Background

The Bureau of Management (BMS) is the central operations Bureau in UNDP that supports the organization in the provision of management services. Drawing on client needs, user experience, sound analytics, and a risk-informed approach, BMS provides policy, oversight, advisory and transactional services and solutions for UNDP to deliver fully integrated development solutions. In doing so, BMS keeps pace with the evolving needs and expectations of development partners and international best practice through strengthening and innovating business operations. In support of UNDP’s Strategic Plan, the BMS aims to provide more integrated, effective, and customer-focused services to clients both internal and external to UNDP.

The BMS Deputy supports the Assistant Administrator to achieve these objectives through a focus on performance optimization across all management practices, including cross-unit integration towards innovation, promotion of best practices, client-oriented solutions, and service excellence. The Deputy Director acts as the Deputy Performance Improvement Officer (PIO), supporting the BMS Director as UNDP’s primary Performance Improvement Officer, in advising and assisting UNDP leadership to ensure that UNDP achieves its mission and goals through operational, strategic, and performance planning, measurement, analysis, assessment, and use of high-quality operational performance data to improve results.

The Deputy Director of BMS is responsible for providing leadership and quality assurance for the delivery of management advisory services within UNDP Regional and Central Bureaux and Country Offices, and to partner UN Agencies.
The Deputy Director provides direct managerial oversight to Office of Information Management and Technology, the Global Shared Services Unit, the Office of General Operations, and the technical support teams within the BMS Directorate. The reporting arrangements through which the Deputy Director oversees BMS Offices and internal BMS Directorate technical teams may evolve over time, as corporate priorities may shift.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Coordinates formulation and monitoring of BMS’ performance improvement activities and results of the day-to-day operation of BMS, representing the bureau in corporate governance fora and processes to influence and contribute to UNDP’s corporate strategic agenda, business development, and risk management.

• Drives continuous operational performance improvement efforts across the organization and collaborating across agencies.  
• Together with the BMS Director, supports the Administrator, Associate Administrator and Chief of Staff by coordinating corporate UNDP efforts to set operational goals, make results transparent, review progress and make course corrections, including reaching out to other offices to improve operational effectiveness and efficiency and helping units identify and promote adoption of effective practices to improve outcomes, responsiveness, and efficiency;
• Represent BMS in the Operations and Programme Group (OPG) and support the BMS Assistant Administrator in representing BMS in the Executive Group (EG);
• Represents BMS in Executive Board sessions, and other high-level UN common system governance bodies including the Chief Executives Board, HLCM, HLCP, ICSC, etc. as required;
• Coordinate BMS-wide analysis and substantive input to EB meetings, EB reporting, and engagement with member states;
• Facilitates substantive influence of UNDP in UN Common System coordination fora, such as the UNSDG, as well as Secretary General advisory groups;
• Coordinate BMS engagement with evaluation and oversight mechanisms such as the Ethics, Audit and Investigations, Evaluation office, and Joint Inspection Unit (JIU);
• Coordinates the integrated strategic planning of BMS, including preparation and follow up the corporate planning, results oriented report, and other corporate planning and results processes;
• Coordinates the preparation of BMS consolidated budget and its monitoring; and
• Assists the BMS Director in designing and monitoring the agenda for the Bureau and setting the agenda and working principles for the regular BMS Directors’ meetings.

2. Ensures that the BMS management coordination platform is aligned to UNDP’s evolving business model and effectively supports the delivery of organizational performance and innovation results.

• Leads BMS Directorate Business Solutions, Corporate Management, and Internal Management Consulting Coordination teams and technical resource people working in the Directorate:
  • i. Client Business Solutions Coordination:
    • a. Leads UNDP’s strategic positioning in management services delivery, across all operations functions, towards a robust and integrated organizational approach to managing operations transactions services in line with standards of excellence and client orientation;
    • b. Formulates a solution-oriented strategic vision for BMS management service providers and provides an operational anchor for the delivery of management support; and
    • c. Manages and updates services to meet changing need of Regional and Central Bureaux in UNDP as well as UN Agencies.
  • ii. Corporate Management Coordination
    • a. Leads BMS’ normative guidance on the quality assurance standards for all management practices, including the codification of policy and procedural guidance in UNDP’s POPP, in coordination with UNDP/BMS business owners;
    • b. Ensures BMS leads the corporate management agenda for effective Enterprise Risk Management and organizational resilience;
    • c. Facilitates the BMS-wide resource planning and financial sustainability analysis for strategic, corporate management initiatives; and
    • d. Champions the development of user-friendly content and guidance material to guide clients seeking management advisory solutions.
  • iii. Management Consulting Coordination
    • a. Sponsors UNDP’s corporate, internal Management Consulting Team, which provides on-demand, management consulting services to UNDP clients;
    • b. Leverages internal consulting capacity to drive UNDP’s organizational transformation in line with the Strategic Plan and high-priority management initiatives; and
    • c. Utilizes data-driven insights and applied management solutions to champion and accelerate organizational reforms and drive changes in organizational culture.

