Consultant - Crisis Management Simulation Exercise

Result of Service The tabletop exercise is comprehensive, well-coordinated and well-executed in a timely manner and of a high quality. The report/after-action review on the evaluation of the tabletop exercise and the accompanying PowerPoint identify the challenges and good practices of the emergency management capabilities exercised and demonstrate a good understanding of what is expected of the SEPT and COG during crisis management.

Work Location United Nations

Expected duration 6 weeks

Duties and Responsibilities The United Nations Secretariat is seeking to engage a consultant to support the Sustainability and Resilience Management Unit (SRMU) with the preparation and facilitation of a crisis management tabletop exercise for the Senior Emergency Policy Team (SEPT) and Crisis Operations Group (COG) of the UN Secretariat in New York. Pursuant to the Maintenance, Exercise and Review (ME&R) Regime of the United Nations Policy on the Organizational Resilience Management System (ORMS), all aspects of the Organization’s response to and recovery from disruptive incidents will be exercised annually.

The United Nations Secretariat in New York, in partnership with New York-based United Nations Agencies, Funds and Programmes, regularly conducts crisis simulation exercises involving the SEPT, the COG, and the Crisis Management Bodies (CMB) of Agencies, Funds and Programmes (AFPs) headquartered in New York. The aim of the exercises is to test the emergency management plans and procedures of the organizations and to ensure the emergency management framework and the entities’ business continuity plans are fit for purpose.

The consultant is to undertake the following activities: - Support the SRMU in the preparations for the tabletop exercise; - Liaise with SRMU staff and other units and entities as required to support the development of the crisis scenario for the tabletop exercise and the definition of the evaluation criteria for exercise of the emergency management bodies; - Facilitate the half-day tabletop exercise; and - Produce an evaluation/after-action review of the tabletop exercise, including lessons learned and areas in need of improvement.

The consultant is expected to utilise and be knowledgeable of the United Nations ORMS policy, guidelines for crisis management and business continuity planning and publicly available and internal documents on organizational resilience mandates and operational activities. The consultant may be required to conduct brief interviews of relevant focal points.

Qualifications/special skills An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business administration or related field is required. A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in the specified fields of studies with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. A minimum of seven years of relevant experience in developing and conducting crisis management and business continuity simulation or review exercises is required. Experience with the United Nations Common System or similar international organization is desirable.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency in English is required. 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.