Switzerland: Career Mobility Programme Manager

Purpose of the position

The ICRC continues to operate in a period of significant change. One of the key elements of the success is to ensure that critical positions in different locations are filled with top talent and that staff at the ICRC have meaningful and rewarding careers. In 2019, the Staffing Taskforce identified two key areas to focus on- International and Local Career Mobility. A diagnostic of the current International Assignment planning (Compendium) was completed and as part of that diagnostic which included recommendations regarding to further analysis, testing and the redesign of IAP. In conjunction with this it has been identified that a staffing framework needs to be designed and tested to improve the mobility of resident staff into leadership positions.

This role will support the delivery of these recommendations whilst also overseeing the current regular operations of Compendium which will continue while the new mobility management approach is being tested and analysed.

The Career Mobility Programme Manager will play an integral role in overseeing delivery of the Career Mobility projects (IAP and Staffing Framework). Leading and directing the exploration of new models to identify the best possible solution for the ICRC to manage the complex problem of internal mobility both at an international and local level. Reporting to the Head of the Career Unit, and working closely with Operations, HR and Talent Managers, the role will blend both knowledge of HR process and best practice with a clear understanding of programme management. The role will also play an integral part in ensuring the management, analysis and communication of key people data and management information.

Main duties and responsibilities

Project and Change Management:

• Responsible for the successful redesign and implementation of the Career Mobility Program which includes International Assignment Planning redesign and Staffing Framework according to the agreed project management approach. The programme of work will be developed in an iterative methodology, with a series of pilot projects and feedback loops to develop the final agreed approach to mobility management.
• Establish reference groups and involve all relevant stakeholders, to ensure that the project is developed and implemented with relevant feedback and insights.
• Based on the objectives/recommendations/ success measures agreed by the Directorate, develop a detailed implementation and change management plan, which is aligned with other key recommendations from the staffing taskforce and other projects (e.g. Functional Competencies and Strategic Workforce Planning).
• Address the significant mindset shift required to implement a new approach to mobility management.
• Work with stakeholder groups to develop and implement pilot projects to test and evaluate new approaches.
• Ensure regular communication with the Project Steering Group, to inform them of progress and risks.
• Liaise with key stakeholders (Heads of Metier, Heads of Delegation and Talent Managers) to ensure the new approach is ‘fit for purpose’.
• Develop a communication plan and keep key stakeholder groups updated with progress.
• Build a capacity building plan for key stakeholders which will enable the new approach to be embedded.
• Ensure that the career mobility programme is delivered on-time and in budget.

Main duties and responsibilities continued

General duties:

• With the support of the IAP specialist, to oversee the delivery of the current ‘Compendium’ process throughout the timeframe of the project, ensuring that pilots and prototypes are run in each cycle, to test new approaches and processes and learn from these for the subsequent iteration.
• Develop and deliver materials, tools and other enhancements (as proposed in the short-term recommendations), to improve the employee experience of the ‘compendium’ process, whilst the new approach is being developed and tested.
• Oversee the reporting and data analysis on ‘Compendium’ outcomes.

Education and experience required

• Extensive experience of talent management, organizational effectiveness, HR strategy & planning and talent acquisition in global and multicultural organizations ideally humanitarian.
• Experience of Strategic Workforce planning, including developing and using tools and models for workforce planning and forecasting.
• Experience of working in a field/delegation environment with an understanding and or insight of the dynamics presented by this.
• Experience in talent identification, talent development and succession planning, including with national staff. Demonstrated understanding of the interrelationships between these various talent souring modalities.
• Demonstrated experience leading organization-wide HR projects and change management initiatives.
• Experience of designing and implementing HR key concepts and tools which are pragmatic and fit for purpose.
• Previous experience working in an international organization, successfully operating in a matrix organization with demonstrated track record in driving transformation in complex and challenging situations.
• Knowledge of benchmarks existing on HR tools and practices.
• Strong communication skills, both written, visual and oral, able to communicate complex ideas clearly and persuasively.
• Strong collaboration and interpersonal skills which includes effective stakeholder engagement, influencing for change, listening and (being seen to) integrating ideas from others.
• University Degree in a relevant field.

Desired skills and profile

• A transformative manager who can infuse ICRC with global and diverse best practice experience in HR which is at a pragmatic level that will be accepted.
• A strategic thinker with a strong pragmatic streak, who can leverage the necessary leadership skills to effectively interact with and influence a large variety of stakeholders, including senior management.
• Demonstrated ability to understand the organisational and cultural issues the ICRC faces in an operational environment.
• Able to operate in a complex organizational environment, managing multiple stakeholders effectively.
• Understands how to effectively develop people and manage consistently increasing field requests and organizational growth with the multiple constraints imposed by the contexts in which we work.
• A growth mind-set and the ability to switch between strategy and execution with direct experience in designing and building new functions, concepts and strategies.
• Excellent communication skills in English or/and French and a strong command of another ICRC official language is an advantage.

Additional information

• Location: Geneva
• Length of assignment: 1 year
• Activity rate: 100%
• Estimated start date: March 2020
• Application Deadline: Sunday, the 19th of January 2020

Follow the link to our Career Site: https://careers.icrc.org/job/Geneva-%28GVA%29-Career-Mobility-Programme-Manager-14219/577541801/