Senior Manager Employee Experience Unit

Talent Management Service, Human Resources Management Department, Sector of the Director General

Contract Duration - 2 years *

Duty Station: CH-Geneva

Application Deadline: 19-Jan-2026, 11:59:00 PM CET

1. Organizational Context

a.
Organizational Setting

The Senior Manager heads the Employee Experience Unit within the Talent Management Service, driving continuous improvement and integration across HR disciplines. The Talent Management Service focuses on building an integrated, data-driven, and people-centered workforce strategy that supports WIPO's evolving needs. The Employee Experience Unit functions as a strategic problem-solving hub, integrating and executing HR initiatives in an agile and unified manner. It provides specialist expertise, develops and updates Talent policies and practices, and partners closely with employees, managers, and external experts to deliver innovative solutions that enhance the employee experience.

b.
Purpose Statement

The Senior Manager leads the transformation of HR at WIPO by driving data-informed strategies, digital enablement, and employee experience programs that foster engagement, innovation, and agility. This role ensures that talent programs and processes are designed in close alignment with business priorities - integrating across acquisition, mobility, learning, performance, engagement, succession planning, equitable representation culture, and compensation - rather than operating as standalone initiatives. All solutions are underpinned by technology and analytics to deliver measurable impact for the organization.

c.
Reporting Lines

The Senior Manager, Employee Experience Unit, reports to the Director of the Talent Management Service and collaborates closely with the Talent Partners Unit and other functions within HRMD. The role also works in close cooperation with the internal training unit in the WIPO Academy and the Office of Legal Counsel. In addition, the Senior Manager partners with Sector Leads, managers, employees, and external providers to deliver integrated solutions that address business needs.

2. Duties and Responsibilities

The incumbent will perform the following principal duties:

a.
Strategic Leadership & Innovation

Lead an agile, collaborative team that identifies workforce challenges and designs evidence-based solutions. Define talent problems, formulate hypotheses, test approaches, and build integrated solutions that advance leading HR practices across the full spectrum of strategy, talent, and compensation. Apply deep HR expertise combined with strong business acumen and market insight to ensure all initiatives address WIPO's evolving business needs.

b.
Build a pipeline of external sources of expertise, to support program and solution delivery complementing internal skills and ensure the right balance of specialist expertise/knowledge to provide agile services focusing on solution delivery; while ensuring the flexibility for the unit to allocate resources as business needs evolve, and ensure that the Employee Experience Unit is adaptive, resilient and customer centered.

c.
Develop strong partnerships across HRMD, Sector Leads, managers, and external experts, keep abreast of business, people and HR developments to deliver integrated talent solutions. Operate in an integrated manner to deliver solutions to each workforce segment.

d.
Working closely with the Talent Business Partners, Sector Leads, Managers and Employees, and cross-functional teams, identify the need for, and deliver, and oversee/manage people-focused and fit-for-purpose HR projects in support of organizational-wide strategies to address business needs and opportunities across the different WIPO sectors and contribute to improve employee experience.

e.
Introduce strategic initiatives that enhance the overall employee experience. Communicate the positive impact of these changes to management and employees, strengthening HRMD's ability to evolve organizational culture and inspire employees to continuously innovate, remain relevant, and deliver value.

f.
Determine priorities, allocate resources for the timely and quality delivery of work products per results-based management principles, ensuring that key risks are identified, assessed and managed for the achievement of agreed KPIs and targets, prepare budget proposals for the unit, lead improvement initiatives, promote innovative solutions, ensure program objectives are met.

g.
Liaise closely with the HR Data and Technology Unit, to ensure the design and development of an operational employee analytics strategy to understand the impact on engagement and work behavior that can then provide the data basis for decision-making on new initiatives, measuring success, calibrating and improving.

h.
Undertake other tasks as required.

3. Requirements

Education (Essential)

Advanced university degree in human resources management, public or business administration, law, science, social sciences or related fields. A first-level university degree in any subject with two years of experience in addition to the required experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.

Experience (Essential)

At least ten years of relevant professional work experience in HR combining deep expertise in at least one area of specialization and wide expertise in other domains of HR, as well as experience in project management, of which five years are at the international level.

Substantial managerial experience in a Senior HR role working closely with the business and bringing a deep understanding of people issues as well as strong business acumen.

Proven experience leading continuous HR innovation and digital transformation, applying technology and analytics to improve employee experience.

Strong understanding of the collection and application of talent data to improve critical talent and business outcomes.

Experience (Desirable)

Experience in HR management in the private sector.

Language (Essential)

Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English.

Language (Desirable)

Knowledge of other WIPO official languages, particularly French.

Job Related Competencies (Essential)

Strategic thinker with the ability to prioritize and operationally deliver innovative, data-informed solutions that align with WIPO's Medium Term Strategy, HR Strategy and enhance the overall employee experience.

Ability to lead transformation in complex environments and manage the Employee Experience Unit's work as an evolving investment portfolio. Capacity to lead in a rapidly changing environment, pivot strategies quickly, and foster a culture of continuous improvement and resilience.

Strong leadership skills to empower multi-functional, cross-organizational teams and foster open dialogue.

Demonstrated ability to lead with a mindset that empowers teams to function as consultants, advisors and change agents.

Exceptional communication and influencing skills across diverse stakeholder groups.

Expertise in managing functional change and aligning business objectives with people strategies.

Adept at analyzing big data and using data to inform decision-making.

Skilled in driving HR digitalization and leveraging advanced technologies (AI, analytics, automation) to deliver innovative, data-driven solutions that improve employee experience and business outcomes.

Job Related Competencies (Desirable)

Project management skills, ability to work on projects from initiation to completion.

Skilled in applying design thinking principles to co-create solutions with stakeholders, ensuring HR initiatives are user-centric and business-aligned.

4. Organizational Competencies

1. Communicating effectively.

2. Showing team spirit.

3. Demonstrating integrity.

4. Valuing diversity.

5. Producing results.

6. Showing service orientation.

7. Seeing the big picture.

8. Seeking change and innovation.

9. Developing yourself and others.

For more information, including on the salaries and benefits, please check the WIPO Careers website.