UN Women: Chief, Corporate Performance and Accountability Unit (CPAU), Bonn, Germany, P5 FTA

Job Description

Background: UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The Strategy, Planning, Results, and Effectiveness Division (SPRED) leads the integrated management of UN Women’s corporate strategy. Within SPRED, the Corporate Performance and Accountability Unit (CPAU) brings together key second line functions—risk management, internal audit follow‑up, internal policy management, organizational performance, and business transformation—into one integrated team. The Chief, CPAU is responsible for providing integrated leadership of these functions and for driving the implementation of the Organizational Effectiveness and Efficiency (OEE) component of the UN Women Strategic Plan.

Key Functions and Accountabilities

Lead Corporate Performance and Accountability

• Lead the implementation of the OEE component of the UN Women Strategic Plan and provide strategic direction for the development and implementation of the Entity’s OEE strategy.
• Provide strategic leadership for corporate performance management, ensuring alignment between strategic planning, organizational performance monitoring, risk management, accountability mechanisms, and corporate priorities.
• Lead the Quarterly Business Review (QBR) process and annual OEE reporting, strengthening management oversight, organizational learning and evidence‑based decision making.
• Promote organizational approaches that strengthen institutional effectiveness, management practices, and cross‑functional collaboration across headquarters, regional and country offices.
• Provide strategic advice to senior management, regional offices and country offices on matters related to corporate performance, accountability, enterprise risk management, internal governance, and organizational effectiveness.

Strengthen Corporate Governance, Accountability and Assurance

• Coordinate and strengthen the integration of key second‑line functions across the organization.
• Oversee corporate follow‑up to internal audit recommendations and other oversight findings.
• Support the incorporation of findings from audits, oversight bodies and assurance mechanisms into corporate performance management, strategic planning, and organizational decision‑making.
• Oversee the corporate governance of UN Women’s global network of presences, including the review of office typologies, functional reviews, and organizational structures.
• Foster a culture of accountability, transparency and continuous improvement by strengthening governance frameworks, management practices, and institutional learning.

Integrate Enterprise Risk Management into Corporate Performance and Accountability

• Provide strategic direction and oversight for the further integration of enterprise risk management.
• Guide and support the continued strengthening of UN Women’s enterprise risk management function.
• Promote the systematic use of corporate risk information to inform strategic planning, the QBR, resource allocation and other senior management decision‑making processes.
• Advise senior management on emerging strategic and organizational risks and their implications for corporate performance, governance, and organizational effectiveness.

Strategic Leadership on Organizational Effectiveness and Institutional Change

• Lead strategic initiatives that strengthen organizational effectiveness, management innovation and corporate performance.
• Provide strategic advice on organizational design, internal governance arrangements, business processes and institutional effectiveness.
• Provide demand‑driven support to offices and divisions in conducting functional analyses and designing and implementing restructuring and organizational change processes.
• Promote innovative approaches, business analytics and organizational learning to strengthen corporate performance and support continuous improvement.

Support to Director, SPRED

• Provide quality assurance on relevant management responses and submissions.
• Support the Director, SPRED in managing the human and financial resources of the Division.
• Provide advice and hands‑on support on leadership, management, human resources, budget and administrative matters.
• Represent the SPRED Director in internal and external meetings, as required.
• Create a culture of collaboration and co‑creation within SPRED.
• Undertake any other tasks as requested by the SPRED Director.

Other Duties

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 leads a team of 5, which includes 3 direct reports (1 P4, 1 P3 and 1 P2).

Competencies

Core Values

• Integrity
• Professionalism
• Respect for Diversity

Core Competencies

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Functional Competencies

• Excellent understanding of corporate and organizational management
• Excellent understanding of the UN system and UN reform processes
• Excellent knowledge of change management principles, methodologies and tools
• Expert knowledge in online collaboration tools / business intelligence and data analytics
• Strong project / programme management skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to lead formulation of strategies and their implementation
• Demonstrated ability to understand the bigger picture, assimilate information from a variety of sources, and translate this into practical and prioritised action and planning
• Excellent diplomatic and negotiation skills, cultural sensitivity, team player
• Excellent understanding of the current development landscape and of UN Women’s role in ensuring robust mainstreaming and positioning of gender equality and the empowerment of women, particularly in light of ongoing UN Reform processes
• Strong commitment to and knowledge of UN Women’s mandate

Recruitment Qualifications

Education and Certification

• Master’s degree or equivalent in business administration, management, computer science, economics, international development, or a related field is required.
• A first‑level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Business Transformation / Change Management Certification is an asset.

Experience

• At least 10 years’ experience in business transformation / change management and/or organisational development efforts in a large and/or international institution.
• Experience in strategy development / business transformation processes for a global organization.
• Experience in management, administration, business processes, accountability or related fields, preferably at the United Nations.

Languages

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is an asset (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

Diversity and Inclusion

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, colour, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organisational need.

Compliance and Background Checks

UN Women has a zero‑tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (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.)