The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development challenges, and it can transform the pace and nature of development. Volunteerism benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens, and by purposefully creating opportunities for participation. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for recognition of volunteers, working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing an increasing number and diversity of volunteers, including experienced UN volunteers, throughout the world. UNV embraces volunteerism as universal and inclusive, and recognizes volunteerism in its diversity as well as the values that sustain it: free will, commitment, engagement and solidarity.
UNV engaged 7,765 UN volunteers in 2010, on a total of 7,960 assignments. With an average age of 37 years and the requisite professional skills and qualifications of some 5 to 10 years relevant experience, UN volunteers served in 132 countries in 2010 and came themselves from 158. The majority – 80 per cent – come from developing countries themselves. One third of UN volunteers served in their own countries, with the others carrying out international assignments. The financial equivalent of programme activities exceeds US$235 million annually. UNV’s successful focal point role in marking the Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers (IYV+10) in 2011 has resulted in increased recognition, facilitation, networking and promotion of volunteerism worldwide and an enhanced perception of UNV’s critical role in peace and development as well as in volunteerism norm-setting in the United Nations system and globally. UNV’s role will need to be further consolidated in the decade ahead.
UNV is headquartered in Bonn, Germany and has approximately 150 staff positions – with the majority in Bonn and some positions with different UN peacekeeping and political missions, and in other Headquarters locations (e.g. New York and Tokyo).
The major organizational groups within UNV are: - Office of the Executive Coordinator (OEC), including the Evaluation Unit (EU)and the Corporate Planning and Performance Unit (CPPU).
- Volunteer Programming and Management Group (VPMG) comprising the Peace Division (PD) and the Development Division (DD), Volunteer Recruitment Resources Section (VRRS), Quality Assurance Unit (QAU), and the Volunteer Knowledge and Innovation Section (VKIS).
- Partnerships and Communications Division (PCD) comprising the Partnerships Section (PS) and the Communications Section (CS).
- Management Services Division (MSD) comprising the Information and Communication Technology Section (ICTS), Finance Section (FS), Human Resources Section (HRS), and the Administration Unit (AU). Additionally the Common Services Unit (CSU) provides support to the UN presence in Bonn.
The Office of the Executive Coordinator (OEC) provides vision, innovation, and organizational leadership, and strategically directs and manages the UNV programme. The OEC defines UNV’s long-term goals and immediate objectives, taking into account UN General Assembly resolutions and UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board decisions. The OEC leads the organization,development, articulation and implementation of the substantive, financial and operational aspects of the UNV programme i.e. strategies, policies, guidelines, modalities and resources. Reporting to the Executive Coordinator, the Deputy Executive Coordinator supports and partners with the Executive Coordinator to provide strategic and innovative leadership to the development, articulation and implementation of both the substantive and operational aspects of the UNV programme; lead organizational outreach, representation and resource mobilization activities; manage an effective organizational framework of resources, systems and processes ensuring effective and efficient programme development and implementation and overall policy coherence; provide inspirational leadership to a diverse, multi-cultural and competent staff group and volunteers in the field; report on organizational processes, outputs and challenges to UNDP senior management, the UNDP Executive Board, UN General Assembly and UNV’s network of partners in the United Nations and civil society; ensure the recognition, facilitation, networking and promotion of volunteerism worldwide; and consolidate UNV’s critical role in peace and development as well as in volunteerism norm-setting in the United Nations system and globally. The Volunteer Programming and Management Group (VPMG) reports to the Deputy Executive Coordinator. In collaboration with the Executive Coordinator, the Deputy Executive Coordinator leads UNV’s senior management team and chairs a number of key committees, working groups, and task forces in UNV. He/she serves as Officer-in-Charge during missions and absences of the Executive Coordinator.
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Summary of key functions: - Strategic planning
- Corporate management
- Organization development/change management
- Volunteer programming and management
- Resource mobilization
- Team building and motivating
- Knowledge management
- Representational functions
Strategic planning:
- Together with the Executive Coordinator, directs other members of a diverse team of senior managers in defining goals, priorities, requirements and key performance indicators for the corporate planning process. In this connection, guides the Senior Management Team (SMT)’s activities in the development of the strategic framework to manage human, financial and technological resources and ensure the quality, responsiveness and relevance of UNV programmes and services in relation to the deployment of these resources.
Corporate Management:
- Oversees/monitors the effective and efficient implementation of and reporting on the UNV Corporate Plan. Integrating and reconciling a very broad range of competing demands, the DEC coordinates team processes throughout the organization to delineate Division/Section/Unit results, work processes, resource allocations and monitoring tools, all of which contribute to the achievements outlined in the integrated UNV corporate plan and related actions.
- Acting as an organizational role model, ensures full implementation of UNDP/UNV corporate policies, guidelines and procedures across all UNV programme and service activities.
- With senior managers, leads the application of UNDP corporate instruments and processes – tailoring these to UNV requirements. This includes UNV input to the UNDP Results Oriented Annual Report (ROAR) and the Integrated Work Plan (IWP), as well as input to other UN reports such as the Secretary-General’s report on volunteerism to the UN General Assembly, as well as UN-wide gender and youth related reports.
- Leads the cross-Divisional Gender Action Team to provide gender-related inputs and cross-sectoral support to all UNV Divisions/Sections/Units, including to corporate policies and initiatives related to programming, volunteer management, human resources management, knowledge, learning and reporting.
Organization Development/Change Management: - Taking into account a wide range of possible future scenarios of an evolving political and business environment, the DEC initiatesand oversees collaborative processes to align organizational structures, team roles, and staff profiles and posts to ensure continued relevance and effectiveness of UNV.
- Oversees performance management, financial management and, as needed, change management.
