Consultancy (11.5 months): Senior Project Manager (UNISON), Operations and Finance, Division of Private Fundraising and Partnerships (PFP)

Contract

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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 UNICEF Strategic Plan 2018-21 recognizes that the private sector has an increasingly more critical role to play in achieving results for children. Engagement with the private sector - to leverage income, influence, innovation and core assets - has the potential to accelerate the achievement of UNICEF's strategic goals.

UNISON is not new for UNICEF. Partnerships teams across UNICEF Country and Regional Offices and National Committees have had access to the system since 2015. However, use until to 2019 was, for the most part, limited to managing partnerships profiling and due diligence review processes.

The UNISON Project, initiated in 2019 and co-sponsored by the PFP Private Sector Fundraising and Partnerships and Operations and Finance Sections, aims to realize the full potential of UNISON through the partnership management cycle - from profiling and due diligence, to contract and account management, forecasting, reporting, business analytics and planning and to develop a collective – UNICEF and National Committees – ability to manage relationships with business partners and donors in a way which is efficient, agile, and strategically coordinated around the Strategic Plan goals.

Through 2020, new UNISON functionality was designed and implemented to address identified business requirements, project governance structures were established and gained credibility, and user adoption began to grow. In 2021, the project focus will be to win user ‘hearts and minds’ to further increase adoption and systematic usage, improve the quality of data and enhance business process efficiency and agility – thereby realizing greater benefits from UNISON.

How can you make a difference?

Reporting to the Deputy Director, Operations and Finance, the Senior Project Manager (UNISON) will lead the development and implementation of a change management strategy, which will be one of the key enablers in the development and stewardship of private sector partnerships globally.

The strategy will address internal communication, capacity development, opportunities for business and technology development, project design and management, and support for project governance.

The Senior Project Manager (UNISON) will be responsible for all aspects of the UNISON Project, including as it expands to incorporate the business requirements of UNICEF’s Public Partnerships Division (PPD) and as development, maintenance and licensing arrangements for UNISON are transitioned, as an Enterprise Solution, to Information & Communication Technology Division (ICTD).

MAIN TASKS

1. Drive engagement with UNISON by partnerships leads and teams across UNICEF

a. Develop and implement strategy to drive broader and more effective engagement with UNISON by UNICEF teams responsible for private and public sector partnerships, which will include

1. Documenting the compelling business case for UNISON, with its current and new and improved features, to improve results for children

2. Establishing an internal communications and capacity building plan

3. Coordinating the development and maintenance of capacity development materials and regulatory framework content, including standard operating procedures, for UNISON

4. Identifying and leveraging opportunities, in meetings, across networks and platforms, and on collaboration sites, to communicate the compelling business case to UNICEF teams responsible for private and public sector partnerships

5. Positioning UNISON within the ‘digital transformation framework’ being championed within the Partnerships cone in UNICEF’s strategic plans

6. Working with UNICEF leaders, including in OED, to reinforce expectations that UNISON will be the primary source of information on partnerships

7. Formulating KPIs or other measures of success and analyzing these and other usage statistics and user surveys to identify successful activities and best practices for replication and issues and gaps for learning, attention, and improvement

2. Establish and maintain robust project governance

a. In consultation with the Project Sponsors, and PPD and ICTD;

1. Support effective oversight of project activities by the Project Board, including the convening of regular and otherwise required project board meetings, timely and appropriate preparation and dissemination of agenda, documentation, and minutes/ decisions

2. Develop effective governance arrangements for the anticipated transition of UNISON to ‘enterprise solution’ (in 2022)

3. Plan for and complete an orderly handover to the future governance arrangements

3. Manage project activities and deliverables, timelines, and resources

a. In consultation with the project stakeholders,

1. Develop, manage, and evaluate implementation of the project plan

2. Manage requests for changes to the project plan or UNISON, seeking Project Board approval when deemed necessary

b. Direct the work of multiple teams and monitor the work of the consultants and staff engaged in developing and supporting UNISON

c. Estimate and secure appropriate investment / resources for project activities and deliverables

d. Identify and monitor project risks and required mitigation activities

e. Monitor, revise as appropriate, and report on utilization of the UNISON budget

f. Administer and update the UNISON Communications Site and the UNISON Project Collaboration Site

