Apply for IATI Transition Manager role
IATI is recruiting a Transition Manager to lead the transition of the initiative from its current hosting Secretariat, to a new hosting arrangement post-2023.
- Location: Home-based (with travel)
- Contract: full-time, though negotiable, to allow the widest pool of candidates.
- Length of contract: 9 months (October 2022 - June 2023)
- Languages Required: English
- Application Deadline: 19 September 2022 (Midnight New York, USA)
- View full role description and application (role recruited via UNDP)
Background information
The IATI Secretariat is mandated to host IATI until the end of 2022, after which it will transition to new hosts, implementing a decision of the IATI Governing Board. A process led by the IATI Governing Board supported by an Institutional Working Group representing members is currently underway to identify new hosts for the Secretariat from January 2023 – December 2027, and the Governing Board will seek approval from members to transfer all funds to IATI through the transfer to the new financial manager. The current Secretariat is preparing to transition its functions and responsibilities to these new hosts, in parallel with ongoing implementation of the IATI work plan for 2022 (revised June 2022). Current consortium hosts UNDP, DI and UNOPS have communicated their full commitment to ensure uninterrupted support to the IATI Governing Board during the transition period including into 2023, in response to their call for support.
Institutional Arrangement
The Transition Manager works under the direction and day to day supervision of the Institutional Arrangement focal point on the IATI Governing Board, and liaises with the Institutional Working Group (IWG) Chair and members. The Transition Manager works closely and directly with legal advisors, Secretariat leads from outgoing consortium organisations (UNDP, UNOPS and DI) and the relevant managers of the incoming hosts once selected and formally approved during the annual Members’ Assembly (November 9, 2022). Further information is available through the hyperlinks at the end of this TOR.
- This work will cover a period of 9 months (October 2022-June 2023).
- The position is ideally full-time, though negotiable, to allow the widest pool of candidates.
- Extensions to any milestones or to the contract itself to be agreed based on requests by the IATI Governing Board.
- Position is primarily home-based, with travel as set out below:
- Official travel to attend the annual IATI Members’ Assembly (Copenhagen; November w/o 7-11), subject to prevailing travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic at that time.
- Other travel may be deemed useful for consultations with IATI Secretariat, Governing Board or Institutional Working Group.
- IATI will cover the costs of such travel and make ticket purchases based on UN Regulations on travel.
- Progress reporting on a monthly basis to Board and hosts in clear and accessible format.
Duties and Responsibilities
Transition Management Strategy and Plan:
- Lead the smooth transition from current hosting arrangement to new hosting arrangement, ensuring minimal disruption in IATI’s operations for stakeholders including IATI publishers, data users, and external product owners and contract-holders.
- Continually update stakeholders (IATI Governing Board, Institutional Working Group (IWG), Principals of outgoing consortium and incoming hosts) of progress in implementing detailed transition management plans, raising and managing concerns in a timely manner as appropriate, communicating regularly between all entities and the board so they are informed of progress of the transition and the management of risks.
- Contribute to strategic external communications in relation to the transition plan to ensure buy-in and support of IATI members and the wider IATI Community
Transition: design, implement and close:
- Based on the assessment of the status of delivery of revised 2022 workplan, establish, maintain, and update (as needed) a detailed transition plan with an integral stakeholder plan and a monitoring plan, defining who is responsible for what by when, dependencies and milestones and success indicators identified through participatory management approach. Resources available include approved high-level transition plan, revised 2022 workplan, budget and risk log, detailed transition plan of outgoing hosts prepared for 2022/23, as well as discussions with relevant stakeholders. Define key milestones and success criteria to ensure successful delivery of the transition plan as well as a tight monitoring approach and schedule to closely track implementation progress;
- Ensure resources are assigned and schedules agreed, and provide oversight to consortium partners and new hosts to ensure agreed milestones are met.
- Ensure detailed transition activities (phase out and phase in) are fully incorporated in 2022 and 2023 work plans of current Secretariat entities and incoming hosts.
- Advise Governing Board on approvals and/or revisions needed to the transition project plan, and on updates needed in the risk log, both new risks identified and ways to manage / mitigate them.
- Assess legal and operational modalities to transfer knowledge, tools, etc., from one hosting arrangement to the next. Identify bottlenecks, limitations and help to find solutions for swift transfer.
- Develop communication plan for different stakeholders of the transition and keep all stakeholders abreast of progress; Draft regular communications for the Board to share with members on the status of the transition, including for IATI annual Members’ Assembly and to quarterly IATI Governing Board meetings.
- Apply adaptive management to ensure suggested action takes into account evolving context;
- Produce quarterly reports and a final wrap up report on the transition for the Board.
Transition plan implementation and management:
- Implement activities in the transition project plan related to winding down the existing hosting arrangement and operationalizing the new hosting arrangement, coordinating delivery of outputs and dependencies to minimise negative impacts on IATI tools or data availability and maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of the handover process.
- Working closely with the IATI Coordinator and Secretariat leads from outgoing consortium organizations, ensure key preparatory transition activities are delivered in coordination with 2022 revised work plan with a view to full integration, and provide support to the groups or individuals responsible for execution.
- Work with the Secretariat financial manager to ensure incoming hosts are adequately resourced from the IATI Trust Fund in a timely manner.
- Liaise with legal advisors to provide a record of legal advice for the Board.
- Support systematic and timely transfer of the following assets (list is non-exhaustive) as part of phase out and phase in:
- 1. Trust fund and financial records; membership contribution agreements; contracts with external vendors;
- Access to internally and externally-managed technical tools and websites, planning roadmaps, guidance materials and technical documentation;
- IATI knowledge networks and platform; contracts, services, tools and subscriptions; contacts.
Staffing and relationship management:
- Work closely with IATI Secretariat Coordinator, exchanging regular progress updates for dissemination with relevant stakeholders.
- Provide coaching to managers and other key roles to smoothly transfer leadership, strengthen relationships and gain support throughout the transition process.
- Facilitate workshops or other activities as needed for effective joint planning and knowledge transfer between outgoing and incoming hosts.
- Provide monthly progress reports for the Board and outgoing hosts which flags any foreseeable risks and proposes mitigations.
- Establish a mechanism for issues, concerns and requests for clarification to be brought to attention for prompt and satisfactory troubleshooting.
Independent review of transition
Develop Terms of Reference for the recruitment of a consultant to undertake an independent review of the transition to include interviews with both outgoing and incoming secretariat members and consortium principals, as well as the Board, IWG, IATI members and Transition Manager. This will mark the end of the transition