Background
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.
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.
The Office of Audit and Investigations (OAI) reports to the Administrator and is responsible for internal audit and investigations services to UNDP and its affiliated entities. OAI provides independent, objective assurance on the effectiveness of risk management and the effectiveness and adequacy of internal controls. OAI also responds to allegations of misconduct by conducting and reporting on investigations. The Investigations Section of OAI is responsible for conducting investigations into allegations of misconduct, such as mismanagement, fraud, corruption, retaliation on whistle-blowers, workplace harassment, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, violation or wilful disregard of UNDP regulations, rules, and administrative instructions, that involve UNDP staff, contractors and other applicable persons.
OAI houses the Social and Environmental Compliance Unit (SECU) to respond to complaints that UNDP may not be meeting its social and environmental commitments. SECU became operational on
1 January 2015. The purpose of a compliance review is to investigate alleged violations of UNDP’s social
and environmental policies and procedures, and to identify approaches to bring projects into compliance, including by providing appropriate redress to harmed communities.
UNDP approved Social and Environmental Standards (SES) and the Stakeholder Response Mechanism (SRM) to be integrated into UNDP’s policies and procedures and effective for all new projects starting January 1, 2015.
OAI seeks to engage suitably skilled and experienced international personnel under the International Personnel Services Agreement (IPSA) to support OAI in matters relating to Social and Environmental Compliance of UNDP.
Job Purpose and Organizational Context
The IPSA Lead Compliance Officer and Advisor like all individuals working on SECU matters, will conduct their role in accordance with all requirements of the OAI Charter, SECU Investigation Guidelines, and relevant policies and procedures. All work products produced by the IPSA Lead Compliance Officer and Advisor as a result of this engagement are owned by UNDP and shall be submitted to SECU.
Duties and Responsibilities
The IPSA Lead Compliance Officer and Advisor will, as tasked by the SECU Head of Unit, undertake the following activities:
- Provide Leadership on SECU Interaction with Stakeholders
• Provide leadership on strategic, political, and policy advice to SECU when interacting with its internal and external stakeholders with the aim of ensuring SECU maintains and promotes its independence, effectiveness, accessibility, transparency, and capacity to conduct independent social and environmental compliance investigations in line with applicable international best practices.
• Draw on professional experience to lead strategic considerations and approaches on certain cases that present unique and/or high-profile issues and often attract interest and scrutiny from internal and external stakeholders, including UNDP management, civil society organizations, complainants, affected communities, and peer IAMs
• Provide leadership and strategic advice on high level negotiations that take place between SECU and other IAMs, and between UNDP and other institutions related to social and environmental policies (e.g. vertical funds, project co-financiers, donor countries, etc). - Provide Leadership on SECU Case Activity
• Provide leadership and strategic advice to SECU team when determining the eligibility of requests for compliance reviews.
• Provide leadership and strategic guidance to compliance officers conducting SECU investigations to ensure high quality reports that are sufficiency of evidence that diligently apply UNDP’s social and environmental safeguard policies to specific factual scenarios the case team is investigating.
• Provide expert advice at each stage of the SECU process to ensure the efficiency, effectiveness, fairness, and comprehensiveness of SECU investigations and projects.
• Lead on SECU’s quality assurance function for all SECU reports, ensuring exceptional writing and editing and delivering specific expertise in crafting social and environmental investigation reports that focus on strategic impacts and outcomes to external stakeholders and institutional compliance with relevant safeguards.
• Provide superior expert advice in the planning and execution of field missions, including travel to UNDP project locations in often dynamic and challenging locations, as needed. Issues that may require the input of the Lead Compliance Officer include: Managing threats of retaliation, interactions with host government representatives, scoping of stakeholders and target witnesses, interacting with local and regional CSOs.
