Thursday 23 February 2012

UNDP Project Manager - People Capability Strategy Job Vacancy in New York

TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT: PROJECT MANAGER-PEOPLE CAPABILITY STRATEGY/OHR
Location : New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Application Deadline : 29-Feb-12
Type of Contract : TA International

Post Level : P-5
Languages Required : English
Starting Date :(date when the selected candidate is expected to start) 21-Mar-2012
Duration of Initial Contract : 364 Days
Expected Duration of Assignment : 364 Days

Background
To transform the organization from good to great, the Agenda for Organizational Change (AOC) calls for creating a workforce with upgraded skills, delivering results comparable to the best peer institutions.

Recognizing that people are UNDP’s main resource, the overall project objective is to develop a People Capability Strategy (PCS) that will enhance UNDP’s abilities to help developing countries make transformational change.

As the PCS is a major undertaking, the aim is to focus on manageable work that allows learning from experience, in order to shape an overarching strategy or “dynamic blueprint” for the people capabilities that UNDP needs to “build” to best deliver at the country level. As a first building block, it is suggested a Regional Bureau amenable to launching this process be designated as a pilot, along with several of its country offices representing the country typologies envisioned. The focus of the project would be on generating the parameters relating to the future talent/skills-mix UNDP requires. This would follow a process similar to that outlined above, with the aim of producing concrete workforce development scenarios and career paths/streams.

Under the supervision of the OHR Director, the incumbent will be leading and managing the PCS project that will support the transformation of UNDP in line with AOC. The incumbent of the post should have demonstrated experience with similar projects to be able to provide clear vision and road map in project design and implementation.

The Project Manager will work in close collaboration with OHR Directorate and OHR staff, members of SCIG, Executive Office, Regional Bureaux, especially the pilot bureau and other HQ based offices and country offices.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of key functions:
• Ensuring strategic direction of project operations, day to day management and delivery of the Project’s components.
• Coordination of the consortium of partners and stakeholders, strategically positioning UNDP as a leader within Human Capital Management through an effective People Capability Strategy.
• Financial resources management of the project.
• Human resources management
• Efficient support to tasks related to advocacy, programming, monitoring and evaluation of the PCS
Ensures the strategic direction of project operations focusing on achievement of the following results:
• Providing strategic direction of project operations, day to day management and delivery of the Project’s components.
• Realization of project outputs through activities; provides direction and guidance to project teams and responsible parties.
• Coordinates with SCIG, stakeholders, and team members, and assures the overall direction and integrity of the project.
• Identifies and obtains any support and advice required for the planning and management of the project.
Project administration and liaison with involved parties.
• Preparation of the project Work Plan and all project reports for review and decision-making.
• Operational coordination, ensuring that all partners collaborate and work well together.
• Provides leadership and cohesion to the working teams and ensures that the processes and systems developed to support the project are imparted to the key stakeholders.
• Undertakes regular monitoring and reporting on project progress and constraints; further monitors progress against the initial quality criteria and updates the plan as required; prepares and maintains monitoring spreadsheets of project activities.
• Monitoring and identification of project risks and update the status of these risks by maintaining the Project Risk Log.
Coordination of the consortium of partners and stakeholders, strategically positioning UNDP as a leader within Human Capital Management through an effective People Capability Strategy focusing on the achievement of the following results:
• In close coordination with other components of the AOC, the design and development of a strategy, with focus on individual and organizational development and capacity building.
• Within the context of the PCS, develops the strategy, goals, objectives and approaches for formulating and implementing the PCS in order to directly support the organisation's business objectives.
• Designs, develops an action plan for the PCS and manages the programme to its completion within twelve months period.
• Establishes corporate standards for promoting the pillars of the PCS, viz, workforce analytics, competency development, career development including the gender perspective and accountability to ensure consistency and fairness in the recruitment, staff development and succession planning activities.
• Ensures integration of the PCS practices in the development and formulation of all related HR policies.
• Provides advice to bureau management, corporate bodies, HR Business Advisors, Senior Management on all aspects of the PCS.
• Preparation of budgets and establishment of suitable monitoring mechanisms, collecting, maintaining and updating data relevant to the project.
• Manages the budget for the PCS activities including sub-allotments issued to specific activities .
• Ensures that product/results consultations within OHR, between OHR and participating bureaux is correctly planned, prepared and executed and partnerships with a multitude of clients is effectively and efficiently managed. In consultation with the Directorate, plans the communication of the PCS and its various products.

