Antecedentes

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.

UN Women is looking for an external consultant to assist the organization in assessing options for further improving operational effectiveness and efficiency with a particular focus on the HQ level as a response to the new Strategic Plan and the Integrated Budget (2018-2021) and with reference to the Report of the Secretary General on Repositioning the UN development system to deliver on the 2030 Agenda – Ensuring a Better Future for All. By assessing options for improving operational effectiveness and efficiency UN Women is looking to ensure greater impact and more sustained results as well reducing costs and duplication for strengthened efficiency. 

Deberes y responsabilidades

TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The main purpose of the consultancy is to prepare an analysis that will help inform UN Women’s decision-making with regards to relocation of select functions from headquarters and their right-sourcing. The analysis and options to be presented to UN Women will include the assessment of potential service locations (incl. service models and outsourcing), a proposed list of services to be redeployed to locations outside HQ, and a cost-benefit model to be used by UN Women for its consideration and internal decision-making process.

Proposals will have to be responsive to the scope and requirements of the Strategic Plan and the Integrated Budget as well as the ongoing work by the UNDG Task Teams. UN Women expects that the consultant will draw on and take advantage of similar exercises already conducted by other UN entities regarding (global and\or shared) service centers, Regional Hubs etc. Experiences and benchmarks from the public institutions or the private sector could also be used in order to substantiate the recommendations.

As much as possible, the analysis should relate to the current UN System reform led by the Secretary General which has as one of its goals to look at establishing common back office operations at country level. Work is currently underway by UNDG Task Teams to provide advice and guidance to the SG on this reform work. The proposed options coming out of this UN Women consultancy should take into consideration the SG’s reform agenda, particularly, the work of Task Team 1 of the Business Innovation Working Group on: Business Operations.

The specific deliverables for the work will be:

Phase 1. Data collection and analysis

1. Benchmarks. The consultant will collect and present information and results from other UN entities that have conducted similar processes in order to establish the main benchmarks against which to assess the proposed UN Women options and decisions.
2. UN Women data analysis. The consultant will analyze the current state and projected volume of services and costs. The consultant will also analyze the complexity and options available to right-source these services at HQ level in order to support the prioritization of services to be relocated or outsourced.
3. Proposed list of services to be rendered from locations other than headquarters. Based on the benchmarks from other entities and the list of prioritized business processes, the consultant will build a proposed list of services that could be rendered from different locations, outsourced or otherwise right-sourced.  

Phase 2. Development of options

1. Present options for service delivery locations. The consultant will propose different locations for service delivery informed by industry standard criteria and assess them against the UN Women requirements. Location analysis and conclusions by other UN entities will be leveraged where applicable.
2. Cost benefit analysis of service provision by location. Based on the location options and list of potential services, the consultant is expected to build a model to assess the cost of the potential alternatives against the expected benefits. Risks associated with various alternatives also to be articulated. It is understood that the model will require the consultant to make assumptions on some of the variables, ideally based on industry standards and the experience of other UN entities.  
3. Proposed work plan. The consultant will prepare a first draft plan for implementation of the selected options.

Timeframe for Phase 1 Data collection and analysis is 3 weeks and timeframe for Phase 2 Option building and planning is 3 weeks. 

Competencias

COMPETENCIES

Core values and Guiding principles:

Integrity: Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism: Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity: Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

Ethics and Values: Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity

Organizational Awareness: Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment

Development and Innovation: Take charge of self-development and take initiative

Work in teams: Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communicating and Information Sharing: Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence: Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others

Conflict Management: Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making: Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

•  Advanced university degree in business administration or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with professional certification such as CA,CIMA, CIPFA, CPA, CGMA or equivalent may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• 10 years of relevant experience in advisory and management services in international organizations.
• Record of accomplishment of assessing organizations for transactional and operational efficiency and effectiveness, including the associated risk management.
• Expert knowledge of the current best practices in respect of placement of service centers.
• Experience in analyzing service relocation options for other UN entities is an asset.
• Organizational Development and Change Management in large scale organizations preferably other UN Agencies.