* SECU field missions never run in locations determined prohibitively unsafe by the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS). SECU must obtain security clearance from UNDSS for all field missions. - Provide leadership in management of SECU Projects and Initiatives
• Provide leadership to case teams as they conduct their investigations related to compliance with Social and Environmental policies.
• Engage with high level individuals and sensitive stakeholders within and outside of the organization to provide direction and leadership on UNDP’s social and environmental safeguards framework.
• Provide strategic advice and expert technical analysis on policy development within SECU/OAI
• Provide strategic advice on other SECU projects and initiatives, as needed - The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Competencies
Achieve Results: LEVEL 4: Prioritize team workflow, mobilize resources, drive scalable results/strategic impact
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 4: Easily navigate complexity, encourage/enable radical innovation, has foresight
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 4: Create systems and processes that enable learning and development for all
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 4: Proactively initiate/lead organizational change, champion new systems/processes
Act with Determination: LEVEL 4: Able to make difficult decisions in challenging situations, inspire confidence
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 4: Construct strategic multi-partner alliances in high stake situations, foster co-creation
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 4: Create ethical culture, identify/address barriers to inclusion
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
- Business Direction & Strategy
- System Thinking:
- Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.
- Business Management:
- Risk Management
- Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks
- Business Management:
- Evaluation
- Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks
- Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.
- Business Direction & Strategy:
- Strategic Thinking
- Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities, linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions
- Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP
- Business Management:
- Change Management
- Ability to prepare, support, and help individuals and teams in designing and implementing organizational change
- Audit & Investigation - Investigation:
- Investigation management and investigative techniques
- The ability to manage an investigation, choose avenues of inquiry and apply different techniques during an investigation, including investigative interviewing; seizure of documentary and electronic evidence; identification, collection, review and analysis of all types of evidence, including project, procurement and commercial business documentation and electronic communications; forensic analysis; verification site visits; open source research
- Audit & Investigation - Audit:
- Critical creative and foresight applied to audit and investigation
- Possess essential critical thinking and foresight capacity to analyse facts to form a judgment.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- An advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Law, Economics, Environmental or International Development and any other related field is required. or
- First university degree (bachelor’s degree) in Law, Economics, Environmental or International Development With two additional years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of a master’s degree.
Experience:
- Minimum of 15 years (with master’s degree) or 17 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in implementing or evaluating social and environmental impact assessment practices and procedures is required.
- Expertise in the social and environmental safeguard policies of international institutions is required.
Required skills
- Expertise in the purpose, design and use of accountability mechanisms.
Desired additional skills and competencies
- Experience in stakeholder engagement, including with local communities and CSOs, is highly desirable.
- Experience and Knowledge of UNDP’s Programming and Operations Policies and Procedures, as well as the UNDP Social and Environmental Standards is advantageous.
- Expertise in promoting, defending, and defining the basic characteristics of independent accountability mechanisms, including independence, accessibility, transparency, effectiveness, and being a source of learning for its parent institution.
Required Language(s) (at working level)
- Fluency in oral and written English is required.
- Fluency in French or Spanish is highly desirable.
- Fluency in another official UN languages is an advantage
Travel:
As and when travel for business purposes is required, including if the IPSA will be requested to visit SECU/OAI office if and when it is needed, OAI will notify the IPSA Lead Compliance Officer and agree upon the trip details and arrange for DSA, flights/trains, and terminal expenses as per UNDP Policy on IPSA. The IPSA Lead Compliance Officer will need to complete UNDSS SAFE Training, if they have not done the equivalent already, ideally prior to deploying on any field mission. Note that SECU/OAI IPSAs are entitled to the same security and health protocols and assurances as staff members when on field missions. Please review the UNDP Policy on IPSA travel for details about entitlements and standard of accommodation and contact SECU/OAI to obtain more relevant information prior to signing any contract, if desired.
Disclaimer
Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.
UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.
Applicant information about UNDP rosters
Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
Non-discrimination
UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.
UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
Scam warning
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This position is no longer open.
