Senior Programme Management Officer; Anti-Racism

Position description

Org. Setting and Reporting

The Anti-Racism Office (ARO) was established by the UN General Assembly in the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance to oversee, coordinate and monitor the implementation of the Strategic Action Plan on Addressing Racism and Promoting Dignity for All (SAP). The mandate of the ARO is to dismantle racism within the UN Secretariat and promote a zero-tolerance approach to racism and racial discrimination by promoting open dialogues, effective training and knowledge provision, policy analysis and review as well as racial justice through enhanced reporting and proficient adjudication of racial discrimination cases.

The Senior Programme Management Officer (Anti-Racism) will be based at the ARO and will operate under the leadership of the Director of the ARO.

The Senior Programme Management Officer is responsible for leading the Advocacy pillar of ARO’s the three-pronged approach, which addresses (i) Anti-Racism Advocacy, (ii) Anti-Racism Transparency and (iii) Anti-Racism Accountability.

The Senior Programme Management Officer oversees, coordinates, and monitors the operational activities on anti-racism advocacy and awareness raising related to the implementation of the Strategic Action Plan by incorporating an inclusive approach that tackles interpersonal, institutional, and systemic racism.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Senior Programme Management Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

• Policy and Strategic Management
  • Identify and design substantive anti-racism interventions related to the advocacy pillar in the implementation of the Strategic Action Plan on addressing racism and racial discrimination at the UN global Secretariat.
  • Provide guidance to the Director on the strategic development and management of activities on the anti-racism advocacy related to the implementation of the Strategic Action Plan on addressing racism and racial discrimination at the UN global Secretariat.
  • Plan and implement the operational activities related to the work of the Anti-Racism Office on advocacy by incorporating an inclusive approach that tackles transformation in interpersonal, institutional, and systemic forms of racism and racial discrimination.
  • Conceptualize and support the implementation of organizational change processes pertaining to cultural transformation towards racial equity across the UN Secretariat as envisioned in the Strategic Action Plan.
  • Coordinate and provide substantive knowledge, guidance and advice on anti-racism advocacy to the work of implementing departments, the Anti-Racism Advocates and other relevant stakeholders across the UN Secretariat.
  • Provide advocacy, coaching and support to senior leadership across the Organization on the implementation of the Strategic Action Plan at entity level.
  • Establish impactful partnerships with the relevant stakeholders to support a sustained commitment to combat racism in the Organization.
  • Produce and contribute to reports, talking points, and other documents on the implementation of the Strategic Action Plan.
  • Ensure effective utilization, supervision and development of staff, and provide mentorship to junior staff to support professional development.
  • Manage issues, suggest solutions, communicate with relevant parties, initiate follow-up actions, and escalate to senior management and governance bodies as required.
• Programme Management
  • Strategic Communications:
    Conceptualize and develop a robust anti-racism communications strategy to raise awareness and increase knowledge to promote an anti-racism culture in the Organization by:
  • Developing and shaping strategic messaging for anti-racism communication materials to support personnel across the global Secretariat through diverse channels and platforms (e.g., digital platforms, newsletters, internal events).
  • Conducting research and analyzing current needs for continuous crafting of compelling content that raises awareness, promotes understanding, and inspires anti-racism action.
  • Managing collaborations with the Department of Global Communications and other relevant stakeholders to amplify the organization’s anti-racism message.
• Effective Learning & Development:
  Support the development of impactful learning and training programs on anti-racism, catering to diverse learning styles and levels of knowledge by:
  • Identifying key anti-racism themes and topics for training and learning that are relevant to the organizational context.
  • Coordinating and providing substantive knowledge to the work of relevant departments in developing content for learning resources on anti-racism as well as integrating anti-racism principles into existing learning and training initiatives.
  • Conducting ongoing evaluations and refining learning and training programmes based on evolving trends and feedback from stakeholders.
  • Constructive Dialogue & Knowledge Sharing:
    Coordinate the mainstreaming of anti-racism dialogues across the Organization in…