Deputy Director, OHR [Open to internal and external applicants]

Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

• Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations’ lead agency for international development. It works with countries and partners to address interconnected development challenges, strengthen institutions and resilience, and advance sustainable development. UNDP operates through a global network of headquarters, regional and country offices and delivers programmes across development, humanitarian, crisis and post-crisis contexts.

The Bureau for Management Services (BMS) is one of the key UNDP corporate Bureaus that provides the corporate management architecture, policies, systems, advisory support and operational services that enable UNDP to deliver results with accountability and effective stewardship of resources.

Within BMS, the Office of Human Resources (OHR) is responsible for UNDP’s people management function, with a focus on enabling UNDP to have the right capacity and organizational culture to deliver on its mandate and enable people who work for the organization to perform at their best in the environment of inclusion and respect.

UNDP is currently operating in a period of significant institutional transformation, requiring OHR to strengthen strategic people leadership, modernize HR service delivery and enable the organization to adapt with agility while sustaining performance and accountability. In this context, OHR is seeking a high-caliber leader with a strong HR management background and the capacity, commitment and mindset to foster a culture of innovation, entrepreneurship and transformative results in the role of Deputy Director, OHR.

Duties and Responsibilities

As a member of OHR’s leadership team, working under the direct supervision of the Director, OHR and in close partnership with the Chief, HR Services, the Deputy Director, OHR provides substantive leadership for the continued development and implementation of an integrated talent management system that connects strategic workforce planning, organizational and job design, talent acquisition and deployment, succession management, career and leadership development, performance management, workplace experience, organizational culture, health and wellbeing. The Deputy Director fosters innovation across this system by using workforce data, artificial intelligence, automation and other digital solutions responsibly to improve decision quality, user experience, operational efficiency and organizational agility.

The Deputy Director ensures that integrated talent management strategies, policies, capabilities and service delivery arrangements are aligned with UNDP’s strategy and priorities and evolving business, operating and funding models. This includes shaping talent solutions that respond to changing programme and operational requirements, resource trends and the needs of different organizational contexts, while safeguarding fairness, inclusion, accountability and the effective management of institutional risk. The Deputy Director is accountable for strategic coherence and operational excellence across the talent lifecycle and for enabling a high-performing, adaptable and healthy workforce capable of delivering sustainable development results.

The Deputy Director serves as the Director’s principal strategic partner and deputizes for the Director, including representing OHR in senior management and inter-agency and staff-management forums.

The Deputy Director champions organizational excellence and professionalism and models inclusive and supportive people leadership by promoting accountability, collaboration, innovation and high performance and creating an environment in which personnel can perform, develop and thrive.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. This is a recognition of the interconnected nature of development risks and crises that the world is facing and that call for assembling multidisciplinary teams for an integrated and systemic response. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across issues, units, functions, teams and projects in multidisciplinary teams to strengthen horizontal collaboration.

1. Provide Strategic Leadership, Portfolio Oversight and Deputy Direction for OHR

• Provide strategic direction and oversight for the teams in the Deputy Director’s portfolio, ensuring integrated, client-focused delivery aligned with UNDP’s People Strategy and organizational priorities.
• Build and sustain strategic partnerships with UN entities, Member States, donors and external institutions, and mobilize resources to advance UNDP’s people priorities, programmes and services.
• Lead the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies across the portfolio to improve decision-making, service quality and operational efficiency.
• Ensure the quality, coherence and consistent delivery of corporate integrated talent management programmes across headquarters, regional and country offices.
• Represent OHR and deputize for the Director as assigned, including supporting the Director and UNDP in negotiations with staff representatives.
• As required, represent UNDP in senior-level HR forums, inter-agency bodies and strategic working groups, shaping system-wide dialogue, policies and practices.

2. Oversee Strategic Workforce Planning and Workforce Architecture

• Shape and lead the corporate workforce planning function, ensuring alignment with UNDP’s Strategic Plan, People Strategy, business and funding models and evolving business priorities.
• Lead the governance and continued evolution of UNDP’s workforce architecture, including job design, ensuring coherent job families, role profiles, position titles, career pathways and job design standards across the organization.
• Provide advice on complex workforce and organizational design matters, including reorganization, workforce optimization, as well as functional and HR alignment processes.

