Senior Manager - Transformation & Organisation Design

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS services cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working With Us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines. UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

Diversity

With over 5,000 UNOPS personnel spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

The Strategy and Transformation Group

Located in UNOPS Headquarters in Copenhagen, the Strategy and Transformation Group (STG) reports to the UNOPS Chief of Staff. The STG leads the development of UNOPS corporate strategy and supports transformation and organizational change to meet the needs of our partners and the people we serve.

Within the STG, the Change and Transformation Team (CTT) is a small team of experienced transformation and change management professionals. 

Transformation Management

In 2023, UNOPS initiated a large-scale transformation. To support this effort, the Transformation Office was established, with personnel provided by the CTT.

Collaborating closely with senior executives, initiative leads and managers, and colleagues across the organization, the Transformation Office provides a holistic view of the transformation to enable strategic decision-making, portfolio management, aggregated risk management, interdependency management, structured change management, and more - to ensure effective transformation.

Furthermore, UNOPS organizational reform portfolio is evolving based on the new demands and priorities as set by the Executive Office. New initiatives will warrant advisory expertise and execution support.

Senior Manager - Transformation & Org Design

The role reports to the Head of Change and Transformation.

The  Senior Manager - Transformation & Org Design will be a key enabler for strategic organizational change, specializing in the leadership and evolution of the UNOPS Transformation Office mechanisms, and the coordination and alignment of a comprehensive and diverse organizational reform portfolio. The role will also involve specific organizational design and other assignments related to emerging Executive Office priorities. The Senior Manager is expected to balance advisory responsibilities with hands-on deliverables and milestones execution. This role demands exceptional business partnering and executive stakeholder management skills to navigate a complex landscape characterized by large-scale change, and operational demands in a fast-paced work environment.

• An advanced degree preferably in Economics, Management, Public Administration, Business Administration, or other related field.
• A combination of a Bachelor’s degree with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined above.
• Certification in Project-, Programme-, Portfolio Management (e.g. PMI, PRINCE2, MSP, MoP) is an asset.
• Certification in change management is an asset.

• Minimum 7+years of experience in management consulting or a similar role, with a proven track record of leading complex transformation initiatives is required.

• Experience in Transformation Office management, operating model design, and portfolio management is required.

• Experience influencing and managing stakeholders including senior leaders is required.

• Experience in driving project benefits realisation via use and integration of change management approaches into project planning and implementation is required.

• A minimum of 2 years in a people leadership role is required.

• Experience working in a geographically dispersed organization with multiple stakeholders would be an asset.

• UN experience would be an asset

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UNOPS language is an asset.

• Contract type: ICA
• Contract level: I-ICA-3
• Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses ( they take around 4 hours to complete)  in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.