies and any other relevant organizations.

• Engages closely with the Heads of Offices and helps improve their risk management activities by providing necessary methodology and

guidance on risk definitions, assessment criteria, and the cascading of institutional risk acceptance and mitigation to programme activities and business processes.

• Recommends technical solutions that provide the tools to engage risk owners to efficiency, effectively, and timely communicate their risk activities with other risk owners so that risk interdependencies can be monitored and redressed, and to aggregate, monitor, and analyze to yield a holistic perspective on enterprise risks in timely manner as determined by the SMRC.

• Periodically reviews appropriate practices, policies, and procedures for the ERM with a view to strengthen risk management framework and to ensure that risk management policies and standards are adequate and up to date.

• Continuous review of risk management supporting and enabling tools and platforms and ensuring system fixes and enhancements are

timely and proactively planned and properly made available. Liaises with other Operating Units and supports cross-functional ERM work

• Management of risk-related data analytics work and collaborate with OIAI on assessment and information sharing

• Liaising with Business Continuity and Resilience Unit in DFAM and providing inputs to the development of business continuity plans,

information security management and assessment programs as well as helping in Management reporting requirements.

• Work with enabling services (HQ risk owners) on the assessment of key organizational risks

• Leads and develops capacity

• Manages the development and implementation of the ERM unit’s annual work program and budget.

• Coordinates and collaborates with risk owners within UNICEF and ensures the overall quality of their work, providing clear direction and

regular monitoring and feedback on their performance.

• Promotes and disseminates policies, guidance, good practices, and lessons learnt related to risk management in the operation and within the risk network; provide support and input for global risk management guidance, tools, methodologies, and initiatives.

• Delivers risk awareness, provides training, gives specific inputs to staff members on demand and arranging for development and periodic updating of training materials on operational risk and enterprise risk management for all stakeholders to support operationalization of the risk appetite statement.

• Provides coaching and mentoring to individuals and ensures their on-going learning and development.

• Performs other related duties as required by a Deputy Executive Director.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• An Advanced University degree (Master’s or equivalent) in Business Administration, Auditing, Economics, Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• Professional Certification in Risk Management is an advantage.
• A minimum of thirteen (13) years of relevant professional experience with at least five (5) years of progressively responsible work experience in formal risk and compliance management activities acquired at the international level, with in an international organization is required.
• Ability to analyze risk data, corporate risk register and to effectively and concisely communicate risk information identified by the ERM process to Executive Management/ Management Level Risk Committee is desirable.
• Results-oriented decision-making with the ability to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems and to translate business strategies and needs into practical and effective risk management solutions.
• Prior experience with Integrated Risk Management Platform is desirable.

• Proven ability to work effectively with a broad set of internal and external stakeholders in implementing and executing a robust risk

  management program.

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an important asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability (CRITA) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

Nurtures, leads, and manages people (3)

Builds and maintains partnerships (3)

Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3)

Drive to achieve results for impact (3)

Innovates and embraces change (3)

Manages ambiguity and complexity (3)

Thinks and acts strategically (3)

Works collaboratively with others (3)

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.