I have led global digital transformation projects to fundamentally change the way stakeholders and partners collaborate, engage and access information and resources. This has included the launch of key digital platforms.
For seven years at UNICEF, I was the global internal and intranet communications manager for the Division of People and Culture (DPC), tasked with engaging a workforce of over 22,000 employees. As part of this work, I served as the project manager for a major relaunch of the division’s global intranet site and architecture under UNICEF’s enterprise content management digital transformation project. The project aimed to transform how staff create, share, and find information, collaborate with each other, and access the tools they need to be productive. Under the project, the division gradually moved from outdated platforms and unstructured ways of storing documents to a policy-compliant digital working environment where staff have access to mobile-friendly and cloud-based tools, technologies, and systems that enable better collaboration, communication, and engagement.
As part of my project management responsibilities, I led the development of strategies, work plans, designs, and wireframes, supervised a project consultant (direct report) to implement user experience (UX) design and facilitate capacity building, advised and liaised with senior management, and coordinated multi-stakeholder reviews and inputs. I also managed a cross-functional project team (direct and indirect reports) and worked effectively with cross-functional teams, the information technology division, and other key stakeholders across UNICEF. A major milestone in the project was launching a new and interactive global intranet site for the division, catered to the needs of different types of employees. The project also moved staff to cloud-based document management systems, launched internal collaboration, project, and campaign sites under the DPC architecture, and maintained a focus on capacity building and behavior change throughout.
Following the launch, I continued to lead the strategic planning, development, and execution of all content on the intranet site, effectively utilizing SharePoint’s content management system. This included managing editorial planning, overseeing the development and publishing of digital and multimedia content, writing and editing articles, global messages, and content for thematic pages and resources, and overseeing and training a network of site contributors. I also promoted the site through content strategies and campaigns and monitored and enhanced its impact through data-driven insights and analytics.
As of 2024, the DPC intranet site was the central hub for employees at UNICEF to engage with people-centered content and find the information they need to thrive in the organization. Its pages generated tens of thousands of views, clicks, reactions, and downloads. Moreover, it was consistently among the top two most visited sites across UNICEF.
Okechukwu Umelo 