Political Affairs Officer

Overview

Facilitate cooperation and support accountability measures against Da'esh/ISIL in Iraq.

You have:

• Advanced university degree in law, political science or related field required.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in law, political science or related area required.
• Experience in international criminal law and humanitarian law required.
• At least 2 years dealing with transitional justice or accountability issues required.
• Experience in providing technical assistance to government institutions on legal reform required.
• Fluency in English and Arabic required.
• Experience in negotiations with government institutions required.
• Experience working in the Middle East required.

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 118,534 USD and 152,825 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 within the United Nations Investigative Team for Accountability of Da'esh/ISIL (UNITAD) and will be based in Baghdad, Iraq. The post is located within the Office of the Special Adviser and will coordinate closely with the Head of Office of National Engagement and Support (ONES). The candidate will report to the Special Adviser.

UNITAD was established by the Secretary-General pursuant to Security Council resolution 2379 (2017), according to which it is mandated to support domestic efforts to hold ISIL (Da'esh) accountable by collecting, preserving and storing evidence in Iraq of acts that may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by the terrorist group ISIL (Da'esh) in Iraq.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Political Affairs Officer will be responsible for the following duties: • Assists in facilitating cooperation between the Investigative Team and the Government of Iraq as well as with relevant local institutions and actors, with respect to the implementation of accountability of measures against Da'esh/ISIL; • Provides substantive and practical support to the Special Adviser and Head of the Investigative Team by planning and supporting meetings and missions with relevant counterparts, and preparation of related materials. Ensures commitment(s) made at these meeting(s) is(are) followed-up and delegated, as appropriate, and tracked to ensure sustained progress in the cooperation; • Provides advice on a wide range of strategic and legal issues affecting Iraq and the mandate, and the activities of the Investigative Team, as it relates to cooperation with Iraqi authorities, including but not limited to areas of public international law and international judicial cooperation, and international criminal law matters; • Responsible for building relationships with key interlocutors within the Government of Iraq, judiciary and parliament, as well as with international and national NGOs and individuals relevant to the mandate; • Organizes and participates in meetings and discussions with the Government of Iraq, local institutions and actors as well as other internal and external actors and organizations, as required, such as NGOs, with a view to furthering the implementation of the mandate of the Investigative Team and Special Adviser; • Provide technical assistance and capacity building advice to government institutions on judicial, security and legal education reform in the context of transitional justice; • Performs other duties, as assigned.

Competencies

Professionalism: Ability to apply legal and political expertise to analyzing a diverse range of complex and unusual political and legal issues and problems and in developing innovative and creative solutions in prosecuting complex criminal cases. Discretion and sound judgment in applying political expertise to sensitive and complex legal issues. Strong analytical skills and ability to conduct comprehensive research on a range of issues, including those of a unique and/or complex nature; proficiency in writing and expression. 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. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

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.

Planning & Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) degree in law, political science, international relations, international economics, public administration, or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Job - Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in law, political science, international relations, disarmament, security, development management, conflict resolution or related area is required.

Experience working with a solid legal background and advanced knowledge in International Criminal Law and International Humanitarian Law with an international organization or a jurisdiction on the national level is required.

At least two years of experience dealing with international criminal law, transitional justice and/or accountability issues in the field is required, preferably as a judge, prosecutor, lawyer or investigator.

Experience working on matters related to ISIL/Da'esh and/or Iraq, and cooperation with government institutions, law enforcement or military is desirable.

Experience in providing technical assistance and capacity building to government institutions on judicial, security and legal education reform in the context of transitional justice is required.

Experience in conducting need assessments to government or judicial institutions is desirable.

Experience in negotiations with government institutions and jurisdictions is required.

Experience in providing executive support and policy advice to senior official(s) is required.

Experience working in Middle East is required.

Experience working in Iraq is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in both English and Arabic is required. NOTE: ''Fluency'' equals a rating of ''fluent'' in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and ''Knowledge of'' equals a rating of ''confident'' in two of the four areas.

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. 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.

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.

Potential interview questions