Leadership Development Expert – UN Secretariat Leadership Development Roadmap

Result of Service A Leadership and Management Development Roadmap which integrates input from stakeholders at the UN Secretariat and includes descriptors of UN levels of leadership development and related learning objectives, a list of initiatives that can target each level, and an evaluation plan with tools that can be used to measure impact of initiatives at different levels.

A report on good practices and lessons learned throughout the project, including advice on implementation of the Roadmap and recommendations to ensure its sustainability.

Work Location Remote

Expected duration The expected duration is for equivalent of 60 days over a four-month period

Duties and Responsibilities Organizational Setting and Reporting Relationships: This consultancy is located in the Organizational Development Section (ODS) in the Strategic Talent Management Service (STMS), Global Strategy and Policy Division (GSPD) of the Office of Human Resources (OHR), Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMSPC). The consultant will report to the Leadership Development Team of the Organizational Development Section (ODS).

ODS is responsible for designing approaches to build a working environment that embraces the widest possible spectrum of diversity and provides an enabling and gender-sensitive workplace. It also builds a culture of engagement, leadership, accountability and result-orientation, based on the organizational values and competencies. With this organization-wide mandate, ODS will undertake an initiative to establish a Leadership and Management Development Roadmap in collaboration with other Secretariat entities.

Based on the UN System Leadership Framework (UNSLF), this project aims to address the issues of duplication/overlapping and incoherence that may exist amongst existing Secretariat leadership development initiatives. It will build a learning "roadmap” that allows leaders and managers at all levels to continuously learn in the flow of work.

The roadmap will be composed of high-quality standard leadership and management development initiatives (e.g. training programmes, communities of practice, coaching, etc.) that are more impactful and contribute to further strengthening a leadership culture in the UN Secretariat based on the principles established by the UN System Leadership Framework.

Project Objectives:

• To ensure a Secretariat-wide approach to leadership and management development.
• To identify good practices from within and outside the UN that can be applied at an organizational level.
• To establish current and future core development requirements for the Organization and leaders at different levels.
• To develop a shared learning agenda, including on evaluation approaches to leadership and management programmes and initiatives.
• To identify innovative approaches and methodologies in leadership and management development (e.g., mentoring; coaching; microlearning; communities of practice; etc.) considering scalability and resource availability.
• To describe the roles and responsibilities of different entities in leadership and management development.

Responsibilities: Within limits of delegated authority, the Leadership Development Expert will be responsible for developing and completing the following products:

• A summary of good practices on leadership development carried out by UN System organizations.
• A document mapping leadership development initiatives and processes, tools and contracts coordinated across the UN Secretariat.
• A description of levels of leadership development.
• A description of leadership development objectives at the UN Secretariat based on leadership/managerial levels, organizational needs, the UN System Leadership Framework and the UN Values and Behaviours Framework.
• A report providing gaps based on the objectives of leadership development for staff at different levels and existing learning resources.
• A Leadership and Management Development Roadmap document that establishes an organizational approach and identifies initiatives that address existing gaps at each identified level of leadership development.
• A document identifying evaluation mechanisms, in alignment with the Learning Impact Evaluation Framework, that can be used to measure the leadership development objectives previously defined.
• A report on good practices and lessons learned throughout the project, including advice on implementation of the Roadmap and recommendations to ensure its sustainability.

To successfully deliver these products the Leadership Development Expert will need to:

• Review key documentation, and identify and analyse leadership development initiatives, projects, processes and tools implemented and coordinated by the UN System organizations, including the UN Secretariat, which can be considered as good practices.
• Implement an inclusive engagement process involving key project stakeholders (e.g. senior managers, learning managers, other staff).
• Seek and integrate feedback from key stakeholders throughout the drafting process of the Leadership and Management Development Roadmap.
• Monitor and assess the quality and impact of her/his/their work and clients’ satisfaction, making adjustments when required.
• Utilize existing technology tools (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, etc.) to communicate and meet with clients and stakeholders and share documentation.
• Align the Leadership and Management Development Roadmap to the UN System Leadership Framework, the UN Values and Behaviours Framework and other key strategic documents.
• Identify evaluation mechanisms aligned to the UN Learning Impact Evaluation Framework.

• Consider the UN context, the specificities of this international, multilingual, and multicultural organization, the professional and learning needs of its staff members and the institutional requirements and policies when carrying out his/her/their duties.

  Qualifications/special skills Education: An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in the fields of organizational development, behavioural science, business or public administration, human resources management, social psychology, social sciences, or related fields is required. A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in combination with two additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience: A minimum of 7 years of professional experience in managing and coordinating complex projects linked to organizational development and leadership development in an international setting is required. Experience overseeing or working in the conception, development, implementation, or evaluation of leadership development strategies in a large multicultural international organisation is required. Experience working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders and building trusted professional relationships with them is required. Experience working with a UN System organization is required. Experience in integrating input from a wide range of sources and leadership development practitioners in the Organization is desirable.

Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Fluency in French (both oral and written) is desirable.

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.