Corporate Research Manager, P-4, FT, PASS, PFP, Geneva, Switzerland

Contract

This is a P-4 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 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 168,113 USD and 216,746 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.

Private sector research and due diligence are integral aspects of UNICEF’s scoping and selection work for working with business. This area of work, conducted on behalf of the organization by the Private Fundraising and Partnerships Division (PFP), aims to support UNICEF’s effective engagement with business, while at the same time ensuring that interactions with companies are pursued in alignment with the organization’s integrity standards and its mandate, and reflect an adequate assessment of the risks and opportunities that engagements may pose to UNICEF and ultimately to children.

Core to this function, managed at PFP by the Partnerships Advisory and Support Services (PASS) team, are the following areas of work:

1. strategic advisory support and risk analysis in the development of private sector partnerships and other engagements by the full UNICEF ecosystem, including National Committees, to ensure alignment to policy, procedure, guidance, and overall risk appetite at the organizational level.
2. corporate research and due diligence risk assessments, specifically the review of prospective and current private sector partners and activities considered by UNICEF for potential interaction against the above-mentioned frameworks and parameters for engagement, applying a specific due diligence and approval process.
3. coordination and consistency ensured both within the organization with respect to private sector partnership positioning, and outside the organization with sister UN agencies and their respective due diligence teams and inter-agency coordination mechanisms on partnerships advisory support and due diligence.

For every child, a Champion

The incumbent will work closely with the Chief, PASS, to coordinate the efforts of the Partnerships Advisory and Support Services (PASS) team, its related policies, plans, and tools to support UNICEF engagement with the private sector by providing business intelligence and by coordinating processes on integrity standards and risk management.

Specifically, manage and coordinate a sub-team with the PASS unit with a given geographic and thematic focus (e.g., coordinating the support to specific markets, ensuring on-time pipeline allocation and turn-around of due diligence requests, analyzing trends, coordinating capacity-building and training, and contributing in setting policy positions across the team). Coordinate the private sector research activities conducted by staff and consultant(s) within the incumbent’s direct and indirect reports in the central PFP-based due diligence team, particularly in support of new engagements, to identify strategic opportunities and to proactively manage tactical and operational issues, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s mandate and its current programmatic and advocacy efforts, referring strategic matters for review to the Chief, PASS.

Support in developing advisory recommendations for PFP and the broader organization on ethical and risk management issues related to UNICEF's positioning towards engaging with business and the private sector, including specific sectors or companies as well as global philanthropy partners, specific areas, or modalities of engagements (new, emerging, sensitive, innovative, etc.), and therefore informing and contributing in drafting and developing related policies and strategic organizational positions, decision papers, procedures, etc..

Responsible for planning, monitoring, data analytics, and reporting on the work of direct and indirect reports in their team, while also ensuring the promotion of due diligence knowledge through training, ad-hoc coaching, tools development, and the effective use of existing online and physical fora and platforms to benefit fundraisers, decision-makers, managers and the full spectrum of colleagues engaging with the private sector across the full UNICEF ecosystem.

Supports the Chief, PASS team, in representing and promoting UNICEF’s positioning and work on engaging with business and applicable integrity standards and risk management within and outside the organization, including with other UN agencies and inter-agency mechanisms, in order to ensure better coherence, knowledge-sharing and the use of the most up to date tools in the area.

How can you make a difference?

1. Effective PASS policy development and implementation

• Coordinates the implementation and updating of due diligence policies, criteria, and processes to ensure effective support to UNICEF’s business engagement strategy and to reflect its evolution in scope, modalities, trends, and complexity.
• Develops advice and recommendations around ethical and risk management issues related to UNICEF positioning toward engaging with specific sectors, companies, or philanthropy partners, therefore informing the development of related policies and strategic organizational choices, in consultation with the Chief, PASS.
• Work as required, on issues related to strategic alignment and proper business conduct (e.g., prevention of conflicts of interest) in private sector engagements combining different UNICEF objectives and different operational divisions (e.g., programme innovation, fundraising, supply and procurement, advocacy, CSR, etc.)
• Represents and promotes PFP/UNICEF in interagency/divisional discussions related to due diligence policies and risk management practices for private sector engagement, working under the leadership of the Chief, PASS team in contributing to better coherence among the different stakeholders within the organization and across the broader UN family.

