Chief of Operations

Org. Setting and ReportingThis position is located in the United Nations Office for Partnerships (UN Partnerships). UN Partnerships is the global gateway to the United Nations. The Office provides access to organizations around the world and the potential to facilitate multi-stakeholder engagement with the United Nations system to effect impactful global change. UN Partnerships oversees the SDG Advocates programme, the UN Fund for International Partnerships (UNFIP), and the UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF). The incumbent will support all initiatives of the UN Partnerships, oversee the operations of the office and report to the Executive Director of UN Partnerships, and work closely with other members of the team. ResponsibilitiesWithin delegated authority, the Chief of Operations will be responsible for the following. • Provides policy guidance to the Head of Entity, Executive Director, on conceptual strategy development and management of the implementation of overall strategies and intra and inter-divisional/departmental policies and procedures. • Leads development and negotiation of legal and financial documents and directs review of relevant documents and reports; identifies priorities, problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; conceptualize. • Plans and oversees the management of activities undertaken by the Unit; ensures that substantive work programmes and programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion, coordinating diverse projects in the Unit/Section, and, in liaison with other organizations of the United Nations System, donors and agencies as appropriate. • Manages, supervises and carries out the work programme of the Unit under his/her responsibility. Co-ordinates the work carried out by the Unit/Section; provides programmatic and substantive reviews of drafts prepared by others. Manages collaborative initiatives focused on Member States and various industry-focused networks; designs and conducts training workshops, seminars, etc., makes presentations on assigned topics/activities. • Provides substantive input in the preparation of position papers and 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. • Contributes to the reporting to intergovernmental bodies on budget/programme performance or on programmatic/ substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports. • Ensures that the outputs produced by the Unit maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the Unit/Section under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates. • Prepares inputs for the work programme of the service, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery. • Carries out programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Unit, 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. • Leads activities related to grant management and resource mobilization under his/her area of work, ensures preparation of related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget, etc.). • Develops and establishes partnerships with a focus on sustainable lifestyle sector, high-level women leaders network, including academia, nonprofits and other stakeholders. • Recruits staff for section taking due account geographical and gender balance and other institutional values. • Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision. • Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Unit/Section and across organizational boundaries. • Represents the Organization at inter-agency meetings, seminars, etc. on substantive-related issues. • Participates in international, regional or national meetings and provides programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue, or hold programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions. CompetenciesProfessionalism: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised. Ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. 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. 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. Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others. Places team agenda before personal agenda. Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position. Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. Planning and 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. Managing performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority. Makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member. Accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills. Monitors progress against milestones and deadlines. Regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff. Encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative. Actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff. Appraises performance fairly. Judgement/decision making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly. Gathers relevant information before making a decision. Considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them. Takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization. Proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information. Checks assumptions against facts. Determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision. Makes tough decisions when necessary. EducationAdvanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business or public administration, finance, accounting, law or related fields is required. A first-level degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in the specified fields of studies with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Job - Specific QualificationNot available. Work ExperienceA minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in administration, budget, finance, human resources and programme management or related field is required. Seven years of experience in leading the drafting and negotiation of complex legal instruments and contribution agreements with Governments and private sector partners, including negotiations with legal oversight offices is required. Experience in conceptualizing and leading a global network, and multistakeholder platform advancing Sustainable Development Goal #12 specifically, responsible consumption and production is required. Experience leading global public–private initiatives to educate and mentor youth in developing innovative, Sustainable Development Goal-aligned solutions is required. Experience in managing high-level women's leadership networks and developing complex global campaigns and events participated in by women and lifestyle leaders is required. Experience overseeing complex procurement processes and leading large-scale resource mobilization, including securing multi-year, multi-million-dollar funding from government, private sector, and philanthropic organizations, is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).