Chief (Common Premises & Eco Sustainability) – P5  

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Sustainability

As part of the Administrative Support and Eco Sustainability portfolio of the DFAM’s Administrative Management Section at NYHQ, this position is established to provide technical leadership and managerial support to help UNICEF achieve its organizational goals in Common Premises, Fleet Management, Environmental Sustainability, Accessibility and Inclusiveness of its operations and premises.

This position ensures effective UNICEF’s representation and technical engagements in joint UN forum and working groups on Common Premises, Fleet Management, Environmental Sustainability, Accessibility and Inclusiveness.

How can you make a difference?

1. Leadership and Management of Eco Sustainability portfolio to achieve organizational goals
– Lead the Eco Sustainability Unit, identify organizational goals and targets and ensure adequate support is provided to achieve results, through developing and implementing action plan based on quality data collection to reduce the environmental footprint and resource consumption.

– Provide inputs to the preparation of the UNICEF strategic plan on climate change, including, data analysis, briefings, or short notes to the Senior Management as needed.

– Lead the engagement and nurturing of the relationship with Programme Group and Supply Division to encourage climate considerations in policies to meet the UNICEF objectives on greenhouse gas reduction and reduction in water consumption.

– Define action plan to support the implementation of the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (SCAP) to achieve planned results in the Operations pillar.

-Lead UNICEF’s engagement to advance eco-sustainability agenda in inter-agencies meetings and working groups.

– Ensure the Greening and Accessibility Fund is well managed to achieve the global assigned objectives.

– Oversee implementation of sustainable strategies including Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) certification and renewable energy solutions, in new, renovated, and existing UNICEF offices.

2. Technical and management support to improve offices efficiency
– Manage, guide, and coordinates the administrative support to offices in the

area of premises management including construction, fleet management, eco- sustainability, accessibility, insurance, non-expendable property, and compensation claims.

– Provides analysis, interpretation, and guidance on administrative policy matters, propose amendments of administrative instructions to improve efficiency, simplification, or to meet audit recommendations.

– Undertake missions to Field/Regional offices to review and assess performance of projects, provide guidance on specific substantive projects implementation issues (common premises, fleet leasing, environmental sustainability), and represents the Chief Administrative Management Services Section at various relevant workshops and meetings as required.

– Provide technical support in Common Back Office (CBO) initiative such as review of MoUs ensuring compliance with TTCP guidelines.

3. Property Management-Common Premises, construction, and accessibility
– Lead the oversight and assessment of proposals from field and regional offices for establishment, changing and closing offices and make recommendations in compliance with relevant policy and procedures, taking into consideration, safety and the wellbeing of staff, including accessibility, inclusiveness, and environmental sustainability requirements.

– Provide leadership in support to the UN Common Premises agenda, accessibility, and inclusiveness of office, ensuring that adequate resources and support are provided to achieve UNICEF objectives/goals, and overall conducive working environment.

– Oversee the management of assets, including Property Survey Board procedures, as well as valuation of donated assets, and coordinate with Financial Reporting & Grant Management Section for appropriate recording in vision.

– Lead the process to identify offices in need of accessibility and coordinate actions plans and necessary projects across UNICEF offices to improve accessibility and meet UNICEF Strategic Plan established target.

– Actively involved in UN inter-agency collaboration to achieve UN reform targets on efficiency agenda.

– Lead the global planning and oversight of the implementation of construction/renovation projects with the objective of improving Common Premises performance, safety and staff wellbeing.

4.  Effective and efficient management of fleet of vehicles and insurance
– Manage the Fleet Unit, develop strategy for effective and efficient fleet management and road safety.

– Oversee the implementation of the vehicles leasing programme and ensure adequate information on insurance is shared and well understood to mitigate risks in the overall management of assets.

– Provide clearance for the vehicles acquisition for UNICEF operations, coordinate training of drivers and fleet managers in their respective roles, analyze and produce reports in the fleet management to support leadership decisions.

5. Innovations and initiatives toward improving cost savings and efficiency
– Lead the overall development of initiatives, including new approaches and technology to promote eco efficiencies, accessibility, fleet management and common premises

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• An advanced university degree (Master’s and above) in one of the following areas is required: Business Administration, Management, Financial Management, Accounting, Public Finance and/or related operations function (Supply Chain, Human Resources, Information Technology, Internal Control, Project Management, etc.).
• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in Administration, Business Management, Financial Management, Accounting, Public Finance, and related operations function (Supply Chain, Human Resources, Information Technology, International Business, Project Management, and others), is required.
• Similar UN/UNICEF experience in the same field of expertise including ECO sustainability is required. 
• International and national work experience, with background and familiarity working in Emergency situations is required.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization would be considered an asset. 
• Fluency in English (verbal and written) is required.  Knowledge of an additional UN language ((Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is considered an asset.

SPECIAL REMARKS: The position will be located in New York, USA and will be relocated to Istanbul, Turkey on or before Dec 2025. 

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Nutures, Leads and Manages People (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Works collaboratively with others (4) Builds and maintains partnerships (5) Innovates and embraces change (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Drive to achieve results for impact (8) Manages ambiguity and complexity

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. 

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be cancelled.

All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

This is how cinfo can support you in the application process for this specific position:

• Before you apply for this position: Improve your application documents by registering for a Job Application Support.
• When invited to the interview: Prepare for the interview by registering for a Job Application Support.
• For Swiss nationals who get invited to the first round in the selection process (written test, interview, assessment centre, etc.):
  • Please let us know so that we can inform our HR partners from the respective organisation and the Swiss Government to increase  your visibility: [email protected]
  • Benefit from free interview preparation by registering for a Job Application Support.