Director, Gender, Diversity, Inclusion and Culture (Deadline: May 18)

About CGIAR

CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food secure future dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources. One CGIAR is a dynamic reformulation of CGIAR’s partnerships, knowledge, assets, and global presence, aiming for greater integration and impact in the face of the interdependent challenges facing today’s world. As One CGIAR, scientific innovations for food, land and water systems can be deployed faster, at a larger scale, and at reduced cost, having greater impact where they are needed the most. This will provide its beneficiaries around the world with more sustainable ways to grow, catch, transport, process, trade, and consume safe and nutritious food. You can find further details about CGIAR and about One CGIAR on at www.cgiar.org.

About the job

Background

In January 2020, the System Management Board approved CGIAR’s first Framework and multi-year Action Plan for advancing gender equity, diversity and inclusion (GDI) in its global workplaces. These two key documents were the result of significant internal and external consultation over many months in 2019 and built upon the foundations already in place across CGIAR. Their creation recognizes the compelling case for advancing gender, diversity and inclusion as a prerequisite for growth, prosperity and competitiveness, and consequently for the sustainability and well-being of societies and our planet. This compelling case is equally an ethical and a moral one for CGIAR. Ensuring everyone is treated with dignity and fairness is the right thing to do. This compelling case extends to CGIAR’s workplaces.

At a time of organizational change and during a global pandemic, CGIAR’s GDI Function has delivered 101 of its 108 targets for the two-year period, adapting to meet its organization’s newly emerging needs. CGIAR now has cross-center visibility of its workforce in a way it has not had before, with dashboards providing valuable transparency and guidance to management decisions. CGIAR has a clear GDI matrix which has provided clarity on its status against best practices and enabled data-driven planning. In response to Covid-19, CGIAR’s GDI Function produced guides on managing remote teams and working from home, in addition to online webinars on mental health and the launch of CGIAR’sfirst global confidential counseling service. CGIAR’s commitment to anti-racism has been translated into an early 10 Point Action Plan, with more to come. The need to ensure all voices are heard has been clearly stated through CGIAR’s Panel Pledge. And CGIAR’s recognition of the need to directly address conscious and unconscious bias has seen the development of focused training for staff and management, as well as the adoption of an Inclusive Recruitment guide that informs how they describe work and select excellent talent. The work underway to make our workplaces even more respectful, fair and safe translates CGIAR’s values into action and is an important part of the One CGIAR workplace culture we seek to collaboratively create.

As the first two years of the GDI Function come to a close, a new multi-year Action Plan is in development. The GDI Function will take a two-pronged approach to strategy development, focusing both on a shorter-term ‘interim’ plan to support the transition to One CGIAR and a longer-term vision for the future. This exciting opportunity offers the incumbent the opportunity to build on the successes achieved in the past two years and create lasting and meaningful impact within CGIAR by further advancing the GDI agenda through new and innovative policies, practices and ways of thinking.

Download the executive brief

Role Purpose

The People and Culture Group delivers integrated strategic, specialist, and operational services aligned with global standards. It does so through cutting edge-policies, approaches, guidance, and tools that attract, onboard, develop, motivate, and retain a talented, diverse, engaged, high-performing, and innovative workforce in respectful, engaged, and values-driven workplaces.

The Director of Gender, Diversity, Inclusion, and Culture is responsible for leading the strategy and action to advance gender equity, diversity, and inclusion (GDI) in CGIAR’s global workplaces to attain the vision set out in the GDI Framework. This role serves as a catalyst, leading the collaborative work across the organization to consciously construct and sustain an inclusive CGIAR Culture. This role also partners with CGIAR’s Ethics and Business Conduct department to ensure CGIAR’s workplaces are respectful, with a particular focus on the prevention of discrimination, harassment and sexual harassment, and the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversee a global function that leads the work to measurably advance gender equity, diversity, and inclusion and create safe and welcoming workplaces that are respectful, engaged, and values-driven.
• Lead the creation of an inclusive CGIAR culture by supporting the identification of challenges and opportunities and a framework to integrate the various stakeholders, specialization, priorities, and actions that enable the achievement of CGIAR outcomes.
• Provide strategic oversight, guidance, and management of the GDI and Culture department, engaging and influencing widely to identify opportunities to advance staff and management GDI awareness and expertise, and consciously embedding GDI evidence-based practices into how we work.
• Advocate for the advancement of gender equity, diversity, and inclusion and the transition to a One CGIAR culture across a wide range of internal and external stakeholder groups to co-create a safe, respectful, and welcoming global workplace.
• Set and oversee the implementation of CGIAR’s multi-year GDI Action Plan and One Culture Action Plan and accountability mechanisms, including GDI & Culture analytics and metrics, including engagement surveys and other pulse surveys, and the provision of quality assurance and impact monitoring on GDI & Culture policies, guidance notes, tools, learning materials and mechanisms in key People and Culture areas.

Education, Qualifications and Experience

• A Degree in Human Resources, Diversity and Inclusion Studies, Organizational Behavior, Social Sciences, or a related area.
• Extensive proven experience at senior level in leading the design and implementation of global programs to advance workplace gender equity, diversity, and inclusion and drive workplace culture change.

Key Competencies

• A demonstrated track record of providing impactful, cutting-edge expertise on workplace gender equity and diversity and fostering open and inclusive working cultures in dynamic and/or complex organizations with geographically dispersed teams.
• Demonstrated success in leading or supporting cross-functional transformational initiatives, supporting the development and implementation of workplace strategies, and stewarding collaborative processes across multiple stakeholders.
• Proven experience working in anti-harassment, anti-discrimination, the prevention of workplace sexual exploitation and abuse, and the successful creation of a “speak up” culture.
• Proven influencing and collaboration skills along with a high level of emotional intelligence.
• Proven ability to integrate, inspire and develop multi-disciplinary teams and manage talent, with a strong commitment to promoting diversity, knowledge sharing, and staff development.
• Ability to effectively communicate a common vision to diverse internal and external stakeholders
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills and ability to work collaboratively with people at all levels in a decentralized, respectful, multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary organization.
• Demonstrated ability to serve as an agent of change to build a unified CGIAR culture and dynamic, integrated, and agile organization
• Uphold the highest ethical standards by inspiring trust and treating all people with respect and personal integrity

Languages

• Fluency in English, and strong technical writing skills are essential for the position.

Download the executive brief

How to Apply

CGIAR has retained SRI Executive, a global executive search firm to exclusively undertake the recruitment of this position.

If you wish to be considered for this position, please visit the SRI website to submit your application form.

Terms of Appointment

The successful candidate will be offered an initial 3-year contract, renewable. Confirmation of the contract is subject to a probationary period of one year.

This position is graded at CG-12 level on the CGIAR salary scale (equivalent to UN P5). CGIAR offers a competitive salary, with favorable taxation arrangements as applicable in the country of the duty station, comprehensive employee benefits comprising extensive insurance coverage, a non-contributory retirement plan, education grant, and relocation support for the staff member and eligible dependents, and flexible working arrangements.

We are committed to fair, safe, and inclusive workplaces. We believe that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority. We encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability statuses, sexual orientations, and gender identities. We particularly welcome applications from women.

If you require accommodation due to a disability, please contact Abigail Wellard at CGIAR-DGDIC@sri-executive.com.