Volunteer Programming and Management: - Ensures effective responses to meet the demand for UN Volunteers and programmatic support in collaboration with UNDP and other UN partners senior managers in the field and at Headquarters.
- Works with the Volunteer Programming and Management Group (VPMG) in the monitoring and continual refinement of the Conditions of Service; refinement of volunteer modalities and schemes; and in the development of innovative modalities and schemes that meet the emerging needs of partners as well as of UNV.
- Advocates and leads negotiations for the integration of volunteerism in the policies, plans, strategies and programmes of UN, Government and other partners; oversees the resolution of their operational needs,and ensures that increasing numbers of UN Volunteers are mobilized to sustain organizational viability.
- Promotes a better understanding of UNV’s strategic agenda with global partners and builds consensus and collaboration on major joint initiatives and programmes.
- Oversights the implementation of the Corporate Programme Strategy and leads the development of future ones, including Results Frameworks.
- Ensures that UNV remains a strategic player in the Secretary-General’s five year action plan and subsequent ones, particularly on youth and volunteerism for peace and development.
- Based on its successful focal point role in marking the Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers (IYV+10) in 2011 at the global, regional and national levels, strengthen UNV’s role as civil society and volunteer organizations convener.
- Consolidate UNV’s role as the global volunteer norm-setting organization in the decade ahead by demonstrating peace and development results and impact through volunteerism, community voluntary action and civic engagement and by leveraging UNV’s ability and knowledge to bring about transformational change in active partnerships with civil society and volunteer organizations, UN agencies and Governments.
- Ensure that UNV is a significant actor in discussions about post-MDG sustainable development goals and becomes a catalyst for advancing holistic, people-centred approaches as per the mandate of the UN General Assembly and as envisaged in the State of the World Volunteerism Report.
Team and Knowledge Management: - Guides and motivates a creative peer community of senior managers to excel in programme and service delivery, support continual organizational and staff learning, and develop/sustain dynamic communities of practice.
Representational: - Participates and represents UNV in high-level UNDP executive meetings, UN (inter-) agency meetings and leveraging developments, resource allocations and decisions for the organization.
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Functional Competencies: Building Strategic Partnerships Creating opportunities through a broadening network of partnerships - Develops regional/global strategic networks and partnerships with UN agencies and other International Partners in support of UNV’s agenda
- Creates networks and initiatives with volunteer and civil society organizations and intergovernmental organizations globally
- Promotes UNV’s agenda in UNDP executive and(inter) agency meetings
Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing Promoting a learning organization - Provides leadership to the organization in the process of becoming a learning/knowledge sharing organization
- Leads the development of UNV’s strategy on learning/knowledge sharing/management and participates in overseeing its implementation
- Provides guidance regarding methods and approaches to meeting UNV’s organizational goals related to knowledge management
- Lobbies for the resources required for the organization to become a learning/knowledge sharing organization
Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise External authority in own discipline - Contributes to knowledge/information that extends the boundaries of knowledge in the discipline
- Is recognized outside the organization as a world-class authority in their discipline
- For managers: applies an in-depth knowledge of best practices within the discipline; effectively uses this information to improve work practices within the function and the organization
- Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally
- Demonstrates basic knowledge of standard Computer Software applications and information technology including electronic communication and seeks to apply it in work tasks
Organizational Leadership and Direction Creating commitment to vision and direction - Creates and instills a vision, a set of values, and creates a supportive, enabling environment in which the vision and strategic direction can be achieved
- Gains and sustains the interest and support of the senior most management for strategies which implement the vision and values of the organization
- Remains accessible to various stakeholders and shows a willingness to become directly and personally involved
- Promotes a better understanding of UNV’s strategic agenda with global partners and builds consensus on major initiatives
- Creates consensus and communicates coherently the vision and strategic direction to internal and external audiences
PromotingOrganizationalChange and Development Leading organizational change strategies - Articulates a vision for change and leads the transformation process
- Influences the senior management to adopt organization-wide change strategies, and to address issues requiring change
- Ensures the inclusion of organizational change and development approaches in UNV’s strategic planning processes
- Facilitates the design of structures and reporting relationships in alignment with organization strategies and goals
StrategicAlignment of Management Practice
Developing a vision for management services - Develops a compelling vision for management services as a strategic partner; inspires others to achieve the vision
- Provides advice on issues related to management systems and strategies and works with the senior management to develop strategies that best address the internal and external issues.
- Ensures that senior managers operationalize the vision and strategy of management systems in their respective divisions and organizational units.
Design and Implementation of Management Systems - Setting priorities for system development
- Provides authoritative guidance concerning systems design and implementation strategies
- Engages in active consultation with UN System and outside partners, on the types of systems that are required by UNV
- Builds consensus with senior management colleagues on the direction and priorities of systems developed
- Lobbies to obtain resources for systems design and implementation
Client Orientation Advocating for client needs - Demonstrates a commitment to the provision of quality service to clients, promoting a mindset of valuing clients
- Provides client groups with opportunities for active participation/consultation on decisions relevant to their needs
- Develops strategic partnerships with clients to integrate common interests in support of UNV’s strategic direction
- Reviews overall achievement of service level agreements with clients• Leverages a network of senior level contacts and decision makers to pursue new approaches.
Promoting Accountability and Results-Based Management Leadership in promoting accountability and results-based management - Exercises leadership in strengthening accountability and results-based management in supporting organizational priorities, policy and decision making processes.
- Advocates for an accountability culture.
- Leads and models the alignment of actual behaviour throughout the organization with core values.
Core Competencies: - Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents
- Building support and political acumen
- Building staff competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation
- Building and promoting effective teams
- Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication
- Creating an emotionally intelligent organization
- Leveraging conflict in the interests of UNDP & setting standards
- Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning
- Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking
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