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

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), under the direct supervision of the Assistant Secretary General (ASG) / Deputy Executive Director Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships, leads the integrated management of UN Women’s corporate strategy, including strategic planning, project and programme management and implementation support, results and performance management, and internal governance. Together, these functions strengthen UN Women’s second line of defense, enabling coherence, efficiency, transparency and accountability across the organization’s triple mandate, and supporting the delivery of gender equality, the empowerment of women and girls, and the realization of their rights in line with the UN Women Strategic Plan and the 2030 Agenda.

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. Its purpose is to strengthen accountability, promote coherent oversight, and ensure that risk informed decision making is embedded across UN Women. The unit supports SPRED in driving transparent, efficient and consistent delivery of corporate performance objectives, aligning organizational performance monitoring with strategic planning processes. Through this, CPAU enhances the Entity’s ability to safeguard fiduciary integrity, maintain robust assurance mechanisms, and strengthen UN Women’s overall culture of accountability and results.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of Director, SPRED, the Chief, CPAU is responsible for providing integrated leadership of functions responsible for enterprise risk management, internal audit recommendation follow-up, internal policy management, and organizational performance management, with the overall aim to strengthen accountability, embed risk-informed decision-making, and enhance coherent oversight across UN Women.  The Chief drives the implementation of the Organizational Effectiveness and Efficiency (OEE) component of the UN Women Strategic Plan, provides substantive inputs to the OEE strategy and its implementation, and supports the strengthening of key workstreams to enhance corporate performance management, improve internal governance, reinforce the second line of defense, and advance transparent and efficient delivery of corporate priorities.  

Key Functions and Accountabilities:

Lead corporate performance and accountability to advance organizational effectiveness and efficiency 

• Lead the implementation of the Organizational Effectiveness and Efficiency (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 relating 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, promoting coherence among relevant functions to reinforce governance and institutional effectiveness. 
• Oversee corporate follow-up to internal audit recommendations and other oversight findings, ensuring timely implementation, systematic monitoring and reporting, while identifying opportunities for organizational improvement. 
• 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, while monitoring strategic performance metrics to inform decisions on the organization’s global footprint and operating model. 
• Foster a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement by strengthening governance frameworks, management practices, and institutional learning. 

Strengthen the integration of enterprise risk management into corporate performance and accountability 

• Provide strategic direction and oversight for the further integration of enterprise risk management into strategic planning, performance management, internal governance, and organizational decision-making.
• Guide and support the continued strengthening of UN Women’s enterprise risk management function, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities, accountability frameworks and the UN Women Strategic Plan.
• Promote the systematic use of corporate risk information to inform strategic planning, the QBR, resource allocation and other senior management decision-making processes.
• Promote coherence across enterprise risk management, audit follow-up, internal policy management, and other second-line functions to strengthen institutional assurance and organizational resilience. 
• Advise senior management on emerging strategic and organizational risks and their implications for corporate performance, governance, and organizational effectiveness. 

Provide strategic leadership on organizational effectiveness and institutional change 

• Lead strategic initiatives that strengthen organizational effectiveness, management innovation and corporate performance in support of UN Women’s evolving operating model.
• Provide strategic advice on organizational design, internal governance arrangements, business processes and institutional effectiveness, ensuring alignment with the UN Women Strategic Plan and broader UN reform initiatives. 
• Provide demand-driven support to offices and divisions in conducting functional analyses and designing and implementing restructuring and organizational change processes to optimize structures and the use of resources in line with strategic objectives and available funding.
• Promote innovative approaches, business analytics, and organizational learning to strengthen corporate performance and support continuous improvement. 

Provide substantive support the Director, SPRED on management and leadership related issues 

• Provide quality assurance on relevant management responses and submissions;
• Support the Director, SPRED in managing the human and financial resources of the Division, including: monitoring the Divisional budget; managing and providing guidance to relevant colleagues, consultants and other internal stakeholders;
• 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 withing SPRED; and
• Undertake any other tasks as requested by the SPRED Director. 

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).

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

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

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

• 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 prioritized 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. 

•             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.               

•             At least 10 years’ experience in business transformation / change management and/or organizational development efforts in a large and/or international institutions is required.

•             Experience in strategy development / business transformation processes for a global organization required.

•             Experience in management, administration, business processes, accountability or related fields, preferably at the United Nations.

•             Fluency in English is required.

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

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

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, color, 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 organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.