4. Build collaborative relationships with project stakeholders

a. Develop effective working relationships with key project stakeholders, including to

1. Users (e.g. Regional and Country Offices, Natcom Salesforce community hosted by UNICEF Australia):

   1. Exchange information and monitor implementation and usage

   2. Explore the interoperability, and related potential constraints, of UNISON with other customer relationship management systems (e.g. used by National Committees)

2. PPD:

3. Support the conceptualization, design and implementation of the business solution for public sector partnerships

4. ICTD:

5. Understand new features and improvements in the annual Salesforce releases, evaluate whether they have value for UNICEF and inform recommendations for future development of UNISON

6. Prepare for transition of UNISON development, maintenance and licensing activities to the Enterprise Solutions team

7. ‘Salesforce Customer Success’ (and other potential vendors):

8. Keep abreast of Salesforce releases and anticipated developments to inform and improve UNICEF business outcomes using UNISON

DELIVERABLES

The consultant will develop and implement an internal communication and capacity building strategy to increase adoption and consistent usage across UNICEF partnership teams and produce governance and project management documentation to ensure efficient and effective use of UNICEF resources, successful project implementation and smooth transition to the ‘enterprise solution’ managed by ICTD. The approach and activities could change as the project progresses and may require an extension to these terms of reference.

The consultant will accomplish the objectives of the project by producing the following deliverables as required:

• Project requirements, scope and plans developed in collaboration with team members and stakeholders, with defined interdependencies to ensure integrated actions and on-time delivery;
• Major project documentation created and maintained, e.g. Gantt Chart, Risk Log, Budget tracking and Run Rate, project calendars, and etc.;
• Briefings to stakeholders prepared and presented as required to UNICEF governance groups and leadership teams;
• Work plans, progress reports, updates, strategy and recommendations provided to the Project Board for discussion and approval;
• Lessons learned and appropriate documentation of the project to record implemented processes and support knowledge transfer.

ESTIMATED DURATION OF THE CONTRACT AND PROPOSAL

11.5 months, tentatively starting on 1 March 2021.

REPORTING TO

Deputy Director, Operations & Finance, UNICEF Division of Private Fundraising and Partnerships (PFP)

WORKPLACE

Remote work, with core working hours established by Deputy Director, Operations & Finance, based on project activities and locations.

Occasional travel depending on project activities and locations (subject to COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions).

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

Education:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in one of the following fields is required: Business Administration, Marketing, Communications, Fundraising, Management or another relevant technical field.

• Alternatively, a first level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in a relevant field combined with 12 years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of ten years of professional experience in project and/or operations management or private sector partnerships and/or fundraising is required, with progressively increasing responsibilities, including for strategy development and implementation.

• Experience of managing large-scale, complex projects and/or organizational change processes on a global scale is desirable.

• Familiarity with / experience of developing international private sector partnerships and/or fundraising (with businesses, foundations, major donors) is desirable, and specifically in a UNICEF context.

• Familiarity with / experience using Salesforce or other Customer Relationship Management system is desirable.

Language requirements:

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.

Skills:

• The ability to empower others to translate vision into results.
• Capacity to anticipate and resolve conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions.

• Demonstrated ability and experience advising and influencing senior management, providing insights that lead to key decision making within the organization.

• Proven ability to develop effective long-term strategic plans, with appropriate allocation of time and resources, and foresee risks and allow for contingencies when planning.

• Proven ability to implement clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies, identify priority activities, adjust priorities as needed to meet organizational goals.
• Demonstrated ability to adjust to unexpected challenges and proposing countermeasures accordingly.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and encourage innovative ideas, foster a culture of innovation within the team. Strong entrepreneurial skills.

• Diplomatic negotiation, influencing and networking skills to establish and maintain trusted partnerships and to develop close and effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders.

• Excellent communications skills, verbal and written.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

Remarks: Please indicate your ability, availability and gross daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above (including travel and daily subsistence allowance, if applicable). Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered. Also, please mention the earliest date you can start.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

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.

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.