SENIOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS OFFICER, P5 (Temporary Job Opening)

Department/Office: United Nations Office to the African Union
Duty Station: ADDIS ABABA
Deadline:  24 May 2022
Job Opening Number: 22-Political Affairs-UNOAU-181782-J-Addis Ababa (M)
Staffing Exercise N/A
United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU). The United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) was established by UN General Assembly Resolution 64/288 in 2010 generally mandated to enhance the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union in the area of peace and security; Provide coordinated and consistent advice to the African Union on long-term capacity-building and short-term operational support matters; Streamline the United Nations presence in Addis Ababa to make it cost-effective and efficient in delivering UN assistance to the AU. Cooperation between the two organizations has significantly intensified following the signing of the Joint UN-AU Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security on 19 April 2017, resulting
in more strategic and forward-looking collaborative efforts in conflict prevention, mediation, peacekeeping and peace building.

The Senior Political Affairs Officer will serve as Chief, Political Affairs Section and will be based in Addis Ababa. She/he will report to the Deputy Head of Office / Director of Political Affairs.

This position is available for three months.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority and under the supervision of the Deputy Head of Office / Director of Political Affairs, the Senior Political Affairs Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

– Develops a vision and direction for the team’s work and creates the conditions to allow its implementation.

– Provides substantive guidance to the members of the team on a daily basis, particularly on matters relating to the UN partnership with the AU Commission and where appropriate, Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) in the areas of conflict prevention, management, resolution and peacebuilding in Africa.

– Drafts policy proposals for consideration by the Deputy Head of Office / Director of Political Affairs.

– Prepares and reviews draft background papers, briefing notes and talking points on a variety of thematic and country-specific topics, as requested, for the attention of the Deputy Head of Office/Director of Political Affairs to inform situational awareness of Senior Office Leadership.

– Monitors and assesses political developments on the African continent in close collaboration with UNHQ, SPMs and PKOs and analyses the policies of the AU and other international and sub-regional organizations to provide the UNHQ and senior UN officials with early warning and policy options for conflict prevention, peace-making and post-conflict peace-building.

– Provides substantive political support for good offices, mediation and other political initiatives and activities that may be undertaken by the Secretary-General, his Envoys and Representatives, UNOAU leadership and/or other senior UN officials in the areas of responsibility.

– Works closely with the African Union, in particular senior officials of the AU Commission, AUPSC Secretariat, AUPSC members, Permanent Representatives, as well as other partners in Addis Ababa to develop strategies and plans of action to address political challenges, in pursuit of shared objectives.

– Supports preparation and follow-up to statutory meetings as defined in the UN-AU partnership framework, in consultation with Deputy Head of Office / Director of Political Affairs.

– Participates in good offices, fact-finding or peace-making missions, supports the implementation of agreements and decisions made and designs and develops policy, programme and project outlines, as required, and assists in the management and implementation.

– Contributes to tracking the politically-related aspects of the work of the different bodies of the Organization, as it relates to UNOAU and the African Union.

– Contributes to the UNHQ inter-agency task force(s)/working groups as relevant.

– Liaises with other UN departments, offices, agencies, funds and programmes, international and regional organizations, academic institutions and civil society organizations in Africa and represents the Office at meetings, inter-agency teams or task forces, round tables, seminars and conferences and reports back on outcomes and agreements to the Office leadership.

– Liaises with UNOAU internal sections on matters related to the Office mandate, ensures regular attendance to internal coordination meetings, and provides updates on the area of responsibility.

– Responds to programming, budgeting and performance reporting requirements of the Section and participates in recruiting and selecting new staff, allocating assignments, reviewing and guiding the work of junior team members and evaluating staff members.

– Performs other substantive and administrative duties as required.

Competencies

Professionalism: Demonstrated ability to conduct in-depth studies and reach conclusions on possible causes and solutions to political problems in specific areas and/or countries; Demonstrated analytical, research and negotiating skills; Ability to prepare high-quality draft documents in a timely manner, including under extreme time pressure; Ability to work calmly and
collaboratively under pressure; Ability to develop effective working relationships with UN departments, agencies and programmes as well as relevant outside actors. 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.

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.

Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow; empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvement; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. 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.

Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision- making 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 risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.

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; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; determines that 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 in political science, international relations, law, disarmament, security, development management, conflict resolution or related area is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.

Special Notice

• This position is temporarily available for a period of three months with the 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.

• 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.

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.

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.

 

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