Background

UNDP is the UN's global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. UNDP is on the ground in 177 countries and territories, offering global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations. As the UN's global development network, UNDP links and coordinates global and national efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). UNDP is working with a wide range of partners to help create coalitions for change to support the goals at global, regional and national levels, to benchmark progress towards them, and to help countries to build the institutional capacity, policies and programmes in the following areas of work: sustainable development pathways; inclusive and effective democratic governance; resilience-building.

The Crisis Response Unit (CRU) has corporate responsibility to represent UNDP on humanitarian and crisis response issues, which entails coordinating and facilitating UNDP’s crisis response with a whole-of-UNDP approach. CRU coordinates fast deployments, and mobilizes capacity, expertise and emergency funding to ensure rapid, sufficient and efficient response across all of UNDP; including the provision of secretariat services for the support and coordination functions for corporate crisis response mechanisms, e.g. Executive Team (ET) and Crisis Boards. It guides corporate preparedness for crisis response and manages UNDP’s crisis response tools; and supports early warning, risk analysis and mitigation. CRU is also responsible for UNDP’s inter-agency role on all crisis response and early recovery areas.

The Director is the leader of the Crisis Response Unit, and is a member of UNDP’s corporate leadership group, and as such, serves as a role model for corporate values, behaviors and substantive skills.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Director, Crisis Response Unit, reports to the Administrator/Associate Administrator. He/She is a member of UNDP’s Executive Group and contributes to shaping and monitoring overall corporate strategic directions. He/She directs and manages the CRU to address priorities and achieve outcomes.

The scope and principal functions of the position include:

  • Participating in UNDP’s highest level corporate decision-making body, the Executive Group (EG), helping to identify and implement strategic directions for the Organization as a whole;
  • Building strategic partnerships with key stakeholders to carry out UNDP’s mission and achieve results.

Manages the Crisis Response Unit and works collaboratively and collegiately across UNDP to achieve outcomes and results in line with UNDP’s Strategic Plan:

  • Provides overall leadership and shapes strategic thinking for UNDP in the area of corporate crisis response;
  • Provides executive leadership and management for CRU, supporting the overall goals of UNDP and the UN system;
  • Develops and drives UNDP’s vision and priorities for crisis response, leading timely and informed decision-making and management actions;
  • Ensures high quality performance in crisis response by providing oversight for all UNDP crisis response actions;
  • Represents UNDP in relevant humanitarian/crisis response UN mechanisms and fora, as well as in the international crisis response community;
  • Ensures global advocacy for UNDP’s role in crisis settings, crisis response and early recovery;
  • Engages with the donor community and other actors on crisis response, including resource mobilization; and
  • Oversees and is responsible for CRU’s operations in financial, human resources, procurement and general administration.
Impact of Results

The result of the work of the Director greatly impacts on the standing and reputation of UNDP in all areas related to crisis response. When requested by the Administrator/Associate Administrator, the Director represents UNDP in international and national fora, liaises and interacts on behalf of UNDP with external clients and partners including government, media, civil society as well as other international organizations. The Director is accountable to the Administrator/Associate Administrator for the timely and effective delivery of UNDP’s corporate crisis response to Country Offices.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Strategic Thinking:
  • A clear understanding of  development challenges and priorities;
  • Demonstrated ability to identify high level strategic issues, opportunities and risks, develop organizational strategies to meet objectives, and generate and communicate organizational direction and expected outcomes to all stakeholders.
Leadership:
  • Proven track record of excellent management, leadership and representation skills;
  • Demonstrated effectiveness in establishing productive relationships and networks to achieve outcomes;
  • Strong people management skills;
  • Demonstrated competence for incorporating gender perspectives;
  • Demonstrated personal drive and commitment to organizational objectives;
  • Proven experience in leading change.
Achieves Results:
  • Demonstrated ability to provide strategic direction;
  • Demonstrated excellence in successful management of a complex portfolio of responsibilities including translating goals into practical implementation strategies;
  • Proven ability to build organizational capability and responsiveness to achieve outcomes;
  • Mature judgment and initiative.
Communication:
  • Influential and confident oral and written communication skills;
  • Proven ability to negotiate persuasively and achieve objectives;
  • Proven ability to establish and maintain effective inter-personal relationships in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
Professionalism:
  • Ability to work collaboratively and collegiately with internal and external stakeholders to achieve corporate goals;
  • Capacity to anticipate and address difficult issues;
  • Demonstrated commitment to acting ethically and with integrity and commitment to the values enshrined in the UN Charter.
Core Competencies:
  • Demonstrated commitment to acting ethically and with integrity and commitment to the values enshrined in the UN Charter;
  • 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:
  • Advanced University degree in development-related disciplines, Economics, Business Administration, Public Policy or other relevant Social Sciences or disciplines.
Experience:
  • At least fifteen years of progressively responsible, substantive experience and results achievement at the international level;
  • The candidate should have in-depth knowledge of crisis response activities, managing related complex situations, interagency and international cooperation, negotiation of partnerships, mobilization of resources and management of programmes in crisis related areas with national, regional, international entities, including the ability to influence/advance dialogue and present such material at global and regional fora.
Language:
  • Proficiency in English is required. Proficiency in another UN language is desirable.