Chief of Strategy, TISFD (Home Based) [Open to Tier 1 & 2 applicants]

Description for Internal Candidates 

Please note the appropriate Tier indicated in the vacancy title and ensure that you are holding the applicable contract as defined below:

• Tier 1: UNDP/ UNCDF/ UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed term (FTA) appointments (defined as “internal” candidates) 
• Tier 2: UNDP/ UNCDF/ UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA) and personnel on regular PSA contracts

Background

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

UNDP's policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. 

Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP's Strategic Plan. BPPS's staff provides technical advice to Country Offices, advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. In addition, BPPS works closely with UNDP's Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response. 

The world needs an economic governance architecture deliberately designed to support governments, development agencies, civil society, and the private sector to make decisions that prioritize investment in the SDGs. Thus, UNDP established the Sustainable Finance Hub (SFH) in 2019, aggregating UNDP’s existing work and expertise on financing the SDGs. UNDP aims to promote the investment of over $1 trillion of public expenditure and private capital in the SDGs and maximize development impact for country partners. With this goal, UNDP will mobilize governments, institutional and commercial investors, financial institutions, and enterprises alike to take a more integrated approach to sustainable investment, enabling and promoting the impact integrity of actual and realized investments to enhance transparency, and optimize private and public sectors contributions to achieving the SDGs. Through SFH, UNDP has been increasing its engagement in global financial and economic policy making through the work carried out in different forums (i.e., G7, G20, UN’s Financing for Development process, etc.) as well as other regulatory and market-based networks.

In this context, UNDP supports the Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD or Taskforce), a global initiative for reporting and managing inequality and social-related risks, opportunities, impacts, and dependencies. The Taskforce is a multistakeholder initiative involving investors, business, labor, civil society, policy makers and regulators, service providers, and academia working together to co-create a global framework for inequality and social-related disclosures, guidance and education and capacity building resources. For more information see: TISFD

It is anticipated the framework will be developed over three years through December 2027, with the production of critical outputs throughout this period and further work on implementation to follow. The Taskforce Secretariat will coordinate and facilitate the Taskforce’s activities according to the direction defined by the Steering Committee and Working Groups. This includes coordinating inputs from a body of subject matter experts structured through its engagement groups (the TISFD Alliance, Regional Councils, and Knowledge Partners), as well as through public consultation. 

The Secretariat operates mostly virtually with key Secretariat partners spread across the globe and be led by an Executive Director.

Position Purpose

The Chief of Strategy will work closely with the Executive Director to operationalize TISFD’s strategic plan, ensuring the Secretariat’s activities are aligned with its priorities and that the team is testing, learning, and adapting the plan throughout the process to deliver on TISFD’s mission.

The Chief of Strategy will oversee TISFD’s engagement strategy and delivery against its engagement objectives, ensuring integration between the Secretariat’s engagement, communications, and technical functions, including strategic oversight of its Regional Councils and Alliance.

The Chief of Strategy- TISFD will similarly build relationships with key senior stakeholders across the private, public and nonprofit sectors, who are critical to ensure TISFD’s disclosure recommendations and guidance are practical, usable, and globally relevant. 

Scope Of Work

Provide leadership in the operationalization of the TISFD Strategic Plan.

• Develop and oversee implementation of project management plans to ensure the Secretariat team activities are mutually reinforcing and aligned with TISFD’s strategic priorities.
• Provide direction and leadership on how to adapt TISFD’s strategic plan to deliver on its mission based on continuous testing and learning throughout the process. 
• In collaboration with the Executive Director, implement TISFD’s resource mobilization strategy and engage with donors to ensure sustainable funding.
• Build a skilled and diverse Secretariat team in partnership with the TISFD Leadership Team (Executive Director and Technical Director) and foster a culture of excellence and collaboration in line with TISFD’s overall objectives and strategic plan.

Lead and Oversee Engagement Function

• Lead the development of TISFD’s overall engagement strategy and provide strategic oversight of delivery, ensuring testing, learning, and adaptation of activities throughout the process.
• Build and oversee the diverse range of talent and resources needed to implement the engagement strategy, including managing an Engagement Team of 4-5 FTE.
• Ensure integration between the Secretariat’s engagement, communications, and technical functions.
• Provide strategic oversight of TISFD’s Regional Councils and Global Alliance, guiding their development to ensure a diverse range of stakeholder perspectives are informing the development of TISFD’s deliverables. 

Building Stakeholder Relationships and Knowledge Management 

• Liaise with key senior stakeholders in sustainable finance and corporate sustainability to ensure broad engagement and support for TISFD.
• Participate and speak at events and meetings that help build awareness of TISFD and the importance of meaningful social disclosures alongside climate and nature disclosures. 
• In collaboration with the Executive Director, ensure effective engagement of TISFD Steering Committee and Stewardship Council members.
• Coordinate capacity development and engagement activities for different TISFD stakeholders. 

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization. 

Institutional Arrangements

The Chief of Strategy will work under the supervision of the Executive Director of the TISFD’s Secretariat in UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub.

Core 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 
• People management:  The Chief of Strategy, TISFD will manage a team of 4-5 people.
• Cross-functional and technical competencies
• Business Direction and Strategy
• Negotiation and Influence: Reach a common understanding/agreement, persuade others, resolve points of difference through a dialogue, negotiate mutually acceptable solutions and create ‘win-win’ situations.
• Systems 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

• Project management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Partnership Management

• Relationship management: Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding.
• Resource Mobilization: Ability to identify funding sources, match funding needs (programmes/projects/initiatives) with funding opportunities, and establish a plan to meet funding requirements.
• Strategic Engagement:  Ability to capture and sustain attention, interest and agreement of high-level, influential policy and decision makers and secure their buy-in of high-level vision and objectives

2030 Agenda: Prosperity

• Social Inclusion: Promotes policies and practices that ensure all individuals are included in development.

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Academic Education

• An advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent), in International Development, International Relations, Business Administration, Economics, or other relevant field is required.  Or
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Min. years of relevant work experience

• A minimum of 10 years (with master’s degree) and 12 years (with bachelor’s degree) of experience in sustainable finance, sustainability standards, social responsibility and/or business and human rights in the public, private or nonprofit sectors.

Required Skills

• Experience leading complex multi-stakeholder and multi-disciplinary programmes/initiatives to successful outcomes within a global or international context. 

Desired Additional Skills

•  Experience of development of or reporting to corporate sustainability disclosure frameworks or reporting standards, such as TCFD (Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures), TNFD (Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures), ESRS (European Sustainability Reporting Standards), GRI (formerly Global Reporting Initiative), ISSB (International Sustainability Standards Board) is desired. 
• Experience working in or with the private sector to tackle inequality and/or social-related issues (e.g., human and workers’ rights, gender equality, responsible business practices) is desirable.
• Track record in developing sustainability strategies for the corporate and/or finance sectors is an advantage. 
• Experience leading cross-functional teams to deliver on their goals and objectives desirable. 
• Experience in fundraising complex multi-million-dollar programme budgets is an advantage. 
• At least 10 years of experience in working and building relationships with senior-level leaders across TISFD’s stakeholder groups (businesses, investors, civil society, standard-setters, governments, and philanthropic funders) is an asset. 

Required Language(s) (at working level)

• Fluency in English required

Equal Opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

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.

Scam Alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.