Consultant - Anti-Racism

Result of Service The objective of the consultancy is to support the Secretary-General’s vision of transforming the United Nations Secretariat to become a workplace where racism is actively addressed, where there is accountability for racist behaviour and where there is dignity for All at the workplace. The consultant will support the work of the Anti-Racism Team (ART) in the implementation of the recommendations of the Strategic Action Plan on addressing racism at the United Nations by providing expert advice on anti-racism training and learning for leadership and staff at various levels, change management in recruitment and career development opportunities as well as effective mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation of progress.

Work Location Remote

Expected duration 7 months

Duties and Responsibilities This consultancy is in the Anti-Racism Team (ART) in the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance.

The Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance, based out of UN Headquarters in New York, plays a critical role in realizing the Secretary-General's vision of a more agile, effective, transparent, accountable, decentralized and people-focused United Nations that supports renewed vitality and innovation and that empowers management, staff and partners to better deliver on organizational mandates.

ART is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Strategic Action Plan on addressing racism through high-level coordination, monitoring, and mainstreaming of the activities of the various implementing departments and offices within the United Nations global Secretariat.

The consultant reports to the Director of the Anti-Racism Team. The consultant will be responsible for the following duties:

Foundational training on antiracism ¿ Working closely with the Anti-Racism Team, the Office of Human Resources Management and the Capacity Development and Operational Training Service in the Department of Operational Support, develop and deliver a foundational crash course for senior leaders, hiring managers, middle managers, Anti-Racism Advocates, staff counsellors, investigators, conduct and discipline practitioners and other affinity groups on anti-racism advocacy. The course will provide critical knowledge about racism and racial discrimination, including how to recognize and address it in all its forms - institutional, structural, interpersonal, and personal. It will also support leaders and staff to effectively contribute to implementing the strategic action plan through a change management process. ¿ Contribute to and provide feedback on the organization’s long-term comprehensive training and learning framework to enhance awareness and capacity to address racism at the workplace and improve racial diversity in the Organization in positions of power. ¿ Propose measures to increase UN personnel engagement in the awareness and dialogue programmes facilitated by the office of the United Nations Ombudsperson.

Recruitment and retention ¿ Provide substantive advice and guidance on embedding an anti-racism approach in the Organization’s staffing process to eliminate racial discrimination and racial bias in recruitment, enhance racial diversity, and the fair application of the Organization's human resources norms, policies and procedures.

Monitoring and evaluation ¿ Propose a definition of racism and racial discrimination at the workplace that considers the Organization’s multicultural and multilingual context. ¿ Develop a transparent methodology for collecting data on racial identity and monitoring specific indicators to analyze racial diversity and evaluate progress against specific objectives and predefined benchmarks to assess progress. ¿ Considering existing structures, propose a long-term approach and mechanism for addressing racism and racial discrimination in the Secretariat.

Qualifications/special skills An advanced university degree (Master's or Doctorate degree, or equivalent) in social sciences; organizational psychology; human resources management; business administration, or a related field is required. A first-level degree (Bachelor's degree or equivalent) in the specified fields of studies with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted instead of the advanced university degree. A minimum of 15 years of experience in change management, culture change, and leadership transformation within large-scale institutions or lived experience background in the social sciences, especially anthropology, sociology and cultural studies, institutional and structural racism, bias or diversity, equity and belonging., etc. is required. Experience in communicating with an inclusive approach for personnel across multiple duty stations and understanding of power and cultural dynamics in team building is required. Experience in developing trainings and relevant materials for addressing racism and racial discrimination and promoting change management at an institutional level is required. Expertise in concepts and approaches relevant to addressing racism and racial discrimination in institutional, international and multicultural setting is required.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy posting, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

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.