HEAD OF OFFICE, POLITICAL AFFAIRS

Contract

This is a D-2 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 16 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 228,950 USD and 275,945 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

This position is located in Bangui, in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). Reporting to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), the Head of Office, Political Affairs coordinates the work of, and provides guidance to, the Political Affairs Division (PAD).

Responsibilities

Within limits of delegated authority, the Head of Office, Political Affairs will be responsible for the following functions:

•Guide the Mission's strategic engagement with the local government, bilateral partners and civil society actors relevant to political affairs matters by liaising and forging effective professional relationships with government officials, political actors, leaders of civil society and international and national professionals, and serving as an interlocutor for the international community, including regional and sub-regional actors and organizations, member states, the diplomatic community, major donors and the wider UN system; •Establish the overall strategic vision, policies and leadership for the Mission's efforts to support any ongoing political and peace negotiation or processes and advocate and represent mission views authoritatively and ensure that support to these processes proceeds in a coordinated and integrated manner. •Oversees the establishment, coordination of and support to other duty stations, ensuring the implementation of a well-articulated policy for the reporting and management of substantive staff within other duty stations and regular meetings between heads of these offices and Mission Headquarters. •Lead the Mission's political affairs efforts towards future reconciliation and transition planning and capacity building of national authorities; supports the resolution of conflicting demands. •Oversees the on-going developments and emerging issues with respect to the implementation of the Mission's mandate. •Assess implications and offer recommendations to the Mission leadership on strategies, policies and other measures to address issues of concern and to advance mandated and assigned objectives. •Review inputs and reports to ensure synergy and complementarity in the implementation of the Mission's mandate while ensuring high quality reporting to the Mission leadership on developments and issues pertaining to the mandate. •Build collaborative relationships with the authorities, signatories' movement, political and international partners on coordination and policy matters. •Lead and oversee the activities of the office by setting priorities within the Mission and with external stakeholders. •In collaboration with other components of the mission, continue the Mission's efforts to achieve improved donor coordination, including through established frameworks. •Advise the SRSG on critical aspects of the mission implementation plan, the political environment and political strategy. •Strengthen the implementation of the programme of work and together with mission leadership, determine priorities and activities that are in accordance with the mandate. •Engage with experienced UNCT members to make use of their local knowledge and contacts, including with women's organizations. •Provide managerial and administrative tasks, including preparation of budgets, assignment and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on budget, preparation of inputs for the results-based budgeting process (RBB). •Provide strategic guidance to the Principals and participate in their evaluation.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Demonstrated in-depth understanding of political processes; Substantial and diverse experience in all facets of the job; Strong analytical and evaluative skills combined with good judgment; In-depth understanding of and an ability to evaluate international political situations; Excellent drafting and presentation skills; 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.

• Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

• 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 that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in Political Science, International Relations, Social Science, Law or a related 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

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible experience in political affairs, diplomacy, international relations, conflict resolution or a related field is required.

Excellent and proven managerial skills are required.

Experience working in a United Nations common system field operation (inclusive of peacekeeping, political missions and UN agencies, funds, and programmes) -or similar international organization or non-governmental organization- in a conflict or post-conflict setting is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English and French is required.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

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.