3. Provide Leadership to Talent Acquisition and Deployment

• Provide strategic oversight of UNDP’s talent acquisition and recruitment strategies, ensuring timely, transparent and effective outcomes of related processes.
• Ensure development and continuous improvement of talent acquisition, recruitment and deployment policies, procedures and practices across UNDP, and compliance with these across UNDP.
• Oversee senior-level recruitment and selection processes, ensuring sound governance, institutional rigor and the identification of high-caliber and diverse leadership talent.
• Provide strategic direction for talent deployment and mobility, including the Internal Talent Marketplace.
• Engage relevant stakeholders to anticipate talent needs and continuously improve talent acquisition and deployment strategies, policies and practices.
• Ensure UNDP leverages workforce analytics, digital platforms and innovative sourcing approaches to strengthen talent pipelines.

4. Oversee Succession Management and Talent Development

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of the succession management function, ensuring leadership continuity, robust pipelines for critical and senior-level roles, and effective management of succession risks.
• Oversee the design and implementation of people and leadership development strategies that build a skilled, diverse and adaptable workforce aligned with UNDP’s evolving priorities.
• Ensure succession and talent development strategies are integrated with strategic workforce planning, career development, mobility, performance management and other functions in the integrated talent management cycle.

5. Oversee Performance Management, Workplace Experience and Culture

• Provide strategic leadership for UNDP’s organizational culture, ensuring that organizational values, leadership practices, people systems and ways of working reinforce inclusion, collaboration, accountability and high performance.
• Shape UNDP’s performance management, workplace experience and employee engagement approach.
• Lead organizational efforts to promote gender parity, diversity, equity and inclusion and to sustain a workplace free from discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and abuse of authority, in coordination with relevant policy, ethics, oversight and support functions.
• Ensure that evidence from employee engagement, workplace experience and performance management informs leadership action, workforce planning, talent development, succession management, recognition and the continuous improvement of people policies and programmes.
• Oversee organizational approaches to mental health, psychosocial support, wellbeing and workforce resilience.

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

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: The incumbent directly oversees five HR Advisors (P5) and one HR Specialist (P4).

Competencies

Core:

• 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:

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross-Functional & Technical:

• Business Direction and Strategy -
  • 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
  • Strategic Thinking: Develop effective strategies and prioritised plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight
• Business Management -
  • Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization's programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity. Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management
  • Change Management: Initiate, design and ensure successful implementation of organizational change; prepare and support individuals and teams in implementing change
  • Partnership Management: Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies
• HR People Strategy & Planning - Organizational Design and Development: Knowledge of the organizational design and development theory (i.e. enabling organization's performance through the design of structures, frameworks, systems, policies and metrics, as well as building and developing its culture, capability, values, behaviours, and relationships); understanding of macro trends that impact the design of organizations (e.g. sustainability, geopolitical, demographic, technology); knowledge of organisational design and development diagnostic tools; ability to 'scenario plan' for longer-term organization design and development; ability to manage the development of capability/competency frameworks and maps
• HR Talent Management - Performance Management: Knowledge of and ability to guide the application of performance management theory, systems and tools, incl. articulation of expectations, setting objectives and performance standards; conducting performance-related discussions and performance coaching; ability to develop performance management and appraisal processes that minimize biases

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Human Resources Management, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or another 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.

Experience:

• Minimum of 15 years (with master’s degree) or 17 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible professional experience in human resources management or related fields at senior levels is required.
• At least five (5) years of experience managing teams in a diverse workplace in private or public international organizations is required.
• Professional certification in human resources management is desired.
• Experience working in the UN system or other international organizations is desired.
• Experience working across headquarters, shared service centres and/or field office environments is desired.
• Experience designing and implementing an integrated talent management strategy is desired.
• Experience in enterprise-wide organizational design, workforce planning or workforce transformation initiatives in a large, geographically dispersed organization is an advantage.
• Experience developing and implementing organization-wide people and leadership development strategies is an advantage.
• Experience in talent mobility, selection, deployment and succession management is desired.
• Experience in organizational culture, employee experience, engagement, performance management, diversity, equity and inclusion, or workforce wellbeing initiatives at the corporate level is desired.

Language:

• Fluency in English is 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.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

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.

Data Privacy

Please click here to view UNDP Data Privacy Statement