IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING APPLICATION DEADLINE:ย please note that the deadline for applications is indicated in local time as per the time zone of the applicantโs location.
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1.ย ย ย Organizational Context
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a.ย ย ย Organizational Setting
The Talent Management Service (TMS) is a cornerstone of WIPOโs ambition to create a future-ready workforce and deliver measurable business value. Building on the Medium-Term Strategic Plan 2022-2026, TMS is entering a new phase of transformation - anchored in strategic clarity, agile execution, and workforce enablement. TMS needs to reimagine talent management as an enterprise-wide capability, integrating AI-driven practices and human-centered design to foster a trust-based culture, enhance organizational fluency, and enable work redesign. TMS ensures that talent strategies are not only aligned with WIPOโs goals but actively drive innovation, adaptability, and sustainable impact across the organization. The service encompasses HR Talent Partners and Employee Experience Units, working together to deliver integrated solutions.
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b.ย ย ย Purpose Statement
The Director of the Talent Management Service (TMS) drives organizational performance through innovative, data-driven and AI-enabled talent strategies at an organization-wide level; and is accountable for the overall design and delivery of an integrated talent management framework. Acting as a key advisor to senior leadership, the Director champions strategic talent planning as well as work design and organizational architecture, to ensure WIPO remains competitive and future ready. The ideal profile may originate either from strategic HR leadership or from adjacent transformation-driven domains (e.g., digital, finance, change, organizational design, communications) where the candidate can demonstrate people-centric leadership, workforce transformation capability and the ability to shape modern talent ecosystems. In addition, the Director supports the operational leadership of the Human Resources Management Department in a strategic advisory capacity as the deputy for the Director HRMD, ensuring continuity and excellence in HR service delivery.
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c.ย ย ย Reporting Lines
The Director of Talent Management Service reports directly to the Director of the Human Resources Management Department.
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d.ย ย ย Work Relations
The Director liaises extensively with the Senior Leadership Team, Program Directors, and Managers, as well as key internal stakeholders, including the Office of the Legal Counsel, Department of Program Planning and Finance, the WIPO Academy, Central Services Division, and WIPO Staff Council, to drive measurable impact. Engagement with external stakeholders will include Member State representatives and counterparts across the UN common system.
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2.ย ย ย ย ย Duties and Responsibilities
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The incumbent will perform the following principal duties:
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a.ย ย Provide strategic leadership for the Talent Management Service, overseeing the Talent Business Partner and Employee Experience Units (approximately 23 colleagues). Drive enterprise-wide talent interventions by setting direction and priorities across recruitment, learning and development, performance and talent reviews, mobility, culture and engagement, succession planning and rewards and recognition programs.
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b.ย ย Ensure seamless integration with other HRMD services and the WIPO Academy, positioning TMS as a catalyst for organizational agility and innovation.
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c.ย ย Lead organization-wide and work design initiatives - using diagnostics and evidence-based methods - to review structures, work architecture and processes, identify systemic gaps, and recommend improvements that enhance role clarity, collaboration and organizational agility.
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d.ย ย Strengthen and modernize an integrated, data-driven talent management strategy at the organization-wide level aligned with WIPO's Medium Term Strategic Plan, encompassing programs for mobility, diversity, inclusion, development, and performance management.
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e.ย ย Lead HR initiatives that foster positive relationships within the organization and external partners and networks. Represent the organization in internal and external discussions on organization-wide talent strategy and workforce transformation as delegated by the Director, HRMD.
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f.ย ย ย Determine priorities, allocate resources for the timely and quality delivery of work products per results-based management principles, ensuring that key risks are identified, assessed and managed for the achievement of agreed KPIs and targets, prepare budget proposals for the unit, lead improvement initiatives, promote innovative solutions, ensure program objectives are met.
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g.ย ย Perform other related duties to support the success of the talent management service and the broader human resources management department.
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3.ย ย ย ย ย Requirements
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Education (Essential)
Advanced university degree in human resources management, science, business, public administration, or a related field; or a first-level university degree with two additional years of relevant experience.
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Experience (Essential)
At least 15 years in progressive HR or human capital consulting leadership roles, including demonstrated experience leading enterprise-wide workforce transformation or digital HR initiatives, and at least 5 years in senior management roles building or evolving future work strategies and managing cross-functional teams.ย In line with the transformational nature of this role, consideration may also be given to senior leaders originating from adjacent domains (such as Finance, IT, Communications, Business Transformation, or Organizational Design) who have successfully led enterprise-level modernization or operating model change, and who demonstrate a strong interest in human capital development.ย
Substantial expertise in Talent Management or Organizational Development/Design, specifically in Talent ecosystem design. Where HR technical depth requires further reinforcement, the successful candidate will be expected to leverage and collaborate with technical HR experts within the TMS team.ย Strategic leadership, organizational change capability, the ability to translate business priorities into coherent talent strategies will hence carry significant weight in the assessment.
Experience in designing agile talent strategies that link HR initiatives to quantifiable organizational performance outcomes.
Experience leading transformation initiatives across public or private sectors, particularly within multi country or multi-stakeholder environments and with cross-functional impact.
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