3. Leads the implementation and evolution of the BMS management coordination platform, to coordinate all corporate management services, including UNDP management services to the UN System.

• Fosters a common approach to scoping and delivering management services, which entails contracting with clients, formalizing client service arrangements and deliverables, tracking services in UNDP’s Client Relationship Management system, seeking client feedback, and ensuring ongoing support to clients;
• Leads and oversees the UNDP-UN System service delivery agreements for UN entities at country, regional, and global levels, ensuring that Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams receive fully integrated management and operations services;
• Leads the definition and maintenance of the cost recovery mechanisms and processes for BMS management services;
• Positions UNDP as the partner of choice for operations services to the UN System, by coordinating and delivering high-value services in a cost-effective manner; 
• Provides strategic direction on UNDP’s engagement in Inter-Agency / Common System operations and management initiatives (e.g. Business Innovations, Business Operations Strategies, etc.);
• Partners across BMS Services to synchronize the delivery of policy, advisory and transaction services to ensure effective and integrated support to all clients of Management Services; and
• Provides programme and project management for Management Services initiatives.

4. Serves as a leader within BMS to promote innovation, professionalization, responsiveness, and solutions-orientation within and across UNDP’s management practices and services.

• Leads the BMS-wide service excellence and business acceleration initiatives, and promotes agile and user-focused management practices, based on feedback / monitoring KPIs, and leverages continuous improvement practices to effect change within BMS;
• Articulates the accountabilities for BMS teams in providing solutions to UN and UNDP clients;
• Promotes direct BMS outreach to UNDP clients to understand business needs and offers BMS services, where value can be added;
• Defines and monitors performance metrics and KPIs, and further, role models how management actions are anchored on performance;
• Identifies risks and risk mitigation measures in the context of complex and varied client service agreements and helps to broker clear positions for adapting policies / procedures;
• Champions and steers continuous improvement initiatives, such as business process management, digitization, and automation to ensure that clustering yields pivotal benefits to UNDP globally, beyond cost reduction; and
• Determines and leverages best-practice service delivery methods for each function and across the functions.

5. Oversees UNDP’s approach for global shared services / centralized operations and Information Management Technology including oversight of the:

• Global Shared Services Unit
  • i. Decides on and oversees the implementation of the global clustering strategy and business plan;
  • ii. Provides strategic direction and facilitates corporate, executive support for UNDP’s global shared services agenda; and
  • iii. Leads the resource mobilization and management, as well as issue resolution, for Global Shared Services as an integral component of UNDP’s business model.
• Office of General Operations
  • i. Decides on and oversees implementation of the strategy for the Office of General Operations.
• Office for Information Management Technology
  • i. Decides on and oversees the implementation of UNDP’s Information Management and Technology strategy and priorities vis-à-vis corporate decision-makers; and
  • ii. Provides guidance and political support for the OIMT Director in utilizing the ICT Governance Group to broker corporate endorsement and resourcing for ICT investments in UNDP.
• Acts as the alternate Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) of UNDP under the delegated authority of the CPO;
• Coordinates compliance with audit, ethical, and evaluation observations in the BMS Units managed directly by him/her, and more generally, as part of the BMS Senior Management Team; and
• Provides oversight over required human resources capacity for BMS, as a whole, as a member of the BMS Senior Management Team.

Competencies

Core
Innovation

• Ability to make new and useful ideas work

Leadership

• Ability to persuade others to follow

People Management

• Ability to improve performance and satisfaction

Communication

• Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform

Delivery

• Ability to get things done

Technical/Functional
Service Excellence and Performance Improvement

• Knowledge of industry standard, continuous improvement practices, and ability to design and implement an effective service excellence practice.

Operational Efficiency

• Ability to identify and execute opportunities to improve operational efficiency

Strategic Planning

• Ability to make decisions that align with strategy, vision, and mission

Priority Setting

• Ability to scan and synthesize diverse sets of information to arrive at strategic priorities and positioning recommendations

Resource Allocation

• Ability to distribute resources in a strategic or tactical way

Stakeholder Management

• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and balance often contradictory expectations, building and maintaining relationships

Risk Management

• Ability to identify and prioritize risks, and organize action around mitigating them

Internal Reporting and Accountability

• Ability to create internal reporting and accountability processes and standards

Quality Assurance

• Ability to perform administrative and procedural activities to ensure that quality requirements and goals are fulfilled

Negotiation

• Ability to reach understanding, resolve point of difference, or gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue

Required Skills and Experience

Education: 

• Advanced degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Information Technology, Finance, or relevant field of professional management and operational management.

Experience: 

• Minimum 15 years of relevant professional experience in operational management, strategic management, or with comparable high-level operations / management experience in a complex, global, organization.
• Experience in managing UNDP business units, including significant field experience, required.
• Knowledge and experience in applying organizational performance improvement frameworks within teams and organizations is a critical asset.
• Knowledge of UN System operating context is a critical asset.

Language Requirements: 

• Fluent in English; knowledge of another UN language an asset.