Ensures effective and accurate financial resources management focusing on the achievement of the following results:
• Accountable use of project funds.
• Oversight of financial management through Atlas, including purchase orders, requisitions and payments.
• Provision of effective services to counterparts including fair and transparent procurement, efficient logistics and sound financial management.
• Oversight of all administrative, financial and budgetary aspects of the project.
• Is responsible for budgets and ensuring strict and consistent application of UNDP rules and regulations.

Ensures strategic human resources management focusing on achievement of the following results:
• Project compliance with corporate human resources policies and strategies.
• Optimal staffing of the project

Ensures efficient support to tasks related to advocacy, programming, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and representation focusing on achievement of the following results:
• Supports gathering of data/information for project monitoring and evaluation processes ensuring compliance with UNDP monitoring and evaluation requirements in reporting on programme results and progress towards outcomes.
• Assists in promoting dialogue and good practice among different stakeholders.
• Promotes networking and knowledge sharing within UNDP and the UN System

Impact of Results:
The above key results will contribute to the achievement of a context appropriate, realistic and corporately owned strategy as well as negotiated arrangements for the implementation of the People Capability Strategy.

Competencies
Functional Competencies:
Building Strategic Partnerships
• Building strategic alliances
• Creates networks and promotes initiatives with partner organizations

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing
• Participating in the development of policies and innovative approaches and promoting their application throughout the organization.
• Actively seeks and promotes innovative methodologies and leads the development of supporting policies/tools to encourage learning and knowledge sharing.
• Develops and/or participates in the development of policies and new approaches and participates in training of staff in their application throughout the organization
• Promotes UNDP as a learning/knowledge sharing organization

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:
• Expert knowledge of own discipline.
• Possesses expert knowledge of advanced concepts in primary discipline, a broad knowledge of related disciplines, as well as an in-depth knowledge of relevant organizational policies and procedures (HR Management).
• Applies knowledge to support the unit/branch’s objectives and to further the mandate of UNDP
• For managers: applies a broad knowledge of best management practices; defines objectives and work flows, positions reporting relationships in such a way as to obtain optimum effectiveness for the unit/branch.
• Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself personally.
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments

Promoting Organizational Change and Development:
• Influencing organizational change and development
• Identifies problems central to the organization’s success, assesses their impact.
• Provides change and development advice, including the design and implementation of change strategies / processes to enable staff/the organization to deal with change effectively.
• Drives process definition, simplification, and integration efforts throughout the organization.

Strategic Alignment of Management Practice (HQ & RSCs)
• Strategically aligning management practices
• Understands the strategic direction and context in terms of management requirements and ensures management policies and practices support the achievement of organizational goals.
• Anticipates and understands internal and external issues and opportunities that may impact the organization.
• Encourages and supports managers at all levels to assume responsibility for management of resources

Design and Implementation of Management Systems:
• Formulating strategy for system implementation
• Designs management systems based on established best practice and identified needs within UNDP
• Manages complex design projects where different actors are involved at different stages of the project until completed.
• Advocates through internal networks the demonstrable value of existing systems to facilitate achievement of organizational goals

Client Orientation:
• Meeting long-term client needs
• Anticipates constraints in the delivery of services and identifies solutions or alternatives.
• Proactively identifies, develops and discusses solutions for internal and external clients, and persuades management to undertake new projects or services
• Consults with clients and ensures their needs are represented in decision-making processes
• Advises and develops strategic and operational solutions with clients that add value to UNDP programmes and operations

Promoting Accountability and Results-Based Management:
• Development and application of organizational standards
• Analyses audit, evaluation and policy application review results, extracts key elements and prepares proposals to address areas of weakness in the organization’s performance.

Core Competencies:
• Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents.
• Building support and political acumen.
• Building staff competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation.
• Building and promoting effective teams.
• Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication.
• Creating an emotionally intelligent organization.
• Leveraging conflict in the interests of UNDP & setting standards.
• Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning.
• Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:
• Master’s degree or in Human Resources, Business Administration, Public Administration or similar.

Experience:
• At least 10 years of relevant professional HR experience, preferably in UNDP or within the UN Common System
• Strong management skills.
• Knowledge of HR Business Review Processes.
• Experience from Change Process and Change management is a requirement.
• Project Management Experience from large and complex projects is a requirement
• At least 3 years’ management experience in development and/or management-advisory services at the regional and country levels in the UN system would be an advance.

Language Requirements:
• Fluency in English is required

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Click Here to Apply

Closing Date: Wednesday, 29 February 2012

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