SENIOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS OFFICER (Temporary][Cancelled)

Contract

This is a P-5 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 10 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 208,877 USD and 261,770 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 (EOSG), in the Political, Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Human Rights Unit (PU), which is part of the Office of the Assistant-Secretary-General for Strategic Coordination. The Senior Political Affairs Officer reports to the Director, through the Deputy Director.

The EOSG, under the guidance of the Secretary-General (SG), works as a team pursuing in a cohesive and coherent manner, the SG's vision, priorities and policies for his second mandate in office. It seeks alignment of the United Nations family with the SG's vision, priorities and policies. It is guided by the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity and of achieving gender and regional balance among staff.

All EOSG units will support the EOSG senior officials, as appropriate, depending on the tasks at hand, regardless of which senior official they formally report to, and will work together through a matrix team approach, as necessary, to ensure EOSG leads by example on integration and cross-pillar work.

Responsibilities Within delegated authority, the Senior Political Affairs Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

• Provide the Secretary-General and other EOSG senior officials with situational awareness, trend analysis and advice on emerging and ongoing issues of interest and concern across the political, peacekeeping, humanitarian and human rights portfolios.
• Prepare briefing notes and talking points for the Secretary General and other EOSG senior officials for meetings with Heads of State, foreign ministers and other high-level interested parties.
• Coordinate and oversee the review of reports related to assigned geographic and thematic areas for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Security Council, Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, Committee for Programme Coordination, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate.
• Conduct and direct research, initiate and carry out in-depth analysis on political, peacekeeping, humanitarian and human rights issues related to the assigned geographic or thematic areas. Follow up on current trends and political and security problems related to assigned geographical areas, with a view to provide early warning advice to EOSG senior officials.
• Support senior management decision-making on country situations and relevant thematic files, through provision of incisive analysis and highlighting potential areas for system-wide actions.
• Monitor, identify and analyze forced displacement-related developments to EOSG senior officials.
• Design and effect EOSG-wide strategy and plans to support the implementation of the Secretary-General’s priorities in the context of the follow-up to our Common Agenda Report, notably on the New Agenda for Peace.
• Serve as a senior policy officer; advise on overall policy direction on specific issues; and, more generally, reviews and provides advice on specific geographic or thematic political and related issues.

• Perform other related duties as requested by the EOSG.

  Competencies Professionalism: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised. Strong analytical skills and ability to produce reports and papers on substantive issues and to review and edit the work of others. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. 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. 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.

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.

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.

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 Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) degree in political science, international relations, international economics, law, 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.

Work Experience A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience at national and international levels in advisory and managerial positions in political science, international relations, humanitarian assistance and coordination, human rights, diplomacy, law, development management, conflict resolution or related area is required.

Experience in providing advice and the preparation of analytical reports, background notes and key messages to senior management is required.

A minimum of five years of field experience in a transitional, developmental, humanitarian, conflict or post conflict setting is required.

Experience in coordinating and managing complex policy and strategy development exercises in the context of international organizations is desirable.

Experience in coordinating humanitarian and protection responses in the context of forced displacement is desirable.

Languages Fluency in one of the working languages of the UN Secretariat, English or French, (both oral and written) is required; knowledge of the other 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 364 days with a possibility of extension.

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.

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.

At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disability. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application.

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.

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.