Job Description

Please note that this vacancy is only open to eligible staff members who have been individually notified of their eligibility to apply for positions advertised in the Accelerated Posting Compendium.

June 12, 2026

H (no hardship)

Family

PR5

Professional

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2026-05-26

Chief of Strategic Oversight Section

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Chief of Strategic Oversight Section reports to and supports the Inspector General in strengthening oversight response, coherence and capacity across the organization within the scope of the delegated authority.

The incumbent contributes to enhancing the organization-wide response to oversight findings, supports the coherence of oversight functions and manages the IGO’s oversight capacity and profile.

The work requires close coordination with the staff within the IGO and other oversight entities, both internal and external.

The incumbent liaises and coordinates activities of the office with support of Divisions, Regional Bureaux and Representatives and interacts, within the area of responsibility, with UNHCR's interlocutors in other oversight bodies, governments, NGOs, UN and non-UN agencies as well as independent experts.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties

• Conduct meta-analysis of oversight findings to identify lessons learnt and root causes of recurring systemic issues that present high risks to the Organization and prepare summary reports, with recommendations, on significant oversight matters requiring management action or intervention.
• Work closely with internal and external oversight entities, contribute to the development and implementation of systems and procedures to collect oversight data and efficiently track and report trends and cross-cutting matters presenting a high-risk to the Organization.
• Contribute analysis and recommendations on oversight matters through established reporting lines and, as requested coordinate ad-hoc inspections in response to specific management challenges.
• Comprehensively map oversight activities and work with independent oversight entities to highlight and address unnecessary duplications or significant gaps in high-risk areas.
• Ensure the necessary coordination of matters relating to Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) for the Organization and perform Secretariat functions for the IAOC. Provide administrative support, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding, to the OIOS UNHCR Audit Service.
• Develop administrative policies and procedures and related training and communication material for the IGO, at the request of the supervisor. Advise the supervisor on oversight matters in general, as required and as may arise in the conduct of the Service’s duties.
• Prepare or review and provide input to IGO reports to external stakeholders (including reports and presentations to UN bodies, interagency meetings on oversight, and meetings of ExCom and the Standing Committee).
• Represent the IGO in relevant internal and external task forces/meetings on oversight matters in the areas of responsibility or on behalf of the supervisor.
• Contribute to the management and implementation of IGO’s communication strategy.
• Manage the Strategic Oversight Section - staffing and performance management; participate in the preparation of the IGO's operational and strategic plans and budgets, including the budget and staffing requirements for the Internal Audit Division of OIOS.
• Provide support, as necessary, in the development of the internal audit work plan of OIOS for UNHCR; and assist in identifying and obtaining the services of internal and external colleagues to participate in internal audit engagements of OIOS when required.
• In collaboration with key stakeholders, prepare, review and provide input to oversight information sharing agreements and Terms of Reference for arrangements with UN Agencies and other partners.
• Review and provide feedback to draft agreements with oversight clauses.
• Promote best practise in oversight matters within the area of responsibility.
• Lead risk assessments and discussions with team(s) to proactively manage risks and seize opportunities impacting objectives. Ensure that risk management principles are integrated in decision-making both at strategic and operational levels. Allocate resources for planned treatments with resource requirements in Strategic Plans. Ensure that risks are managed to acceptable levels and escalate, as needed. If a Risk Owner, designate the Risk Focal Point and certify that the annual risk review is completed and ensure that the risk register is updated during the year, as needed.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For P5 - 12 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 11 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 10 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education

Public Policy, Business Administration ; or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses

Institute of Mgmt Accountants;

Certified Public Accountant;

Chartered Accountant (CA);

Internal Auditor;

Certified Info Systems Auditor;

Risk Management;

Certified Fraud Examiner

(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

Relevant previous work experience in the audit and risk management field, with particular emphasis on review of risk management systems and processes, internal controls, and governance structures and mechanisms, and conduct of performance audits, forensic reviews, and/or due diligence reviews. Proven skills, knowledge and experience in applying best practices in auditing and risk management. Excellent judgement with proven ability to deal with complex interrelated issues and strong analytical and problem-solving skills to develop solutions that address root causes. Experience in research, synthesis and analysis of large quantities of data to identify systematic root causes, and to formulate implications and recommendations/options to address the core issues. Contract management experience, including ability to formulate agreement terms, Service Level Agreements and to manage the performance of consultants and experts. Familiarity with developing and extracting information from IT systems. Project management, systems design and implementation. Identification of key performance indicators and the development of tools such as dashboards and data visualization. Excellent communicator with strong interpersonal skills. Proven ability to manage diverse teams, with strong management skills in collaboration, team building, and with ability to deliver quality results on time. Exposure to and experience in UN or non-UN field operations and emergencies in various geographical locations. Demonstrate high level of integrity, objectivity, impartiality and fairness.

Desirable

Working experience in an oversight function within the UN. Good working knowledge of UNHCR’s mandate, field operations, organizational structure, and policies.

Functional Skills

FI-International Auditing Standards;

LE-Forensic Audit and/or Fraud Examination;

RM-Risk Management;

CO-Cross-cultural communication;

MG-People Management

(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements

For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English

For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language

For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English

Competency Requirements

All jobs at UNHCR require six core competencies and may also require managerial competencies and/or cross-functional competencies. The six core competencies are listed below.

Core Competencies

Accountability

Communication

Organizational Awareness

Teamwork & Collaboration

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies

Empowering and Building Trust

Judgement and Decision Making

Leadership

Managing Performance

Managing Resources

Strategic Planning and Vision

Cross-Functional Competencies

Analytical Thinking

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

Planning and Organizing

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination, and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

The position is part of the Inspector General’s Office and reports to the Inspector General.

The incumbent will be heading the Strategic Oversight Section.

This position stewards the organization’s cross-cutting oversight architecture— methodologies, data models, tracking protocols, and reporting standards—so that evidence remains comparable over multiple years. This enables reliable trend analysis, root-cause identification, and sustained remediation of systemic risk.

The role relies on durable, trust-based relationships with external oversight providers as well as internally across headquarters, bureaux, and field operations, as well as a deep understanding of operating context.

Living and Working Conditions:

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Bachelor of Arts: Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts: Public Policy

Certifications

Certified Fraud Examiner - Other, Certified Information Systems Auditor - Other, Certified Public Accountant - Other, Chartered Accountant (CA) - Other, Institute of Management Accountants - Other, Internal Auditor - Other, Risk Management - Other

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Leadership, Managing performance, Managing resource, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Strategic planning & visions, Teamwork & collaboration

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Accelerated Posting Compendium 2026 - Part B

Additional Information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance