Director, Global Centre for Governance – D1

Background

UNDP provides integrated programmatic, policy and financing solutions to realise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this context, UNDP has created a Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) and the Crisis Bureau (CB) are the two anchor Bureaux of the GPN.

The Bureau for Programme and Policy Support (BPPS) plays a central role in developing relevant policies and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS designs and implements global projects and provides technical expertise and advisory services to countries and engage in global policy processes across a wide range of thematic and cross-cutting issues, including poverty and inequality, governance, climate change, environment, energy, sustainable finance while ensuring that human rights, gender equality, and social inclusion as central to its approach.

The Crisis Bureau (CB) spearheads UNDP’s efforts to support countries on a key challenge: how to anticipate, prevent, respond to, and recover from fragility and crisis. CB addresses the risks that precipitate crises, prevent early exit from them, and perpetuate long-term dependency on humanitarian assistance. Guided by UNDP’s Crisis Offer (2022), CB works within the GPN and with Regional Bureaux (RBx) and Country Offices (COs) to implement solutions across prevention, response and recovery that help break the cycle of protracted fragility and crisis.

The Governance, Rule of Law, and Peacebuilding Hub, a joint endeavour of the Crisis Bureau (CB) and the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), integrates work across governance, rule of law and peacebuilding (GRP) to substantially improve UNDP positioning and resource mobilisation, global advocacy; advance principled and effective solutions that support accountable, inclusive and effective governance and prevent and respond crisis , and enable peacebuilding and early recovery from crisis, whilst addressing underlying risks.

The Hub supports integrated policy and programming and thematic and operational partnerships with key stakeholders including the UN System, IFIs, donors, civil society, and the private sector. The Hub’s functions involve providing leadership, advising on strategic positioning, managing global programmes, developing GRP solutions, supporting country office programming, and leading crisis response and recovery support on GRP. The Hub also focuses on knowledge management, monitoring, evaluation and learning, and resource mobilisation.

Its work is organised according to the following thematic areas: governance of public goods and services; rule of law and security; human rights; business, human rights, and peace; democratic institutions and processes; peacebuilding; local action; and open and inclusive public sphere. The issues of digital transformation, data for SDG16+, and gender equality are cross-cutting.

The UNDP Global Policy Centre for Governance (GPCG), as part of the GRP Hub, builds knowledge, insights, and data in partnership with practitioners, policymakers, researchers, think tanks and other relevant stakeholders. By applying lessons learned from research and strengthening the evidence base on governance and related themes, the Centre aims to stimulate global discourse, co-create knowledge and solutions, and ultimately, inform policy development on key governance questions in the world today.

The Centre carries out five functions: research and partnerships; data and analytics; innovation; knowledge management and programme guidance, and strategic engagement and communications. Across these functions, Research and Engagement Agendas (REAs) are explored. Current REAs include Financial Integrity, Fair Green Transitions and Information Integrity. The Centre also explores new ways of governing as a cross-cutting theme.

Hosted by the Government of Norway, a long-standing core partner to UNDP, the Centre also builds on and benefits from the experiences and development expertise of Norway and the Nordic region.

Position Purpose

The Director of the Centre has the responsibility and accountability for defining and implementing the strategic direction, mobilizing resources, and managing the day-to-day activities of the Centre. The Director manages the strategic and policy interactions related to its mandate with authorities and other relevant stakeholders in Norway and has a deep understanding of the strategic and operational vision of UNDP’s Global Policy Network, the UNDP Governance, Rule of Law and Peacebuilding Hub, and its anchoring global policy bureaux (BPPS and Crisis Bureau). The Director ensures dynamic interaction with the wider GPN to ensure that the activities and results of the Centre are deeply embedded in UNDP’s core work. The Director develops partnerships in Norway, the Nordic region and beyond to fulfil the mandate of a Global Centre.

The Director is responsible for the following four main areas of responsibility:

• Strategic Management & Team Leadership
• Substantive Thought Leadership and Innovation
• Partnerships & Representation
• Knowledge Management & Integration in the wider GPN

Duties and Responsibilities

1.Strategic Management & Team Leadership

• Under the supervision of the Co-Director, Governance, Rule of Law and Peacebuilding Hub, and in consultation with GPN leadership, provide strategic direction for the Centre and its effective integration within the GRP Hub and the GPN.
• Lead the substantive work of the GPCG, ensuring that the Centre fulfills its mandated functions, and strengthens UNDP’s credibility by delivering a highly visible research and policy programme which links to UNDP’s delivery on its Strategic Plan.
• Allocate resources and manage implementation to achieve agreed results.
• Ensure the efficient management and day-to-day operation of the Centre, including budgeting, reporting, work plan development, team development, and regular reporting to the Project Board, as required.
• Manage the project and funding cycle in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, to ensure smooth progression of the work, with strategic adjustments where appropriate and necessary.

