UN WOMEN Jobs - 78087- UN Women: Director, Independent Evaluation and Aud

UN Women: Director, Independent Evaluation and Audit Services

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

23-Apr-18 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

D-2

Duration of Initial Contract :

1 year

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

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 Independent Evaluation and Audit Services is responsible for the independent evaluation and internal audit functions in the UN Women. Together, these Services provide UN Women with (a) assessments of programmes and interventions to measure the progress in achieving and sustaining the gender equality and women’s empowerment objectives; (b) assessments of internal controls throughout the organization to ensure efficient, effective, and accountable operations; and (c) important lessons learned about what works for gender equality and women’s empowerment and why.

The Director of the Independent Evaluation and Audit Services reports to the Executive Director and sits as an observer of the UN Women senior management team. Internally, the Director interacts with the Executive Director, senior management, and other evaluation and audit stakeholders. Externally, the Director interacts with the members of the Executive Board and maintains a close working relationship with the United Nations Board of Auditors (the external auditors of UN Women) and fosters coordination and cooperation with the evaluation, internal audit, and investigation offices of other UN organizations.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide strategic direction for the leadership and management of the UN Women’s independent evaluation and internal audit functions.
Conduct strategic analyses of the organization structure, programmes, risks, and challenges to identify how the evaluation and internal audit functions can add value and support of the UN Women Strategic Plan objectives and priorities.
Support continuous improvements in methodology, processes and approaches to ensure compliance with relevant international professional standards, as well as the efficient and effective use of IEAS resources.
Provide timely reports, information, and advice to senior management on relevant programmatic and management issues stemming from evaluations (programme relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability) and from internal audits (efficiency and effectiveness of governance, risk management, and controls).
Promote the UN system accountability for gender equality and women’s empowerment results through gender- responsive evaluation and audit methodologies and practices.
Ensure the IEAS team maintains high quality professional standards and skills through use of a quality assurance and improvement programme.
Manage the dissemination of lessons learned from UN Women evaluations and internal audit reports through presentations, reports, and media.
Promote and contribute to the culture of evaluation and audit in UN Women by providing strategic advice and overall guidance to Regional Offices, Country Offices and HQ units.
Present results of evaluations and internal audits to the respective oversight advisory committees: the Global Evaluation Advisory Committee and the Audit Advisory Committee.
Interact, liaise and report periodically to UN Women’s Executive Board on evaluation and internal audit matters.
Be accountable for timeliness and quality of mandated reports for management, oversight committees and governing bodies on findings, recommendations and lessons learned from UN Women programmes, projects, and initiatives.
Liaise with investigation service-provider, the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services – Investigation Division, as needed, regarding investigation activities conducted at UN Women.
Provide high-level advice and briefing to the Executive Director on strategic and critical issues related to evaluation and internal audit findings and recommendations.

Key Performance Indicators:

IEAS strategies, policies, and guidelines are delivered on time;
Implementation of strategies requiring IEAS action are completed on time and on scope;
The IEAS Annual Work plan is developed and implemented on time, on scope, and on budget;
Reports and recommendations are delivered on time and on scope;
High-level issues are escalated in an appropriate manner;
Cooperative working relationships are maintained with other units and other stakeholders;
IEAS staff performance is assessed on time and actions, if needed, are taken;
IEAS participate in a quality assurance and improvement programme, including individual learning; and
IEAS contributions to organization knowledge management are timely and evidence-based.

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.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:?http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

In-depth knowledge of the evaluation and internal audit functions including different components from the design of strategic direction, planning, implementation and reporting including follow-up of the result of the work.
Ability to direct, lead and manage evaluations and internal audits including the application of internationally accepted professional standards, norms and guidelines.
Ability to lead team effectively, and drive for results with the ability to transfer knowledge and skills.
Ability to forge strategic partnerships, strong negotiation and persuasion skills, networking and ability effectively to advocate the results of the IEAS.
High integrity with ethical value in all matters.
A good understanding of the need to safeguard the independent role of IEAS and at the same time ensures a proactive and participative oversight function.
Excellent knowledge of results-based management principles and approaches.
Ability to lead development of clear strategies.
Ability to develop innovative solutions.
Excellent presentation and communication skills, including the ability to deliver briefings to diverse target audiences as well as to conduct effective meetings with senior management and representatives of Member States and other stakeholders.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (Master degree) in Business Administration, Public Administration, Economic, International Development, Social Science or related field;
A first level degree in combination with a certification as Chartered Accountant or Certified Public Accountant may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree;
Additional professional certifications in Development Evaluation or Programme Management or Internal Audit or other directly relevant fields are advantage.

Experience:

A minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible professional experience in audit and/or evaluation or another directly relevant area, including at least five years at a senior management level;
Knowledge and working experience of the UN areas of work, particularly those pertinent to UN Women’s strategic priorities, gender equality, and women’s rights is desirable;
Working experience in an International Organization and multi-cultural environment is desirable;
Considerable experience in the development of strategy, design, implementation and management of evaluation and/or internal audit programmes is essential;
Excellent knowledge of emerging global issues and trends on evaluation and internal audit subjects that impact on the work;
Proven ability to lead and manage teams to achieve demonstrable results with at least 3 years of managing and supervising a team of professional staff;
Experience in effective management of co-sourcing and outsourcing is desirable;
Field experience is an advantage.

Languages:

Fluency in English;
Proficiency in French or Spanish is desirable;
Knowledge of other United Nations official languages is an advantage.

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Note:

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.