Mariam Kakkar

Key Responsibilities:

• Governance Model Development: Lead in the creation and refinement of governance frameworks that emphasize agile decision-making, transparency, and inclusivity, embedding diversity into digital transformation efforts.
• Organizational Restructuring: Spearhead the development of a future-ready organizational structure, ensuring the transformation aligns with digital objectives while promoting adaptability and cultural inclusivity.
• Digital Strategy Alignment: Collaborate with UN stakeholders to seamlessly integrate digital strategies with the broader UN 2.0 goals, ensuring the alignment supports diversity and UNHCR’s humanitarian mission.
• Change Management: Advise on managing digital and cultural shifts, driving the adoption of digital-first cultures and promoting a diverse, inclusive workforce ready for the future of work.
• Performance Monitoring and Evaluation: Develop metrics to assess the impact of digital transformation, ensuring alignment with both technological innovation and UN's diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.

Responsibilities:

• Strategy and Department Leadership: Lead the Career/Performance/Engagement, People and Leadership Excellence, Regional Talent team, Talent Architect, Learning and Talent Experience sections.
• HR Operations & Process Excellence: Delivered strategic leadership in HR operations, ensuring efficient and effective HR processes; supported seamless integration and continuous improvement of HR processes with a strong focus on optimizing the Workday (WD) platform.
• Digital HR: Seamless integration of technology with HR processes, fostering employee adoption and engagement while aligning strategic objectives with organizational culture; led the evolution of HR strategies, systems, and culture to harness the full potential of technology.
• Talent Experience: Managed onboarding, job move, and exit employee engagement. Owned the end-to-end employee cycle – partnering with line managers to ensure optimal employee experience through key career moments.
• Change Management & System Stabilization: Led the change management for the center, continuously improving the Workday HR platform under the center's accountability, ensuring smooth business continuity and system stabilization post-go-live.
• Continuous Improvement & Automation: Developed and implemented a continuous improvement, automation, and data analytics roadmap, driving gradual and steady optimization of talent services.
• Digital Transformation: Led digital transformation initiatives within HR to automate processes, improve service delivery, and enhance the employee experience in collaboration with the Chief of Digital Services Office.
• HR Service Delivery: Ensured the smooth delivery of HR services, including inquiry management, HR transactions processing, data administration, and reporting. Provided operational insights and user support for WD talent roadmap and operationalization.
• Stakeholder Management & Collaboration: Collaborated closely with HR Business Partners, HR Field, and HROps to ensure effective talent activities rollout and implementation.
• People Management: Effectively managed and developed a team of 80 employees, fostering a culture of transparency, collaboration, and high performance.

Key Accomplishments:

• Spearheaded the transformation of the Global Learning and Development Center, introducing a new business model that enhanced efficiency across operations, including reduced staffing and automating functions.
• Implemented a decentralized HR structure in my team by creating new positions in the field, giving regional offices more autonomy to make talent decisions while maintaining oversight from headquarters. This model resulted in faster local decision-making and contextualized talent solutions.
• Led the seamless implementation of Workday ERP, significantly improving employee experience and operational efficiency by 15%.
• Revamped the onboarding process to include immersive, role-specific training and cultural orientation, accelerating new hireproductivity by 11% as per manager feedback.
• Implemented a new performance management model, a continuous feedback system for employee performance and engagement, replacing the traditional annual review with a continuous/agile review. This approach improved real-time feedback and a 12% increased overall employee and manager satisfaction in the first ten months.
• Developed and launched an advanced Performance Management Model, Employee Experience Framework, Engagement Model, People Management Model, and Induction aligning with organizational goals.
• Established a new high-performing team of five Talent Advisors dedicated to providing tailored talent people solutions for UNHCR field operations.
• Designed and rolled out UNHCR's Digital Changemakers Lab to support the implementation of UNHCR's Digital Transformation Strategy.

Responsibilities:

• Strategy & Leadership: Led the Capability Development, Career Management, Leadership Development, and Senior Talent Management teams, overseeing a comprehensive integrated talent framework.
• Employee Experience: Developed and executed a comprehensive employee experience strategy that supports the organization's goals, culture, and values.
• Organizational Culture & Continuous Improvement: Drove enterprise-wide initiatives to strengthen organizational culture and continuous improvement, supporting UNDP's Digital Transformation.
• HR Technologies & Analytics: Identified and supported HR and business reporting needs, initiated reporting tool enhancements, and provided strategic insight through data analysis and AI tools.
• HR Technology Strategy: Drove the selection, implementation, and optimization of HR technologies that support operational efficiency and enhance the employee experience.
• Unit Operations Management: Managed the day-to-day operations of the 20-person unit, ensuring compliance with policies, quality control, and resource allocation.