2. Substantive Thought Leadership and Innovation

• Clearly define and assert the Centre as a global thought leader and innovator on the themes covered by the Centre.
• Substantively contribute from a governance perspective to UNDP’s strategic positioning, broader thought leadership, innovation, and knowledge product pipeline, working with other teams and units, such as the UNDP Human Development Report Office, as appropriate.
• Working closely with the management team of the GPN and other stakeholders, align the Centre’s substantive programme of work to situate it within UNDP and with partners, prioritizing and ensuring added value.
• Scan the horizon for the latest and emerging policy developments of relevance to the Centre, keeping abreast of the latest research, technological, and other innovations within the remit of the Centre, and making them available to the rest of the organisation.
• Ensure that the GPCG’s activities are influential with policy makers and the broader range of stakeholders, including academics, practitioners, civil society, and business leaders.

3. Partnerships & Representation

• Interact with and represent UNDP to authorities in Norway on all matters related to the Centre, as well as other partners and stakeholders in the host country, liaising closely on such matters with the Nordic Representation Office (NRO) of the Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy (BERA) to strengthen the broader partnership between UNDP and Norway.
• Forge and strengthen partnerships and strategic engagement with research institutes, civil society organizations and other bodies relevant to GPCG priority areas, especially supporting South-South and triangular knowledge sharing, and ensuring that the GPCG works closely with both Nordic as well as Southern universities, think-tanks and institutions;
• Liaise and collaborate within UNDP, the GPN, regional and central bureaux and country offices on issues that impact the work of the Centre.
• Establish, maintain, and strengthen other partnerships with institutions and networks (for example, UN agencies that share a custodianship role for SDG 16 indicators, the Praia Group on Governance Statistics) working on issues related to the Centre’s focus.
• Mobilise resources to enable the Centre to achieve its agreed results.
• As the most senior UN official resident in Norway, fulfil such other representation functions and roles as are appropriate and necessary. This includes functioning as the Designated Official (DO) for Norway and chairing the inter-agency Security Management Team, reporting to UNDSS.

4. Knowledge Management & Integration in the GPN

• Facilitate the learning agenda within the GPN, including through UNDP communities of practice, devoting a significant proportion of time to building knowledge, disseminating lessons learned, and networking.
• Keep abreast of major institutional initiatives as well as events in the region requiring the participation of the Centre and identifying opportunities for UNDP leadership in the areas of the Centre, including providing recommendations for senior level engagement.
• Facilitate regular information sharing and planning with different parts of UNDP, identifying opportunities, gaps and any overlap to ensure the value-added of the Centre’s activities.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: The incumbent provides direct supervision of 2 P5s, 1 P4, IPSA11

Competencies

Core

Achieve Results:

• Prioritize team workflow, mobilize resources, drive scalable results/strategic impact.

Think Innovatively:

• Easily navigate complexity, encourage/enable radical innovation, has foresight.

Learn Continuously:

• Create systems and processes that enable learning and development for all.

Adapt with Agility:

• Proactively initiate/lead organizational change, champion new systems/processes.

Act with Determination:

• Able to make difficult decisions in challenging situations, inspire confidence.

Engage and Partner:

• Construct strategic multi-partner alliances in high stake situations, foster co-creation.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

• Create ethical culture, identify/address barriers to inclusion.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

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 – Portfolio Management:

• Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization’s programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity.
• Ability to balance the implementation of change initiativeswith regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management.

Partnership management – Resource mobilization:

• Ability to identify funding sources, match funding needs (programmes/projects/initiatives) with funding opportunities, and establish a plan to meet funding requirements.

Business Development – UNDP Representation:

• Effectively represent and advocate for UNDP, its values, mission, work, and positions with various constituencies/audiences, shares UNDP knowledge and activities.

Business Development – Knowledge Generation:

• Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.
• Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches. Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations.

2030 Agenda: Peace – Governance, Rule of Law & Peacebuilding:

• Comprehensive understanding of integrated Governance, Rule of Law and Peacebuilding.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Masters) in Political Science, International Relations, Social Policy, Public Policy, Law, Economics, Development Studies or a related discipline OR a first-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in a related discipline PLUS two additional years of relevant work experience.

Experience:

• At least 15 years of relevant experience pertaining to governance, rule of law or peacebuilding across covering a range of developing country contexts, is required.
• Experience in applying research to support policy and programming, as well as connecting programmatic work with research is required.
• Solid track record in high level advocacy, communication and representation is required.
• Track record in convening high-level substantive policy dialogue that brings together multiple stakeholders, including governments, civil society and researchers to address policy challenges is required.
• Demonstrated leadership in managing and growing teams is required.
• Demonstrated experience in presenting complex issues to a public audience is required
• Knowledge of and experience with UN/UNDP and its work is an asset.
• Solid understanding of Norwegian and Nordic development aid priorities and familiarity with the relevant research and civil society community in the Nordic region is highly desirable.
• Proven success in resource mobilisation is desirable.

Language:

• Excellent knowledge of English, both written and oral.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills are essential.
• Working knowledge of another UN language is desirable. Working knowledge of a Scandinavian language is desirable.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Probation

For all new UNDP fixed term appointments (FTA), including for staff members being transferred or seconded to UNDP under the Inter-Organization Agreement concerning Transfer, Secondment or Loan of Staff, on an appointment of more than one year, continuation of the appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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