Consultant, Independent Assessment Panel

Result of ServiceThe consultant will jointly coordinate and lead a panel that will undertake an assessment of the overall governance and functioning of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), as well as providing information on key internal structure and process changes already taken by OIOS in response to the independent external reviews of the three OIOS functions that we been recently conducted. Work LocationHybrid Expected duration6 months Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground OIOS was established pursuant to United Nations General Assembly resolution 48/218 B of 29 July 1994. The purpose of the Office is to assist the Secretary-General in fulfilling his internal oversight responsibilities through the exercise of internal audit, inspection and evaluation, and investigations. The Under-Secretary-General is responsible for all the activities of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, as well as its administration. The Under-Secretary-General also: advises the Secretary- General and senior management of the Organization on oversight issues; represents the Office before the legislative organs and their subsidiary bodies; oversees the implementation of the internal strategic organizational plans and goals; ensures cooperation and synergies between the different internal oversight functions, including joint reviews when appropriate; oversees the preparation of the medium- term plan and biennial budgets of the Office; and ensures coordination of the Office’s work programme with the activities of the Board of Auditors and the Joint Inspection Unit. In its founding resolution establishing OIOS, the General Assembly decided to include what would become a regular five-yearly review of the implementation of the resolution. The last such evaluation and review of “the functions and reporting procedures of the Office, and any other matter it deems appropriate” was undertaken by the General Assembly during the 79th session in February 2025 (see resolution 79/282). Objective and scope of the assessment The objective is to identify opportunities to improve the overall governance and functioning of OIOS including opportunities to enhance the management of OIOS resources, reporting on the implementation of its programme of work, and the results of the three functional assessments. In addition, the scope should include observations about OIOS funding arrangements, including the budgetary resources available to OIOS to support the near-term workload. Although not exhaustive, the scope may include an examination of opportunities to improve in the following areas: (a) OIOS strategic priorities and their alignment with Secretariat priorities; (b) collaboration and synergy among OIOS Divisions; (c) adequacy of funding arrangements for the whole universe of OIOS coverage, including cost recovery; (d) management of human and financial resources, including post vacancy issues; (e) mandated and ad hoc OIOS reporting and other mechanisms to support OIOS transparency and accountability (f) systems contributing to preserving independence and objectivity; (g) participation in key Secretariat governance and management mechanisms; (h) relationship with other offices with complementary responsibilities for oversight, compliance and risk management, accountability, and internal justice (including the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance, and the Ethics Office); (i) cooperation with other oversight bodies such as the Board of Auditors and the Joint Inspection Unit. Duties and Responsibilities The individual will jointly coordinate and lead an assessment panel comprised of one or more additional qualified individuals who have significant experience and recognized credentials in internal oversight in multilateral organizations. Due regard will be paid to gender and geographic diversity in selecting the assessment panel. In accordance with the Terms of Reference for a Final Capping Review of OIOS (dated December 2025 and available on the OIOS website), the panel will be responsible for assessing the overall internal governance of OIOS, including to identify opportunities to enhance the management of OIOS resources and reporting on the implementation of its programme of work, including the results of the three functional assessments, and for preparing a final capping report on this work to the Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services. The consultant, working under the guidance of the assessment panel, will report to the Office of the Under-Secretary-General of Internal Oversight Services (OUSG/OIOS) in New York. A combination of remote and on-site work at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Expected duration The assessment, including the issuance of the report should be completed within six months. The initial appointment will be for a period of three months, with possibility of extension. Qualifications/special skillsAcademic Qualifications An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in Audit, Evaluation, Political Science, International Affairs, Social Sciences, Law, Business Administration, Public Administration or a related field is required. Professional Experience At least 15 years of relevant professional experience in internal oversight in multilateral organizations, which may include participation in organs involved in the governance of such institutions. Due regard will be paid to gender and geographic diversity in selecting the external assessment team. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.