Executive Director

Contract

This is a D-2 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 16 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 270,944 USD and 326,557 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.

Org. Setting and Reporting The Secretary-General proposed in his 2018 report to the General Assembly on “Repositioning the United Nations development system to deliver on the 2030 Agenda: our promise for dignity, prosperity and peace on a healthy planet”, to establish an independent system-wide evaluation function, with the overall objective to enable and strengthen the continual enhancement of the UN development system’s contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

General Assembly resolution 72/279 ‘welcomed the strengthening of independent system-wide evaluation measures by the Secretary-General, including improving existing capacities”. Increasing collaboration on, and the quality and utility of joint and independent system-wide evaluations are also core commitments of UNSDG entities as set out in the Funding Compact between the UNSDG and Member States to support funding of the UN sustainable Development system.

Following in-depth consultation including with the UN evaluation group (UNEG), the Joint Inspectors Unit (JIU) and the Office of Internal Oversight services (OIOS), the 2020 Secretary-General report on the implementation of the quadrennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development (QCPR) further detailed the Secretary-General’s approach, including the establishment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG) System-Wide Evaluation Office.

The purpose of the UNSDG System-Wide Evaluation Office is to strengthen oversight, transparency, and accountability, to incentivize joint work and collective learning among the United Nations development system entities, and to conduct and advance system-wide evaluative evidence on the United Nations development system contribution towards implementing the 2030 Agenda.

The System-Wide Evaluation Office is complementary to the mandates and functions of the Joint Inspection Unit, the Office of Internal Oversight Services and the independent evaluation offices of UN development system entities. While OIOS provides oversight to the Development Coordination Office, established in the UN Secretariat, and the evaluation offices of UN entities provide oversight of UN entities at the country, regional and global levels, neither are mandated to assess collective results across the UN development system.

As such, the Office will fill in internal learning and accountability gaps, thereby strengthening the internal oversight system, in line with the JIU objective, as the external oversight body, to “support the development of the internal evaluation function in meeting the demands of global changes and challenges and of the 2030 Agenda”.

The Office will work closely with the JIU, OIOS, the UN Evaluation Group and the evaluation offices of the respective entities of the UN development system.

The report of the Secretary-General A/75/79 identified the specific gaps that the System-Wide Evaluation Office intends to address: - The evaluation of the system’s collective support to the SDG remains fragmented and not in line with broader efforts towards greater collaboration. - Lack of clear institutional function and leadership for evaluation of Cooperation Frameworks/United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks. - Lack of institutional mechanism to discuss system-wide strategic implications from evaluations and issue management responses.

The 2021 report of the Secretary-General also notes that the System-Wide Evaluation Office will be a stand-alone office led at the Director level, and that the incumbent will report to the Secretary-General for full independence. Operating with full freedom to perform its functions, the office will have the prerogative to share reports with the Economic and Social Council. The director has the authority and discretion to submit reports at the appropriate level of decision-making in the UN development system. The office will collaborate closely with the UN Development Coordination Office to ensure direct access to the UNSDG, the Regional Collaborative Platforms and UN country teams in the context of the evaluations of the Cooperation Frameworks. The Director reports to the Secretary-General.

Responsibilities Within delegated authority, the Executive Director will be responsible for the following:

• Finalizes the System-Wide Evaluation Policy for endorsement by the Secretary-General and prepares the procedural guidance for the implementation of the Policy.
• Provides intellectual leadership and strategic guidance to manage the system-wide evaluation function in accordance with the Policy, including personnel within the System-Wide Evaluation Office.
• Ensure independence, impartiality, credibility and use of the system-wide evaluative work.
• As a member of the UN Evaluation Group (UNEG), works closely with UNEG, including to develop a gap analysis of system-wide evaluative evidence on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Develops a system-wide evaluation plan in collaboration with UNEG, based on the gap analysis and on additional inputs received from the country and regional levels.
• Oversees the management of selected strategic evaluations of development system performance in support of the Sustainable Development Goals, globally or at the country level.
• Prepares an annual report on the activities of the Office that will be annexed to the Secretary-General’s report to the ECOSOC on the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Presents key evaluation findings and recommendations to the various management and governance bodies.
• Ensures coordination with UNEG to enhance coherence and make full use of evaluation capacities of UNEG members.
• Builds national evaluation capacity to foster SDG implementation, working with relevant national evaluation networks.
• Manages evaluations in an inclusive manner by ensuring the participation of regional and programme country experts in the evaluation teams.
• Advocates and promotes coalitions and joint evaluations on progress towards the SDGs.
• Manages and raises resources for the System-Wide Evaluation Office as required.
• Ensures that the outputs produced by the Office maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the office under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates.
• Undertakes or oversees the programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Office, including preparation of budgets, assigning and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on budget/programme performance, preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting, evaluation of staff performance (PAS), interviews of candidates for job openings and evaluation of candidates.
• Oversees the recruitment of staff for Office taking due account geographical and gender balance and other institutional values.

• Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision; foster teamwork and communication among staff in the office/Division and across organizational boundaries.

  Competencies - Professionalism: Senior professional evaluation expertise and competence as defined in the UNEG guidelines and competency framework for heads of evaluation; Proven ability to conduct and supervise complex joint and system-wide evaluation assignments. Shows ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.

• Communication: Demonstrated experience in presenting evaluation reports to management and governing bodies. Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

• Planning & Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Managerial Competencies:

• Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.

• Vision: Identifies strategic issues, opportunities and risks; clearly communicates links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals; generates and communicates broad and compelling organizational direction, inspiring others to pursue that same direction; conveys enthusiasm about future possibilities.

  Education An Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in in social sciences, public administration, programme evaluation or related area is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

  Work Experience - A minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible experience in evaluation of which 5 years must be at the international management level in programme evaluation is required.

  • Experience in managing inter-agency and joint evaluations in the UN Development System is desirable.

  • Experience in designing and managing global, system-wide evaluations of the UN Development System is desirable.

  Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable.

  Assessment Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview.

  Special Notice - This position is temporarily available for three (3) months, effective 1 April 2023. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment.

• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post.

• Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.

• This temporary job opening may be limited to “internal candidates,” who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15.

• Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.

• Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as "retirement." Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

• The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

• Staff members appointed to the current position are required to submit a financial disclosure statement upon assignment or appointment and annually thereafter.

• At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application.

  United Nations Considerations According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

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.