Political Affairs Officer (Head of Office)

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 The position is located in the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).

The United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 2524 (2020) authorizing the mandate of UNITAMS, which is to assist the political transition, progress towards democratic governance, protection and promotion of human rights and sustainable peace; support peace processes and the implementation of future peace agreements, assist peacebuilding, civilian protection and rule of law, in particular in Blue Nile and South Kordofan (the Two Areas) and Darfur; and support the mobilization of economic and development assistance and the coordination of humanitarian assistance.

The position is based in Kassala, Sudan and is located in the Kassala Regional Office. Kassala is classified as “E” hardship duty station and as non-family duty station. The incumbent will report to the Director of the Office of Support to the Political Transition in Khartoum

Responsibilities Within the limits of delegated authority, the Political Affairs Officer (Head of Office) will be responsible for performing the following duties:

•Leads and organizes operational activities related to the work of the office or mission, i.e., political affairs, peacekeeping, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, conflict prevention and resolution, post-conflict rehabilitation, election administration, political and governance institution-building, civil society support work, etc.; pursues an integrated approach that includes a rights-based dimension, conflict prevention sensitivity, and a gender perspective into the policy, planning and operational activities of the unit. Represents the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in meetings with interlocutors.

•Prepares and reviews briefing notes and talking points for the Head of Mission and other senior staff. Provides guidance and advice on assigned issues to the head of mission, as well as other selected offices of intergovernmental bodies concerning assigned areas of work, status of negotiations, and the approach to various issues including interpretation of rules of procedure. Prepares responses to comments, statements, and queries of parties and manages operations involving several components of a limited nature, such as civilian or humanitarian operations. Develops and maintains relations with government officials, political parties, tribal leaders, civil society, women’s groups, and other stakeholders at the working levels and advises them on issues and policies of mutual concern.

•Leads a team which deals with a variety of political issues in a region. Attends meetings to identify the scope of the project, considers methodologies, and leads or actively participates in developing guidelines, terms of reference and operational plans and time frames for new assignments. Assists in planning, coordinating and supporting programmes, projects and activities requiring mission and/or interagency involvement and participation. Represents the team at round tables, seminars and conferences.

•Provides substantive support to his/her supervisor in the formulation of the programme of work, budget and medium-term plan of the unit by actively participating in or leading meetings, drafting major components and compiling or researching issues related to the mission.

•Performs other related duties as required

Competencies Professionalism: Demonstrates professional competence and in-depth knowledge of political affairs; Strong analytical skills; excellent drafting and editing skills with the proven ability to reach conclusions on possible causes and solutions to political problems in specific areas; proven ability to establish effective relations with a range of interlocutors. Shows pride in work and 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.

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.

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 degree or equivalent) in Political Science, Management or Development, or a related field. A first level university degree with a combination of two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Professional training in the areas of planning, monitoring and evaluation, facilitation and/or coordination is an asset.

Work Experience •A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in political science, international relations, law, disarmament, security, development management, conflict resolution or related area, is required. •Experience in political outreach, analysis, advice and reporting is required. •Experience drafting analytical reports and documents on sensitive and high profile matters relevant to the Mission’s mandate including briefing notes, background documents, talking points, speeches, and other correspondence for senior UN officials, reports of the Secretary-General, or similar reports is desirable. •Experience serving in a field office in the UN common system or other international organizational office, in a country in political transition, is desirable. •Experience working in Africa and/or the Middle East in a conflict or post-conflict setting is desirable. •A minimum of two-year experience of management and/or coordination of staff and programs is desirable.

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

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

Special Notice The selected candidate is expected to start as soon as possible.

Please note that due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19 and the travel restrictions imposed by national authorities, selected candidates may be required to start the assignment/appointment remotely, in agreement with the hiring manager, and until further notice.

Applying to this job opening carries an expectation to accept the offer, if selected. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential.

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.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

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.