Sustainable Development Officer (Private Sector Officer) – P-4

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 171,387 USD and 220,969 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 in the United Nations Development Coordination Office (UNDCO) in New York and reports to the Chief of the Partnerships Section in the Policy and Programming Branch. The Sustainable Development Officer (Private Sector Officer) works closely with Partnerships & Development Finance Officers within Resident Coordinator Offices (RCOs).

Responsibilities Within delegated authority, and working closely with the global network of RCO Partnership and Development Finance Officers, the Sustainable Development Officer (Private Sector Officer) will be responsible for the following:

• Analyzes and tracks trends relating to private sector engagement in sustainable development and contributions to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Our Common Agenda.
• Provides technical support to the engagement of the DCO Director and UNSDG Chair with private sector actors for sustainable development, as appropriate.
• Advises the Chief of Section, the Chief of Branch, the DCO Director and UN Country Teams (UNCTs) on private sector engagement in sustainable development and opportunities to profile and promote the work of the UN Development System with private sector audiences to encourage further business support.
• Forges and maintains partnerships with private sector actors and UN platforms for private sector engagement in sustainable development that contribute to the work of the RC system in support of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, including on multi-stakeholder partnerships which have innovative financing components.
• Serves as primary liaison between DCO, the UN Global Compact (UNGC) and its country-based Local Networks, strengthening RCO engagement with UNGC to advance DCO and UNGC’s overlapping strategy objectives relating to expanding UNGC’s geographic coverage and deepening RCO private sector engagement.
• Acts as DCO focal point for other inter-agency private sector platforms, networks
• Leads, where requested, on various interagency private sector initiatives, identifying collaborative solutions to mobilize private sector resources, innovation and expertise on sustainable development issues.
• Closely liaises with DCO Regional Desks to ensure effective support to RCs and UNCTs on private sector matters and contributes to research, capacity building, knowledge sharing and country level efforts on private sector partnerships.
• Designs and facilitate workshops, webinars, capacity building exercises and communities of practice to assist PDFOs strengthen private sector engagement including through annual regional retreats and similar convenings.
• Facilitates the work of relevant UNSDG working mechanisms and the RC system on private sector engagement for sustainable development.
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• Advises on private sector components of humanitarian-development nexus work, such as the Secretary-General’s Action Agenda on IDPs or the UN Connecting Business Initiative, helping to bridge the gap between humanitarian and development system efforts to mobilize business in emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises.
• Contributes to the provision of strategic advice and support on key operational issues relating to private sector partnerships at the country level, including partner due diligence; negotiating partnership agreements; consulting with the Office of Legal Affairs on RCO partnership modalities; and UNCT coordination efforts relating to interagency partnership working groups and task forces.
• Contributes to DCO review and support for Common Country Analysis and UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks to ensure private sector dimensions and opportunities for engagement are adequately incorporated in these critical planning exercises.
• Researches, monitors and analyzes private sector partnership and funding mechanisms and their viability to support new and emerging development opportunities; reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and sustainable development issues to be addressed and initiates corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; ensures follow-up actions
• Develops draft policy recommendations on private sector partnerships issues, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of evaluations or other research activities and studies,
• Organizes and prepares written outputs on private sector partnerships and other sustainable development issues, e.g., draft background papers, analysis, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc.
• Provides substantive backstopping to consultative and other meetings, conferences, etc., including proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, and preparation of documents and presentations on sustainable development issues.
• Provides substantive support on sustainable development issues to DCO’s engagement with intergovernmental bodies for Strategic Partnerships (especially on Private Sector) and the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the Economic and Social Council, and the General Assembly.
• Participates in or take the lead in specific inter-agency or expert task forces or working groups either internally or with outside parties.
• Initiates and coordinates outreach activities; conducts training workshops, seminars, etc.; makes presentations on assigned topics/activities.
• Coordinates activities related to collaborations, budget funding and partnerships, regarding private sector issues and prepares related documents.
• Prepares speeches and other inputs for presentations by senior staff on sustainable development and private sector and partnerships issues.

• Designs, manages and monitors the implementation of capacity building on strategic private sector partnership and SDG financing issues.

  Competencies * Professionalism: Understands the 2030 Agenda and linkages to private sector for its implementation and the importance of partnerships. Ability to apply sustainable development theories, concepts and approaches. Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Ability to conduct data collection using various methods. Conceptual analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and analysis, including familiarity with and experience in the use of various research sources, including electronic resources on the internet, intranet and other databases. 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.

• Planning and 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.

• 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 client’s needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside of the ‘client’s 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 clients.

• 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) in sustainable development, economics, public policy, public administration, finance, natural resources management, engineering, law, social sciences 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 seven years of progressively responsible experience in strategic private sector engagement and UN-business partnerships is required.

  Experience facilitating interagency working groups or processes on private sector partnership issues is required.

  Experience working within UN Development System or a comparable international organization at the country level is desirable.

  Experience working at the headquarters of a development cooperation organization is desirable..

  Experience working with the UN Global Compact and/or other sustainable business organizations is desirable.

  Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language is an advantage.

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

  Special Notice This position is available for an initial period of one year. Subsequent extension of appointment is subject to availability of fund and mandate. 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. This professional post is subject to international recruitment. In line with General Assembly mandate, the successful applicant will serve the Organization outside the country of nationality. 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 disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. People with disabilities are strongly encourages to apply, in line with the Secretary-General's Disability Inclusion Strategy. 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.

For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or underrepresented in the UN Secretariat as of 28 February 2022, are strongly encouraged to apply: Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, Cabo Verde, China, Comoros, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Monaco, Namibia, Nauru, Norway, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

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.