Organizational Effectiveness Consultant

Contract

This is a International Consultant contract. More about International Consultant contracts.

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

In support of the organization’s objectives, the Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division (PPID) Directorate provides global support to UN Women offices at Headquarters and in all field locations to deliver results in support of UN Women's Strategic Plan 2018-2021 and internationally agreed goals on gender equality and women's empowerment, including the Beijing Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Division provides intellectual and strategic leadership on normative support and the delivery of integrated policy and program advice, including through policy analysis and gender mainstreaming. The Division leverages innovation, knowledge management, and cutting-edge technical expertise to support UN Women programmes and to build the capacity of partners to deliver results on gender equality and women's empowerment.

As part of PPID, the Programme Support Management Unit (PSMU) in UN Women Headquarters works to strengthen corporate project management capacities and provide increased support to the field and headquarters in non-core programme and project implementation. Within PSMU, the Special Advisor / Head of the Programme Management Office leads the work on project and programme management capacities and strengthening, which includes:

• Capacity building and training for programme staff;
• Professionalization of project and programme management standards and capacities;
• Knowledge Management - Community of Practice and Center of Excellence for Project and Programme Management; and
• Targeted project planning and initiation support.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will be responsible for supporting a variety of initiatives across the PSMU’s working areas.

In addition, in close collaboration with the PPID Directorate, the consultant, under the direct supervision of the Special Advisor / Head of PMO, will be responsible for support to the Directorate’s efforts on a range of strategic and managerial initiatives.

The consultant must have excellent communication and organizational skills to manage the substantive inputs and quality control of work related to the assignment and must be able to work with a broad range of stakeholders.

• Provide recomendations to the Special Advisor on project and programme management capacities strengthening;
• Provide the Special Advisor with the timely project management of PPID Directorate related corporate/divisional priorities and initiatives including coordination, communications, note-taking, documentation and drafting of work packages;
• Support the Special Advisor with any other duties pertaining to strategic corporate/divisional/Unit initiatives and management priorities, and project and programme management guidance, support and oversight, as required.

Deliverables:

• Support the Special Advisor and PSMU with the timely project management of corporate priorities including coordination, communications, note-taking, documentation and drafting for the following initiatives:
  • Advance work on the corporate Project and Programme Management Lifecycle proposed roll-out plan by focusing on implementing key near-term recommendations
  • PMO Trainings, Community of Practice engagement, and backstopping for PMO activities on behalf of the Head of PMO
  • PPID Transformation efforts (change management initiative) related to the vision of the Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division
  • Coordinate, schedule and attend meetings related to specific Directorate and management initiatives, coordinate inputs, synthesize data and inputs, and prepare minutes, visuals, and other documentation, including summary reports and presentations of progress as required.
  • Prepare, through participatory processes and in consultation with relevant stakeholders, the required documentation for deliverable (i) items, and upon approval, begin implementation against approved action plans.
  • Coordinate, schedule and attend management meetings, coordinate inputs, and prepare minutes and other documentation, including summary reports and presentations of progress for the Special Advisor as required.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Functional Competencies :

• Excellent presentation, facilitation and interpersonal skills;
• Demonstrates strong skills in writing policies, procedures and guidance;
• Excellent presentation, facilitation and interpersonal skills;
• Excellent ability and work experience in developing online content and presence, and drafting policies, procedures and guidance;
• Experience in coordinating key stakeholder from different units/departments; and
• Proficient with office software packages and cloud-based systems.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree in business or public administration, project management, social sciences, law, economics or a related field;
• PRINCE2, PMP, or MSP certification is highly desirable;

Experience:

• 7 years of relevant and progressively responsible experience, including experience in management consulting, business process design, business intelligence, data analysis, project management and change management;
• Experience working with the private sector and /or project and programme management training providers and knowledge institutions;
• Proven ability in strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
• Excellent knowledge and work experience in programme and project management;
• Excellent knowledge and work experience in mapping business processes, analysis and identification of gaps.
• Working knowledge of mission-driven organizations and the UN system (experience working with UN Women is considered an advantage).

Language:

Fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable.