Chief, Transformation and Strategic Initiatives Branch

The Chief, Transformation and Strategic Initiatives Branch plays a pivotal role in driving UNFPA’s institutional transformation and strategic positioning, acting as a key partner to the Chief of Staff in advancing organization-wide reform, innovation, and performance. The role serves as a central integrator of cross-organizational transformation efforts, including UNFPA’s change management and transformation processes, broader UN80 reform processes, and priority corporate initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead the management, strategic planning and coordination of selected institutional transformation priorities and strategic initiatives to support leadership with priority-setting, forward planning and strategic analysis.
• Lead and coordinate with UNFPA Business Units efforts to design and mobilize transformation approaches and strategic and innovative initiatives, and guide and oversee their implementation, ensuring coherence with organizational priorities, Strategic Plans, UN Reforms, and emerging trends.
• Provide strategic leadership and stewardship for UNFPA's transformation and strategic innovation agenda, ensuring alignment with the Strategic Plan, organizational goals, and insights from foresight activities to advance corporate performance.
• Ensure alignment of transformation priorities and strategic initiatives with executive decision-making processes, including direct support to the Executive Committee and senior leadership forums.
• Ensure harmonization and linkages with institutional messaging on institutional transformation, strategic initiatives and innovation in interactions with the Member States, UN inter-agency groups, donors and other partners.
• Lead or provide strategic coordination and acceleration support to selected high-priority transformation and strategic initiatives, ensuring delivery of results across business units including special corporate or change management projects including projects/initiatives relating to innovation and transformation.
• Act as a central coordination point across divisions, regions, and governance bodies to ensure alignment and execution of selected transformation priorities and strategic initiatives under the Branch’s remit.
• Deliver learning opportunities on transformation, change and strategic initiatives and support building capacity of Business Units for these efforts.
• Ensure availability of technical assistance, best practices, tools, and methods for transformation and strategic and innovative initiatives empowering teams to overcome challenges and achieve progress.
• Promote institutional learning and capacity building through targeted initiatives and strategic knowledge dissemination.
• Foster learning exchange and knowledge sharing on best practices in institutional transformation, organizational change and strategic initiatives both within UNFPA and with external partners.
• Facilitate communities of practice and knowledge exchange on transformation, innovation and strategic initiatives, as relevant.
• Develop and curate knowledge resources on innovation and corporate performance optimization, fostering information exchange within and beyond UNFPA.
• Provide operational support for both innovation and corporate performance initiatives, streamlining processes and systems to support efficient implementation.
• Build, in collaboration with other Business Units, strategic engagement with public and private sector partners, development banks and International Financial Institutions, to enable expertise, financing and scale for selected strategic and innovative initiatives and achieve organizational goals.
• Champion initiatives that foster collaboration across Business Units and external actors, building synergies and maximizing impact to advance organizational priorities.
• Advocate for and promote UNFPA's transformation and strategic initiatives within UN inter-agency groups, Member States, and the broader development community, leveraging insights from foresight activities.
• Identify and cultivate new models of partnership that leverage complementary capabilities across sectors, considering how these partnerships can enable transformation and strategic initiatives.
• Leverage the opportunities offered by innovative financing, to advance selected strategic initiatives, including investments in impactful solutions and proven solutions implementable at national scale.
• Manage dedicated capital for both innovation and corporate performance initiatives, subject to availability, ensuring prudent and impactful allocation across both areas.
• Provide specialist advice and support to develop partnership and financing approaches for strategic initiatives, in coordination with relevant organizational units.
• Provide focused and time-bound strategic support to executive leadership on emerging priorities, transformation challenges and complex cross-organizational initiatives.
• Mobilize and convene expertise from across headquarters, regional and country offices around defined institutional priorities and challenges.
• Provide rapid analysis, options development, strategic coordination and problem-solving support on matters requiring focused executive attention.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (minimum Master’s degree or equivalent) in Social Science, Business Administration, International Development, sustainable development, economics, project management, institutional transformation, organizational change, strategic initiatives, public policy, public administration, or another relevant field is required.
• A minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible professional experience in project or programme management, innovation, partnership development, inter-agency cooperation, or closely related fields is required for the D-1 level; however, candidates with a minimum of 10 years of the mentioned relevant experience may be considered for appointment at the P-5 level in lieu of D-1.
• Extensive experience in leading and managing teams within large complex organisations, providing strategic guidance.
• Substantive knowledge and practical experience in population & development, sexual & reproductive health, and gender.
• Experience in leading the development innovation strategies or plans and implementing them across complex technical areas.
• Demonstrated experience in leading institutional transformation, organizational change and/or complex cross-organizational initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience advising senior leadership and translating strategic priorities into coordinated organizational action.
• Experience in leveraging innovation for sustainable development solutions.
• Experience in building and managing diverse partnerships with governments, NGOs, private sector, and donors to secure funding and achieve development goals.
• Experience in working in the private sector around innovation or innovative solutions is an advantage.
• Experience working in field settings including regional and country offices is an asset.
• Proficiency in English required.
• Knowledge of an additional UN language is an asset.

Skills

• Project Management
• Programme Management
• Innovation Strategies
• Partnership Development
• Inter-agency Coordination
• Team Leadership
• Strategic Guidance
• Population and Development
• Sexual and Reproductive Health
• Gender Equality Expertise
• Institutional Transformation
• Organizational Change
• Cross-organizational Initiatives
• Senior Leadership Advising
• Strategic Planning
• Sustainable Development Solutions
• Funding Mobilization
• Private Sector Engagement
• Field Operations Experience
• Change Management

Languages

English