Corporate Policy Specialist

Chaired by the Administrator, the Executive Group (EG) is responsible for strategic leadership and management of the organization. It sets corporate priorities, provides strategic orientation and direction for the organization, advises the Administrator on strategic policy, programme and management issues, and monitors corporate performance. The EG is supported by the Organizational Performance Group (OPG) chaired by the Associate Administrator. The OPG advises on key priorities to support organizational performance and recommends changes to operational policy and procedures were appropriate. 

As a member of the Executive Office, reporting to the Deputy Chief of Staff and working closely with the Corporate Performance Unit (CPU), the Corporate Governance Specialist provides support to senior management to implement the Strategic Plan through the effective management of UNDP’s senior-level corporate management committees, including serving as secretariat to the Executive Group/EG, the Organizational Performance Group/OPG, and by serving as a member of the secretariat of UNDP’s Risk Committee (chaired by the Associate Administrator/Chief Risk Officer). 

The Specialist interacts with personnel across all of UNDP’s Bureaus, hosted entities, and independent offices, and actively consults on their work with the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, the Chief and other members of the Corporate Performance Unit, the Secretary and other members of the Executive Board Secretariat, the Senior Special Assistants to the Administrator and Associate Administrator, and other members of the Executive Office. This close collaboration is important for the successful delivery of the Specialist duties and responsibilities, for example, to ensure that the OPG/EG’s corporate review of submissions to UNDP’s Executive Board are aligned with related requirements and deadlines. In fulfilling their role, the Corporate Governance Specialist will maintain the highest standards of confidentiality and integrity in all aspects of work.

The Corporate Governance Specialist plays an important role in supporting strategic coordination and integration across several critical workstreams led by the Executive Office. 

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. This is a recognition of interconnected nature of development risks & crises that the world is facing and that call for assembling of multidisciplinary teams for an integrated & systemic response. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across issues, units, functions, teams and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

• Provide strategic support to the integrated management of UNDP’s corporate committees by serving as secretariat for UNDP’s Executive Group, Organizational Performance Group, and by serving in the secretariat of the Risk Committee.
• Support monitoring and tracking of implementation of key management decisions, processes, and other corporate requirements, as required, including in relation to documentation for the Executive Board
• Knowledge Management, including in relation to the Executive Office’s annual reporting on UN system-wide gender equality and women’s empowerment and disability inclusion mandates.
• Representational Activities, as requested

Provide strategic support to the integrated management of corporate committees (Executive Group, Organizational Performance Group, and Risk Committee) 

• Under the chairmanship of the Administrator, and in consultation with the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, Chief/Corporate Performance Unit, and other Executive Office and Bureau colleagues, coordinate the strategic agenda for the Executive Group (EG) and support effective EG operations.
• Under the chairmanship of the Associate Administrator, and in consultation with the Chief of Staff, Chief/Corporate Performance Unit, Deputy Chief of Staff, other Executive Office colleagues, Bureaus, independent offices, and hosted entities, coordinate the strategic agenda for the Organizational Performance Group (OPG) and support effective OPG operations.
• Working with the committee Chairs and relevant colleagues in the Executive Office, organize regular meetings, retreats, and other engagements of the OPG and EG, as required.
• Draft minutes/decisions of EG/OPG meetings, actively consult on forward calendars of EG/OPG meeting dates and ensure timely dissemination of EG/OPG meeting documentation and related communications as required, including through the maintenance of internal EG/OPG document libraries/information platforms.
• In consultation with other relevant personnel in the Executive Office, provide quality assurance review on written submissions to the EG/OPG and assist submitting units on improving their capacities for writing and submitting EG/OPG documentation.
• Working with the Corporate Performance Unit, serve as an active member of the Risk Committee Secretariat, contributing to coordination of the Risk Committee agenda, preparing meeting materials, minutes and related documentation and ensuring alignment with the work of other corporate committees (e.g. the EG/OPG).
• Provide advice on issues arising in or related to the corporate management committees as required, identifying emerging challenges and propose measures to address them.

Support monitoring and tracking of implementation of key management decisions, processes, and other corporate requirements, as required, including in relation to documentation for the Executive Board

• Working closely with the Corporate Performance Unit and other relevant colleagues, monitor, track and report, and follow-up on the status of implementation of EG and OPG decisions/recommendations, and support tracking by the Executive Office of corporate requirements emanating from other internal management committees and external governance bodies.
• In consultation with the Deputy Chief of Staff, Chief/CPU, and the Secretary/Secretariat of the Executive Board, ensure coherence between EG/OPG and the Executive Board processes, including internal follow up on timely delivery of Executive Board documentation, obtaining relevant clearances, and follow up to Executive Board decisions, as required.
• Working closely with the Special Assistants of the Administrator and Associate Administrator and other relevant colleagues, coordinates and tracks UNDP’s contribution to reports of the Secretary-General and other related reports. 

Knowledge Management, including in relation to the Executive Office’s annual reporting on UN system-wide mandates on gender equality and women’s empowerment and disability inclusion

• Serve as the Executive Office’s (co-)focal point for annual reporting on UNDP’s leadership’s implementation of UN system-wide mandates on gender equality and women’s empowerment and disability inclusion, including serving as an Executive Office focal point for UNDP’s Gender Steering and Implementation Committee (GSIC)
• Participate in relevant knowledge management and practice networks to keep abreast of events and issues that are of interest and relevance to the Executive Office and in particular to the Corporate Performance Unit
• Ensure that the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Chief/CPU are well informed within the working process and documentation of the EG, OPG and other corporate meetings as required and as related to corporate management issues
• Prepare for the Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff aid briefs, concept papers, and other substantive documents as required in relation to corporate management issues, as required
• Draft correspondence as requested/required

Representational Activities

• Represent the Executive Office, as required, in internal or external meetings within pre-determined guidelines and as directed by the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, or Chief of the Corporate Performance Unit (such meetings could include, for example, UNDP’s internal Digital Governance Group).
• Under the overall supervision of the Deputy Chief of Staff, provide backstopping support for the functions of other Executive Office colleagues/teams, as required.
• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: None.
 

Competencies

Core    CoreBehaviouralCompetencies.pdf (undp.org)

Achieve Results

• LEVEL 3:  Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact.

Think Innovatively

• LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems.   

Learn Continuously

• LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences.

Adapt with Agility

• LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands. 

 Act with Determination

• LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results.    

Engage and Partner

• LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration.  

Enable Diversity and Inclusion

• LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Business Direction & Strategy – Strategic Thinking            

• Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions 
• Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP

Business Direction & Strategy – System Thinking               

• Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system

Business Management – Risk Management

• Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks

Business Management – Communication

• Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience
• Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.