Chief, Transformation and Strategic Initiatives Branch, Office of the Executive Director (OED), New York, D-1

UNFPA is the lead United Nations agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. The UNFPA Strategic Plan for 2026-2029 provides a roadmap for resilience and renewal, accelerating the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. This mandate focuses on four interconnected outcomes: ending the unmet need for family planning; ending preventable maternal deaths; ending gender-based violence and harmful practices; and adapting to demographic change through evidence and rights-based policies.

About the role

The Chief, Transformation and Strategic Initiatives Branch plays a pivotal role in driving UNFPA’s institutional transformation and strategic positioning, acting as a key partner to the Chief of Staff in advancing organization-wide reform, innovation, and performance. The role serves as a central integrator of cross-organizational transformation efforts, including UNFPA’s change management and transformation processes, broader UN80 reform processes, and priority corporate initiatives. This position is located within the Office of the Executive Director and reports to the Chief of Staff.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate institutional transformation and strategic initiatives:
  • Lead the management, strategic planning, and coordination of selected institutional transformation priorities and strategic initiatives to support leadership with priority-setting, forward planning, and strategic analysis.
  • Coordinate with UNFPA Business Units to design and mobilize transformation approaches and strategic initiatives, guiding and overseeing their implementation to ensure coherence with organizational priorities, Strategic Plans, UN Reforms, and emerging trends.
  • Provide strategic leadership and stewardship for UNFPA's transformation and strategic innovation agenda, aligning it with the Strategic Plan, organizational goals, and insights from foresight activities.
  • Ensure alignment of transformation priorities and strategic initiatives with executive decision-making processes, including direct support to the Executive Committee and senior leadership forums.
  • Harmonize and link institutional messaging on transformation, strategic initiatives, and innovation in interactions with Member States, UN inter-agency groups, donors, and other partners.
  • Lead or provide strategic coordination and acceleration support to selected high-priority transformation and strategic initiatives, ensuring delivery of results across business units, including special corporate or change management projects.
  • Act as a central coordination point across divisions, regions, and governance bodies to ensure alignment and execution of transformation priorities and strategic initiatives.
• Enable organizational learning and transformation capacity:
  • Deliver learning opportunities on transformation, change, and strategic initiatives, and support building capacity within Business Units for these efforts.
  • Ensure availability of technical assistance, best practices, tools, and methods for transformation and strategic initiatives, empowering teams to overcome challenges and achieve progress.
  • Promote institutional learning and capacity building through targeted initiatives and strategic knowledge dissemination.
  • Foster learning exchange and knowledge sharing on best practices in institutional transformation, organizational change, and strategic initiatives both within UNFPA and with external partners.
  • Facilitate communities of practice and knowledge exchange on transformation, innovation, and strategic initiatives.
  • Develop and curate knowledge resources on innovation and corporate performance optimization, fostering information exchange within and beyond UNFPA.
  • Provide operational support for innovation and corporate performance initiatives, streamlining processes and systems to support efficient implementation.
• Enable strategic partnerships and resource mobilization:
  • Build strategic engagement with public and private sector partners, development banks, and international financial institutions to enable expertise, financing, and scale for selected strategic initiatives.
  • Champion initiatives that foster collaboration across Business Units and external actors, building synergies and maximizing impact to advance organizational priorities.
  • Advocate for and promote UNFPA's transformation and strategic initiatives within UN inter-agency groups, Member States, and the broader development community.
  • Identify and cultivate new models of partnership that leverage complementary capabilities across sectors to enable transformation and strategic initiatives.
  • Leverage innovative financing opportunities to advance selected strategic initiatives, including investments in impactful solutions implementable at national scale.
  • Manage dedicated capital for innovation and corporate performance initiatives, ensuring prudent and impactful allocation.
  • Provide specialist advice and support to develop partnership and financing approaches for strategic initiatives, in coordination with relevant organizational units.
• Provide strategic support and surge capacity:
  • Provide focused and time-bound strategic support to executive leadership on emerging priorities, transformation challenges, and complex cross-organizational initiatives.
  • Mobilize and convene expertise from across headquarters, regional, and country offices around defined institutional priorities and challenges.
  • Provide rapid analysis, options development, strategic coordination, and problem-solving support on matters requiring focused executive attention.
• Perform any other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (minimum Master’s degree or equivalent) in Social Science, Business Administration, International Development, Sustainable Development, Economics, Project Management, Institutional Transformation, Organizational Change, Strategic Initiatives, Public Policy, Public Administration, or another relevant field.
• A minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible professional experience in project or programme management, innovation, partnership development, inter-agency cooperation, or closely related fields (10 years may be considered for appointment at the P-5 level in lieu of D-1).
• Extensive experience in leading and managing teams within large, complex organizations, providing strategic guidance.
• Substantive knowledge and practical experience in population and development, sexual and reproductive health, and gender.
• Experience in leading the development of innovation strategies or plans and implementing them across complex technical areas.
• Demonstrated experience in leading institutional transformation, organizational change, and/or complex cross-organizational initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience advising senior leadership and translating strategic priorities into coordinated organizational action.
• Experience in leveraging innovation for sustainable development solutions.
• Experience in building and managing diverse partnerships with governments, NGOs, private sector, and donors to secure funding and achieve development goals.
• Experience working in the private sector around innovation or innovative solutions is an advantage.
• Experience working in field settings, including regional and country offices, is an asset.

Skills

• Values: Exemplifying integrity, demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system, embracing cultural diversity, embracing change.
• Core Competencies: Achieving results, being accountable, developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen, thinking analytically and strategically, working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships.
• Functional Competencies:
  • Identify opportunities for enhancing effectiveness and efficiency.
  • Actively contribute to setting organizational priorities in a consultative process.
  • Revise goals and plans to reflect changing priorities or conditions.
  • Coordinate the translation of organizational strategies into concrete plans.
  • Advocacy and advancing a policy-oriented agenda.
  • Leveraging the resources of national governments and partners / building strategic alliances and partnerships.
  • Strategically positioning UNFPA programmes.
  • Providing a technical support system.
• Managerial Competencies: Providing strategic focus, engaging internal/external partners and stakeholders, leading, developing and empowering people, creating a culture of performance, making decisions and exercising judgment.
• Languages: Proficiency in English required. Knowledge of an additional UN language is an asset.