Deadline: 28 January 2024 at 23:59 New York Time

UNEP’s Corporate Services Division is the guardian of UNEP’s corporate interest, and oversees UNEP’s efficient and effective management, in line with UNEP's accountability requirements, rules, regulations and UN core values. It ensures strategic engagement across UNEP to ensure resource management, risk mitigation and capacity building, leads the implementation of UN management reforms and change management initiatives, supports the organization with management tools and plans, and stewards resource mobilization efforts with member states and strategies on private sector engagement.

Under the direct supervision of the Executive Director, the incumbent will carry out the following duties:

1. Strategic advice to the Executive Director in the management of UNEP resources, risks, people and culture.

• Ensures that the outputs produced by the Division maintaining high-quality standard, are risk informed and data driven data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the office/division under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates.
• Supports the Executive Director in the development of dynamic strategies and systems to support the organization’s delivery of its mandate. Closely engage with Chief of Staff and other Executive Office members to create workplans and milestones that ensure delivery against various milestones and priorities that support continuous improvement, shifts in organizational culture, people management and other corporate matters.
• Formulates UNEP's overall strategies and policies by participating in various committees, preparing documents on policy issues, and acting, as required, in an advisory capacity to the Under Secretary-General (USG), contributing to the overall management of the Office's activities and operations.
• Provides leadership on the development of the Programme of Work to ensure implementation of UNEP’s Medium-Term Strategy with particular emphasis on Executive Management, Budget Formulation and the development of innovative and or/change management approaches.
• Catalyzes and steers management responses and systems to respond to new environmental instruments and Secretariats supported by UNEP such as INC Secretariat and Global Biodiversity Mechanisms as well as development of new organizational structures and offices.
• Manages the Delegation of Authority Framework in UNEP on behalf of the Executive Director.
• Exercising Quality Control at the organizational level in respect to projects, legal instruments and donor agreements and their compliance with applicable financial rules and regulations, including acting as focal point for audit and the implementation of measures that strengthen performance and financial management.

2. Direction and oversight of administrative functions including human, budget, and financial resources.

• Leads the Corporate Services Division to ensure quality, timeliness, advice in a range of areas whilst also ensuring coherence and appropriate synergies are achieved across the focus areas in administration, partnerships and resource mobilization and MEA admin aligned to the organizational imperatives and UN framework on management accountability.
• Oversees the management of UNEP's financial resources, including systems and safeguards for contribution management, financial reporting, and financial grant closure processes. Provide regular income projections and advice on related budget allocations.
• Serves as UNEP focal point within UN Secretariat to senior leaders in management including the Comptroller, ASG Human Resources and other senior leaders in finance, human resources, information and communication systems, procurement and legal affairs.
• Oversees the administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Division 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, interviews of candidates for job openings and evaluation of candidates.
• Oversees all aspects of planning and strategic management of human resources for UNEP taking due account of geographical and gender balance and other institutional values.
• Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision; fostering teamwork and communication among staff in the Office and across organizational boundaries.
• Oversees all aspects of operational and administrative support that enables enhanced programme delivery ensuring alignment with management reforms within the UN Secretariat including utilization of tools on enterprise risk management; strengthened programme delivery through engagement with UN and other partners, reporting, work force and facilities management, and business intelligence, information communication systems and cyber security.
• Oversees reporting to intergovernmental bodies on budget /programme preparation and performance or on programmatic / substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports.
• Ensures Leadership, Direction and Standard Setting across Administrative cadre across UNEP and support capacity building and networking to support effective risk management approaches within a decentralized architecture of the organization.
• Provides oversight of UN joint programmes and provides advice on UNEP's relationship with the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and other partners.
• Oversees UNEP's information technology requirements and coordinates the knowledge management and training requirements and activities.

3. Leadership and Coordination on Resource Mobilization and Partnership Engagement within UNEP

• Leads engagement with member states on development and implementation of resource mobilization strategy which includes the stewardship of new resource mobilization instruments through high level dialogue and reporting mechanisms.
• Leads donor consultation work planning to support the Executive Director’s Office and other members of UNEP’s senior management in its engagement with major partners; represent the Executive and Deputy Executive Director when required.
• Oversees UNEP’s engagement with private sector including philanthropist including development of policy that align with environmental standards and principles and appropriate reporting to member states and UNEP governing bodies.
• Supports the Executive Director on engagement with major non-governmental forums and platforms including UN Global Compact, World Economic Forum, Science Policy Business Platforms.

4. Leadership and engagement within UN system on UN managerial reforms including participation in committees and reporting to regulatory bodies

• Coordinates and oversees the preparation of reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, Committee for Programme Coordination, Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy making organs, as appropriate.
• Chairs meetings, seminars, etc., on substantive-related issues; represents the Organization at international, regional, inter-agency meetings, seminars and conference; provides programmatic /substantive expertise on an issue or holds programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions.
• Advises on effective implementation modalities for UNEP’s programmes and projects. Coordinating work in the different areas both within the Office, and with other organizations of the United Nations System, donors and agencies as appropriate.
• Represents the Executive Director on the High-Level Committee on Management and other committees as required.

5. Performs other related duties as requested by the Executive Director of UNEP.

Education Requirements: An advanced university degree (Master’s or Doctorate degree, or equivalent) in social sciences, public business administration and management is required. A first-level degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in the specified fields with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience Requirements:

• More than fifteen years (15) of relevant and progressively responsible experience, with ten (10) years within a senior management position in a national/ international organization with project financing, budgeting, human resources, audit and management is required.
• Successful leadership experience in engagement with intergovernmental and advisory bodies is required.
• Demonstrated experience in leadership of a geographically diverse teams of staff working across d. operational areas including budget preparation, administration service delivery and risk management is required.
• Demonstrated experience in the engagement with financing mechanisms, private and philanthropic sectors for partnership engagement is desired.

Language Requirements: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable.

NOTE: "Fluency equals a rating of "fluent" in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and "Knowledge of" equals a rating of "confident" in two of the four areas.

More information at the Terms of Reference (click on "Apply").