Organization: UNJSPF – United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund
Location: Geneva | Nairobi | New York City | Bangkok
Grade: Senior Executive level – D-2, Director – Internationally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
Operations and Administrations
Managerial positions
Closing Date: 2024-12-07
Org. Setting and Reporting
The United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund was established in 1949 by the United Nations General Assembly to provide retirement, death, disability, and related benefits for staff of the United Nations and other member organizations of the Fund. The Pension Fund pays benefits in 17 currencies to more than 80,000 beneficiaries who reside in 190 countries and services more than 149,000 participants who work in the 24 member organizations of the Pension Fund. The Fund has offices in New York (United States) and Geneva (Switzerland) and two liaison offices in Nairobi (Kenya) and Bangkok (Thailand), respectively. The United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund-Pension Administration (UNJSPF-PA) comprises about 250 staff from diverse countries and cultures located across four prominent duty stations (New York, Geneva, Bangkok, and Nairobi). In accordance with the Regulations of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) (the “Pension Fund”), the Chief Executive of Pension Administration (Chief Executive) is responsible for the administration of the Fund, under the authority of the UNJSPF Board (the “Pension Board”). The incumbent of the position reports to the Chief Executive and performs a critical role with strategic, cross-cutting and outreach functions. In the absence of the Chief Executive, the Deputy Chief Executive of Pension Administration (Deputy) performs the Chief Executive’s functions. The Deputy has four direct reports: the Chief Business Support Section, Chief Business Transformation, Chief Legal Officer, and Chief Data Analytics. The Deputy is an appointed position under a five-year fixed term contract with the opportunity, upon Pension Board approval, for one additional five-year contract.
Responsibilities
The Deputy assists the Chief Executive in the administration of the Fund and in the general exercise of the Chief Executive function. Under the general guidance of the Chief Executive, the Deputy serves as the internal focal point for the centralization and coordination of cross-cutting activities, including: -Overseeing, directing, and ensuring the performance of the Business Support Section, Business Transformation Unit, Legal Office, and Data Analytics Unit. -Coordinates the pension administration’s strategic planning process. -Develops and gives impetus to policies and strategies. -Performs the functions of the Chief Executive in the Chief Executive’s absence. -Coordinates the efficient and effective management of the Fund’s core functions, including performance reporting. -Provides leadership to the development of innovative and/or change management programmes. On behalf of the Chief Executive: -Liaises with the Fund’s auditors and the United Nations Board of Auditors. -Maintains effective lines of communication between the Fund’s secretariat and the Staff Pension Committees of the member organizations. -Attends, as required, meetings of the Pension Board and its Standing Committee, the UN Staff Pension Committees (UNSPC), the Committee of Actuaries, the Audit Committee, and the Investments Committee. Also attends and represents the Fund during the sessions of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) and the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly when matters relating to the UN Pension System are taken up by those bodies. -Performs other tasks as assigned by the Chief Executive.
Competencies
Professionalism: Shows pride in work and achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed; ability to deliver presentations to senior audiences. Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honors commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within the prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing. Client Orientation: Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress and setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to clients. Judgment/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary. Building Trust: Provides an environment in which others can talk and act without fear of repercussion; manages in a deliberate and predictable way; operates with transparency; has no hidden agenda; places confidence in colleagues, staff members and clients; gives proper credit to others; follows through on agreed upon actions; treats sensitive or confidential information appropriately.
Education
Advanced university degree in public or business administration, finance, economics, law or related fields. A first-level university degree, in combination with qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Job – Specific Qualification
Not available.
Work Experience
Over fifteen years of progressively responsible experience in management roles is required, of which at least ten years are in senior management positions and specifically some experience in a senior executive role and in working closely with the head of entity. Experience in business transformation and in creating and delivering cultural change is required. Experience in the United Nations system and administration or comparable international organization is required. Experience in delivering cross-functional support services is required. Experience in a) strategic planning and budget preparation and reporting, b) managing projects, c) process improvement and driving efficiency, and d) presenting to committees or boards is required. Previous work experience in a pension plan scheme is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview.
Special Notice
The United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) is an independent inter-agency body established by the United Nations General Assembly. The applicable human resources procedures are governed by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Fund and the UN Secretariat. Please use the United Nations INSPIRA e-Recruitment website at https://careers.un.org/ to apply for this UNJSPF position. The system provides instructions and support for online application procedures. For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or under-represented in the UN Secretariat as of 31 August 2024, are strongly encouraged to apply: Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, China, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Libya, Liechtenstein, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu. Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfil the lateral move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy. Staff members are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral moves in their Personal History Profile (PHP) and cover letter. An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential.
United Nations Considerations
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.