2. Effective planning and coordination of PASS functions

• Coordinate the work of direct and indirect reports in the incumbent’s branch of the PFP’s PASS team based centrally (currently in Geneva) as a key, value-added function for the organization’s corporate engagement work. Ensure that the team immediately supervised delivers quality business intelligence and proper assessment and advice around risk management for prospective and existing partnerships, with particular focus on PFP new business strategies and pipeline development.
• Coordinates annual work-planning processes for their sub-team and in liaison with section-wide workplans, and with respect to input into PFP and organization-wide strategic planning processes, coordinates regular reporting of progress against PASS team deliverables, user compliance and feedback, while also ensuring and refining quality data, monitoring and analysis around the due diligence function.
• Ensures the availability of relevant, robust, and updated corporate research and due diligence information and recommendations through business processes and management tools, including UNICEF customer relationship management system (CRM) , the PASS intranet platform and PASS Teamsite.
• Supports effective linkages with other PFP research and knowledge management activities to ensure that PASS policies are reflected, and conversely PASS is informed and in tune with other research efforts (e.g., market knowledge, consumer trend analyses, country corporate mappings, etc.).

3. Advanced knowledge of PASS and effective communication

• Develops, maintains, and proactively disseminates advanced knowledge and understanding of existing trends, tools, and methodologies in the area of sustainability research and organizational reputational risk management.
• Ensures effective, targeted, and customer friendly dissemination of this knowledge in the most appropriate way depending on the need, such as 1) coordinating the development and delivery of training modules, 2) providing PASS sessions in relevant fundraising and corporate engagement meetings, 3) providing day to day support to staff of PFP, National Committees, country offices and other HQ divisions.
• Supports the Chief, PASS, and the team at large in the development and dissemination of relevant and valuable guidance documents and tools to support training and further understanding on CE policy and practices.

To qualify as a Champion for every child you will have…

Education:

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required, International Development, Human Rights, Corporate Social Responsibility, Business Management, or Communication.
• Alternatively, a first-level university degree in combination with two years of additional professional work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of eight years of progressively responsible professional work experience in Corporate Social Responsibility, ESG/Sustainability policy and practices, market research, child rights advocacy, fundraising, communications, and/or project management is required.
• Familiarity with UNICEF programmatic work and/or child rights programming is required.
• Fundraising and/or marketing experience is an asset.
• Proficient knowledge of current theories and practices in socially responsible investing and social, environmental, and governance issues is an asset.
• Proficiency in writing briefing and concept notes is required.
• Proven ability to express clearly and concisely ideas and concepts in written and oral form, and specific skills in developing proposals and presentations for alliances are required.
• Proven ability to conceptualize, plan, and execute ideas, as well as impart knowledge and teach skills is required.
• Proven ability to effectively manage relationships with fundraising partners and senior-level staff is an asset.
• Experience in managing staff and overseeing the work of consultants is an asset.
• This role requires that the incumbent be equipped with specialized competencies, qualifications, and advanced levels of expertise. The co-presence of sound knowledge and experience on child rights, familiarity with UNICEF programmes, as well as a deep understanding of the organization’s global strategy for prospecting and structuring financial partnerships are therefore instrumental to effectively serve the role in the function.
• UN/UNICEF experience is an asset.

Language requirement:

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (2)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2) are required.

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.

Remarks:

UNICEF PFP-Geneva is currently reviewing organizational changes; therefore, the successful candidates may be asked to commence duties remotely, and they may later be asked to relocate and be assigned to the final post-duty station/location in Berlin.

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.

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