Strategic Realignment: Senior Management Structure

Background

An important element in the overall realignment process is the review of the senior management structure of the WIPO Secretariat. The senior management structure comprises the four Deputy Director General (DDG) and three Assistant Director General (ADG) positions; as well as the “Special Category” director level positions.

Deputy Directors General and Assistant Directors General

The DDG and ADG posts become vacant on expiry of the mandate of the current top management team on November 30, 2009. The new appointments will be made following approval by the Coordination Committee in June 2009, of proposals submitted to the Committee by the Director General. The division of portfolios among these seven senior positions will be broadly as follows:

• Development
• Patents
• Trademarks
• Copyright
• Administration
• Global IP Infrastructure
• Global Policy Issues

Director Level Positions

The Senior Management realignment also involves:

(a) re-aligning the structure with the business needs of the Organization;
(b) allocating the available Special Category (D) posts to the functional areas of the structure; and
(c) appointing persons to the Special Category posts with the competences and experience to carry out these Senior Management functions.

As of October 1, 2008, there were14 vacant, unallocated D posts (out of the maximum ceiling of 43 D level posts set by the Member States); critical skills gaps at the Senior Management level; widespread discrepancies between post grades, personal grades and organizational structures.

Action taken

1. Six of the vacant D posts were advertised in October 2008 in order to address urgent skills gaps:

• Director of Human Resources
• Chief Information Officer
• Chief Economist
• Director of Global Challenges
• Director of the Office of the Director General, and
• Deputy Director of the Office of the Director General.

2. The eight remaining posts were allocated as follows in February 2009, based on consideration of (a) their functional importance within WIPO’s newly established strategic framework; and (b) the level of competences and experience required for effective delivery of the mandate:

• Director for Traditional Knowledge, Traditional Cultural Expressions and Genetic Resources
• Director of Communications
• Director of Least Developed Countries Division
• Director of the Division for certain countries in Europe and Asia
• Director of PCT Operations
• Director of PCT International Cooperation Division
• Director of the Arbitration and Mediation Center
• Director of the Patent Division

The process of realigning the Senior Management positions will be a continuing one. Further Director level posts will be reallocated to programs according to structural need as they are vacated through retirements and attrition. The next such post to be allocated and advertised will be:

• Director of the Enforcement Division (March/April 2009)