CHIEF OF STAFF AND HEAD OF STRATEGIC PLANNING UNIT

Contract

This is a D-1 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 15 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 201,941 USD and 254,829 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

Org. Setting and Reporting

The position is located in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority ((ISA) in Kingston, Jamaica. Under the guidance of the Secretary-General, the incumbent directs and manages the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, provides strategic advice, political support and diplomatic 'back channel' to the Secretary-General, ensures overall strategic coordination of the substantive support to the Secretary-General in the implementation of his/her mandate, and oversees the work of the Strategic Planning Unit (comprising the Policy Unit and Capacity Development Unit) and the Communications Unit.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the incumbent is responsible for the following: • Strategic planning to support the political and managerial objectives of the Secretary-General, in cooperation with heads of Offices and Units at ISA, as well as Member States Delegations and relevant Departments and political processes at United Nations Headquarters; • Provides expert policy advice and recommendations to the Secretary-General in the exercise of his/her functions and supports the Secretary-General in the overall management of the ISA Secretariat; • Provides policy advice and supports the Secretary-General’s engagement with the political organs of ISA, including the Assembly and Council; • Coordinates the activities of the ISA Secretariat Offices and Units as they relate to the Secretary-General's responsibilities and monitors implementation; • Formulates and implements the work programme of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, determining priorities and monitoring progress; • Oversees the management and organization of the Communications Unit, including monitoring of implementation against planning and budget execution; • Oversees the management and organization of the Strategic Planning Unit (comprising the Policy Unit and the Capacity Development Unit) including monitoring of implementation against plannng and budget execution; • Oversees the management and organization of the Executive office, including preparation of the budget; • Reviews and supervises the output of the office, organizes the flow of activities and follows up on substantive and administrative matters; • Manages the correspondence of the Secretary-General and coordinates follow-up across the ISA Secretariat; • Oversees the preparation of and reviews draft correspondence, official statements, briefing notes, talking points and reports for the Secretary-General's signature or clearance; conducts relevant research and prepares background papers on matters of concern to the ISA Secretariat; • Maintains liaison with Heads of Offices, elected officers of the organs of ISA (Assembly and Council) and high-ranking representatives of Member States, as well as other international organizations and external partners on substantive, political and procedural questions, and provides advice to the Secretary-General on these issues; • Maintains liaisons with partners/donors with a view to mobilize resources, maximise support and sustainable engagement in the work of ISA; • Undertakes missions at the Secretary-General's request; • In the absence of the Secretary-General, receives visitors, performs representational functions, organizes, and attends meetings on the Secretary-General's behalf; • Other duties as required by the Secretary-General.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Strong negotiating skills and ability to influence others to reach agreement. Ability to work to tight deadlines and handle multiple concurrent projects/cases. Knowledge of contemporary international relations and of UN system, organization and interrelationships. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.

COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be "clients" and seeks to see things from clients' point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients' needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients' environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.

JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in international relations, political science, management, or other relevant field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree

Job - Specific Qualification

Strong knowledge of the international law of the sea, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and related international agreements is required

Familiarity with current legal and political developments in the international law of the sea is required

Familiarity with current issues relating to critical minerals policy is required

Work Experience

At least fifteen years of progressively responsible experience in political affairs and/or management in a politically sensitive environment, including at least seven years at the international level is required.

Experience in the coordination of the activities and the provision of strategic policy advice to senior-level officials on a range of managerial and political questions is required.

Experience in the application of United Nations policies and procedures is desired.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the Secretariat. Fluency in English or French, with solid drafting abilities in any one language, and working knowledge of the other are required. Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

Candidates eligible for consideration must also be nationals of ISA Member States.

Consideration is given to achieving diverse gender, geographical and economic representation at the ISA, to the extent possible.

ISA reserves the right to not make any appointment to the vacancy, and/or to make an appointment at a lower level from the one advertised.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process.

By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions.

Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.