POLITICAL AFFAIRS OFFICER

Contract

This is a P-4 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 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 90,970 USD and 117,287 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 the Political Affairs Unit within the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General in the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), Laayoune. The incumbent will report to the Chief of Staff.

Responsibilities Within limits of delegated authority and under the supervision of the Chief of Staff, the Political Affairs Officer will be responsible for performing the following duties: Identify, analyze and monitor key political developments, trends, emerging issues in Western Sahara, especially as they relate to Western Sahara's relations with neighboring countries as well as emerging issues with respect to the implementation of MINURSO's mandate; Assess implications and make recommendations to senior management on possible policies, strategies and other measures to address issues of concern and to advance mandated objectives including, among others, on using MINURSO's good offices. Prepare summaries and analytical reports including, but not limited to, situation reports, briefing notes, options papers, code cables and inputs for the reports of the Secretary-General to the Security Council, General Assembly or other bodies. Prepare and review contextual information materials, such as background notes, political profiles and databases of relevance to the assigned portfolio; Manage information to ensure its accessibility and utility. Brief the Principal Political Affairs Officer and other unit staff on Western Sahara-focused developments. Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with mission components, UN Common System colleagues and counterparts, Government representatives, political leaders, civil society actors, military and law enforcement actors, academic and research institutions, and other national and international partners on information-sharing, policy and coordination matters. Consult and cooperate with partners to develop strategies and plans of action to address political challenges, in pursuit of shared objectives; Monitor, evaluate and report on implementation. Support preparations for official meetings, events and visits, including through the provision of Secretariat services and by drafting talking points and speeches for senior UN officials; Participate in fact-finding –and other- missions; Prepare written summaries of meetings/visits and assist with follow-up activities, as appropriate. Contribute to the formulation and implementation of the unit's programme of work. Support planning and budgetary processes for the unit. Supervise, mentor, and evaluate staff; assist with the selection of new staff. Undertake special assignments as requested by SRSG. Perform other relevant duties as requested by the SRSG.

Competencies Professionalism - Knowledge of the political issues related to Western Sahara and the region is a prerequisite; Ability to complete in-depth studies and reach conclusions on possible causes; Provide solutions to political problems in specific areas and/or countries; Ability to relate to various issues and perspectives to political, social, economic and humanitarian programmes in affected countries and areas - 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. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

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.

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.

Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.

Education Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in political science, international relations, social sciences, law, public administration, or a related field. A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and two additional years’ experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in political affairs, diplomacy, conflict resolution, or related field and extensive experience in political outreach, facilitation, analysis, advice and reporting is required. Previous experience working in the front office of a senior public official and/or as a Special Assistant (or similar) to a senior public official is required. Experience working in a UN Special Political Mission and/or UN Peacekeeping Operation is required.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For this post, fluency in spoken and written English is required. Knowledge of French and/or Arabic is desirable.

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

Special Notice - This position is temporarily available for an initial period of six months. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment.

• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post.

• Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.

• This temporary job opening may be limited to “internal candidates,” who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15.

• Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply.Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.

• Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as "retirement." Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

  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.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side 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.