Key Accomplishments:

• Initiated and led the redesign of UNDP's Talent Development Unit, aligning with new service delivery models and a location shift from New York to Copenhagen.
• Rolled out an organization-wide initiative to create a unified UNDP culture across decentralized offices through regular communication, virtual town halls, and employee recognition events. Engagement scores improved by 11%.
• Designed a proactive talent pipeline for key roles, working closely with universities and professional networks to ensure a constant flow of qualified candidates.
• Introduced an automated HR reporting system that delivered real-time insights into learning, engagement, career development retention, and performance metrics, enabling data-driven decision-making while delinking the RR-RC model.
• Partnered with the Chief Digital Officer to design the Digital Talent/Culture Framework and support establishing UNDP's Digital Labs and Lighthouse programmes.
• Created UNDP's "2020 - Developing a Future Ready UNDP" to help our people develop the skills and competencies to be effective in the new post-COVID-19 era.
• Mobilized new resources, including partnerships with 15 top business schools and five private sector organizations to support UNDP's talent management efforts.
• Created a new technology-enhanced onboarding programme.

Responsibilities:

• Leadership Strategy: Developed and implemented a strategy for assessing and developing senior leadership talent, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives.
• Succession Planning & Competency Models: Evaluated leadership and technical competencies, developed succession planning frameworks, and launched global assessment and coaching programs.

Key Accomplishments:

• Developed a global mobility framework that facilitated the seamless relocation of critical talent across multiple regions, ensuring that scaling initiatives were supported with the right talent in place while reducing relocation costs by 20%.
• Introduced a 360-degree feedback system for all managers, allowing for a comprehensive review of leadership effectiveness and driving improvements in managerial performance. This led to a 15% increase in leadership effectiveness scores.
• Developed a delegated authority matrix that empowered regional managers to make HR decisions autonomously, such as approving promotions or salary adjustments, reducing decision-making time by 50% without compromising governance.
• Designed a proactive talent pipeline for key roles, working closely with universities and professional networks to ensure a constant flow of qualified candidates. This approach reduced the average time-to-fill for hard-to-recruit positions by 20%.
• Introduced a formal workforce planning process that tied staffing levels and skill sets to the organization's long-term goals. This allowed the organization to anticipate talent needs, reducing hiring gaps during critical project phases by 25%.
• Developed a technology-driven SDG "fit for purpose" competency model for senior leadership in partnership with Harvard Business School.
• Designed and implemented digital action roadmaps, utilizing data-driven insights to support high-potential leaders at UNICEF.
• Launched a global, technology-enabled 360° assessment and executive coaching program for all UNICEF leaders.

Responsibilities:

• Leadership & Succession Management: Led the organizational leadership initiatives, with a particular focus on succession planning, leadership pipeline development, and executive coaching.
• Change Management: Implemented change strategies during organizational transitions, including leadership turnover and restructuring efforts.

Key Accomplishments:

• Launched UNICEF’s Leadership Academy in collaboration with top-tier business schools, focusing on building leadership capability and resilience across the organization.
• Designed and implemented talent management tools to support succession planning and the leadership pipeline for key executive positions across UNICEF.

Responsibilities:

• Organizational Development & Design: Supported change initiatives related to restructuring efforts, facilitated organizational effectiveness audits, and developed performance management programs.
• Succession Planning: Conducted workforce analysis and succession planning efforts in partnership with senior management.

Key Accomplishments:

• Designed and launched UNFPA’s Induction Orientation Program for new staff, creating a structured and supportive onboarding experience that significantly improved the time-to-productivity for new hires.
• Coordinated capability audits across the Africa region offices, identifying key areas for skills development and performance improvement.
• Implemnetedchange initiatives for country offices after regionalizaiton .
• Coordinated with various divisions to create and launch UNFPA's capability initiative on Ethics, Integrity, and Anti-Fraud.
• Designed resources for the new 'UNFPA Reorganization' specifically as it related to HR.

Responsibilities:

• HR Technology & ERP Management: Managed online learning platforms, designed and delivered digital learning resources, and developed blended learning programs to enhance global employee capabilities.
• HR Operations: Supported the integration of learning and development with HR processes, facilitating a comprehensive approach to employee growth and development.

Key Accomplishments:

• Launched online courses and distance learning technologies for UNICEF staff worldwide, increasing access to professional development opportunities.
• Created a project charter for the Learning Management System (LMS) implementation, supporting a seamless rollout and adoption across the organization.