Org. Setting and Reporting

This post is found within the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPat Headquarters in New York. New York is classified as a “H” hardship duty station and a family duty station. Under the overall supervision of the Director of the Security Council Affairs Division, the incumbent reports directly to the Chief of the Security Council Practices and Charter Branch.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Senior Political Affairs Officer, reporting to the Chief of Branch the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties: • Provides substantive guidance and expert advice of the constitutional and procedural developments in Security Council practice, develops direction for the work and plan of action for the timely and accurate preparation of the Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council; ensures quality control, promotes uniform high standards across all parts of the publication and captures lessons learned; identifies emerging issues pertaining to the mandates of the Branch, analyses implications and makes recommendations on possible strategies and measures; draft studies for the repertory of practice of United Nations organs, covering the relevant periods by cross referencing to the Repertoire. • Plans and implements the operational activities related to the work of the Branch, incorporates a gender perspective into the policy, planning and operational activities of the Branch. • Prepares statements to the legislative bodies (i.e. the Sixth Committee the Charter Committee, et a. • Plans, coordinates and manages projects and activities requiring interdepartmental and/or interagency involvement and participation. • Prepares briefing notes and talking points for the SecretaryGeneral, Senior Advisers, UnderSecretaryGeneral/Assistant SecretaryGeneral, and Member States, as requested. • Contributes to the design and implements, as appropriate, more efficient and accurate means of collecting information of relevance to the Security Council by leveraging new technologies. • Provides briefings to Member State representatives, academics and public groups on procedural and constitutional issues related to the Security Council, as requested; prepares documentation on the work and practice of the Security Council of relevance to specific groups such as troop and police contributing countries; advises on the Security Council’s application of the Charter and its own Provisional Rules of Procedure in support of the UN Security Council members, as requested and as appropriate. • Participates in developing and delivering capacity building and information sessions for new Council members. • Monitors and reports on the debates in the General Assembly in connection with the reform of the Security Council and improvement of its working methods. • Leads and directs a work team; plans and allocates work assignments; coaches, mentors and evaluates staff; participates in recruitment and selection of new staff and in the development of training programs. • Manages coordinates organizes and supervises research on a variety of political issues pertaining to the work of the Security Council including, consideration of questions under the responsibility of the Security Council for the maintenance of international peace and security; provisional rules of procedure and related developments; purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations; relations with United Nations organs; consideration of the functions and powers of the Security Council; etc. • Represents the Branch at round tables, seminars and conferences. • Formulates the programme of work, budget and mediumterm plan of the Branch and participates in the overall approval of the programme of work, and administrative matters concerning the Branch; coordinates and oversees work of colleagues and Branch. • Performs other related duties as required.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Knowledge of the work of intergovernmental bodies, including the United Nations, the Security Council and its subsidiary bodies. Ability to provide guidance on procedural and constitutional issues related to the Security Council. 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. • 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. Managerial Competencies: • Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decisionmaking 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 risktaking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly. • Judgement/Decisionmaking: 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 equivalendegree in political science, international relations, international economics, law, public administration, or related field. A firstlevel university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

JobSpecific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in political science, international relations, law, disarmament, security, development management, conflict resolution or related area is required. Experience in providing substantive guidance and expert advice on the constitutional procedural developments on/to UN legislative bodies and subsidiary organs is required. Experience in managing a team for the drafting of policy documents and/or analytical reports is required. Experience in researching and drafting case studies in the ambit of international peace and security is desirable.

Languages

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

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competencybased interview.

Special Notice

• This position is temporarily available through 09 September 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 16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule • 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 (the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a costeffective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service. • 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. • 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. • For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or underrepresented in the UN Secretariat as of 31 Jan 2024, are strongly encouraged to apply: Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, China, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Grenada, GuineaBissau, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Libya, Liechtenstein, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States o, Monaco, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Thailand, TimorLeste, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu.

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 nonsmoking 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 SecretaryGeneral, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 2 (. Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D2 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 accountholder 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 timon 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 TRAININ. THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.