Director, UNDP Representation Office in Tokyo

Background
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) works in nearly 170 countries and territories. Anchored in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and committed to the principles of universality, equality and leaving no one behind, UNDP’s priorities are set in its Strategic Plan, aiming to help countries achieve sustainable development by eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, accelerating structural transformations for sustainable development and building resilience to crises and shocks.

The Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy (BERA) is responsible for positioning UNDP as the world’s leading global development agency, promoting its global authority and thought leadership on sustainable development and the interconnected issues of poverty, inequality, and climate change. BERA leads and supports UNDP in building and nurturing strategic relationships and alliances essential to achieving its mission. Creating strong political and financial backing for UNDP by providing partners and supporters with a clear understanding of what UNDP does and how our mission, capabilities and flagship services relate to them. The Bureau leads UNDP’s work on innovative and diversified partnerships and ways of financing the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. It is also responsible for global campaigns on critical development issues, which aim to inform government policies and build partnerships around high-impact solutions. BERA coordinates and sets corporate standards across the functions of partnerships, marketing and communications within UNDP and leads on internal communications.

The Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy is positioned around three service lines; Public Partnership; Advocacy, Marketing and Communications; and Private and Finance Partners, all working in close collaboration and coordination under the guidance of the Directorate and with the support of the Management Support Unit and Strategic Analysis and Engagement team.

BERA has a robust network of Representation Offices (Brussels, Copenhagen, Geneva, Tokyo and Washington D.C.) and Regional Teams in five hubs (Africa, Arab States, Asia Pacific, Europe and CIS, and Latin American and the Caribbean) co-led with Regional Bureaux, all of which play a critical role in audience centric communications and management and strengthening of relationships with Public and Private Partners to help build a strong brand for UNDP within the local ecosystem.

The Representation Office (RO) in Tokyo plays a critical role in UNDP’s relations with Japan. UNDP and Japan have over the past years developed an important partnership, involving the Japanese government, civil society, parliamentarians, the private sector, the academic community, and other organizations. Japan has provided substantial contributions to UNDP core and non-core resources. Furthermore, UNDP-Japan cooperation covers policy dialogue, exchange of views/information and cooperation at the field level, co-financing of projects (through cost-sharing, trust funds arrangements, parallel-financing, etc.), joint research/study, joint conferences and seminars, and joint advocacy and publicity activities. Tokyo RO seeks to enable UNDP to position itself strategically vis-a-vis the full range of partners in Japan - public and private.
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the Director or Deputy Director of BERA, the RO Director will be primarily responsible to position UNDP as a key actor and partner to key actors in Japan, strategic partnership, policy dialogue and constituency building with key constituencies (governments, parliamentarians, private sector, civil society, media and etc.) in Japan, including support to corporate resource mobilization. The Director is also responsible for supervision for and guidance to Tokyo RO based staff ensuring cross-unit cooperation and coordination.
1) Resource mobilization, strategic partnerships, and policy dialogue/coordination:

Serve as the principal interface between UNDP and the Japanese government including relevant ministries, parliamentarians, and other government institutions, and within that context, works to build and strengthen the knowledge, understanding, and importance of UNDP's work, including building on common interests, towards enhancing the UNDP relationship with Japan;
Develop and maintain strong relationships with relevant government ministries and parliamentarians, think-tanks, business groups and private corporations, NGOs and other policy-makers, and participate in important high-level fora in Japan that promote the strategic interests of UNDP;
Scan and analyze the environment (political, economic, social) in Japan and advises how best to ensure maximum support for UNDP;
Act as prime corporate adviser on optimal corporate strategies and policies to deepen and broaden UNDP's existing partnership with Japan, including communications, outreach and resource mobilization strategies;
Participate in and contributes to policy discussions relating to development in general and in areas of concern to UNDP specifically; and
Organize special events (such as seminars, symposia, briefings, etc.) with the purpose of educating members of government, media, NGOs, potential development constituencies, on the work of UNDP.

2) Constituency-building:

In consultation with BERA's Communications Cluster and other UNDP Headquarters units, supports various media efforts in spreading the news of UNDP's work, including support in crisis communications, as well as reviews various UNDP publications for presentation to various constituencies in Japan;
Provide regular advice to UNDP headquarters concerning attitudes and trends among Japanese policy and opinion makers on development assistance matters, the role of the UN development system and emerging issues such as governance, post-conflict situations and human rights; and
Facilitate visits to Japan by senior officials of UNDP for meetings with relevant government officials, parliamentarians, NGOs, professional groups and associations, and other existing/potential partners.

3) Representation and office management:

When requested, represent UNDP at important conferences and meetings held in Japan;
Collaborate with other Japan-based representative offices of UN agencies, in advancing the role of the UN system with a wide range of local constituencies;
Act as UN Deputy Designated Official for security matters;
Lead and manage the staff of Tokyo RO including full accountability for human and financial resources, administrative, IT and security matters; and
Oversee the Tokyo RO’s workplan and supervise the implementation of UNDP programmes in Japan.

Competencies
Core Competencies - UNDP Core Competencies can be found here.

Achieve Results - Level 4: Prioritize team workflow, mobilize resources, drive scalable results/strategic impact
Think Innovatively - Level 4: Easily navigate complexity, encourage/enable radical innovation, has foresight
Learn Continuously - Level 4: Create systems and processes that enable learning and development for all
Adapt with Agility - Level 4: Proactively initiate/lead organizational change, champion new systems/processes
Act with Determination - Level 4: Able to make difficult decisions in challenging situations, inspire confidence
Engage and Partner - Level 4: Construct strategic multi-partner alliances in high stake situations, foster co- creation
Enable Diversity and Inclusion - Level 4: Create ethical culture, identify/address barriers to inclusion

People Management Competencies - UNDP People Management Competencies can be found here.
Cross-Functional and Technical Competencies

Partnerships Management - Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.
UNDP Representation - Ability to represent UNDP and productively share UNDP knowledge and activities; advocate for UNDP, its values, mission and work with various constituencies.
Strategic Thinking - Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions; Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP.
Risk Management - Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks.
Negotiation and Influence - Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiates mutually acceptable solutions through compromise and creates ‘win-win’ situation.
Partnership: Multistakeholder engagement and funding - Knowledge and ability to forge multi-stakeholder partnerships, and remove any obstacles to resource mobilization and multistakeholder funding platforms.
Partnership: Brand & Quality Management - Ability to position a UNDP brand and uphold it to a high level of quality.

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

Master’s degree or equivalent in international development, public administration, business administration, public policy or other relevant social sciences.

Experience:

A Minimum of 15 years of relevant experience, including management at a senior level.

Language:

Fluency in English is essential (written and verbal);
A working knowledge of Japanese is an asset.