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

The Position: 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 The position of Chief, Transformation and Strategic Initiatives Branch, is located within the Office of the Executive Director, and reports to the Chief of Staff, working closely with the Chief of Staff to drive institutional priorities and ensure coherence across strategic, operational, and reform agendas How you can make a difference: 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 articulates the organization’s response to a complex global environment, providing a roadmap for resilience and renewal. It is designed to accelerate 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 is pursued through a focus 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. In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff who embody these international norms and standards and will defend them courageously and with full conviction. UNFPA is seeking candidates who transform, inspire, and deliver high-impact sustained results, ensuring effective external relations, communications, partnership-building and resource mobilization in a rapidly changing development and funding landscape. We need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them, and who commit to delivering excellence in programme results Job Purpose: In supervision of the team, the Chief will empower UNFPA through expert guidance, strategic coordination, capacity building and knowledge management, fostering a dynamic environment where transformation and strategic and innovative initiatives thrives. By forging strategic partnerships across sectors, the Chief will mobilize expertise, capabilities and resources to advance priority initiatives,, accelerating progress towards the three transformative results. The key priorities of this position are: Lead and support institutional transformation and organizational change: Design coordinate and advance selected transformation and change initiatives,, ensuring coherence with with organizational priorities reform processes and emerging trends. Advance strategic and innovative initiatives: : Support the development, incubation and acceleration of selected strategic and innovative initiatives aligned with organizational goals, priorities, emerging opportunities, and insights from foresight activities. Foster an enabling environment for transformation: Build capacity, enable knowledge sharing, and support organizational learning to advance transformation, strategic initiatives and organizational effectiveness in line with broader UN processes and organizational transformation processes, including UN80 initiatives, as appropriate. Enable strategic partnerships and new approaches: : Forge partnerships and facilitate access to relevant expertise, technologies and financing approaches to support transformation priorities and strategic initiatives, in coordination with relevant organizational units. You would be responsible for: A. 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. Lead and coordinate with UNFPA Business Units efforts to design and mobilize transformation approaches and strategic and innovative initiatives, and guide and oversee their implementation, ensuring coherence with organizational priorities, Strategic Plans, UN Reforms, and emerging trends. Provide strategic leadership and stewardship for for UNFPA's transformation and strategic innovation agenda ,, ensuring alignment with the Strategic Plan, organizational goals, and insights from foresight activities to advance corporate performance. Ensure alignment of transformation priorities and strategic initiatives with executive decision-making processes, including direct support to the Executive Committee and senior leadership forums,. Ensure harmonization and linkages with institutional messaging oninstitutional transformation, strategic initiatives and innovation in interactions with the 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 including projects/initiatives relating to innovation and transformation. Act as a central coordination point across divisions, regions, and governance bodies to ensure alignment and execution of selected transformation priorities and strategic initiatives under the Branch’s remit.. B. Enable Organizational Learning and Transformation Capacity Deliver learning opportunities on transformation, change and strategic initiatives and support building capacity of Business Units for these efforts. Ensure availability of technical assistance, best practices, tools, and methods for transformation and strategic and innovative 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, as relevant.. Develop and curate knowledge resources on innovation and corporate performance optimization, fostering information exchange within and beyond UNFPA. Provide operational support for both innovation and corporate performance initiatives, streamlining processes and systems to support efficient implementation. C. Enable Strategic Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Build, in collaboration with other Business Units, strategic engagement with public and private sector partners, development banks and, International Financial Institutions, to enable expertise, financing and scale for selected strategic and innovative initiatives and achieve organizational goals. 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, leveraging insights from foresight activities. Identify and cultivate new models of partnership that leverage complementary capabilities across sectors, considering how these partnerships can enable transformation and strategic initiatives.. Leverage the opportunities offered by innovative financing, to advance selected strategic initiatives, including investments in impactful solutions and proven solutions implementab