Un oda director political affairs d2

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Job Opening Posting Title:

DIRECTOR, POLITICAL AFFAIRS, D2

Job Code Title:

DIRECTOR, POLITICAL AFFAIRS

Department/ Office: Office for Disarmament Affairs Duty Station:

GENEVA

Posting Period:

14 January 2015-13 February 2015

Job Opening number: 15-POL-ODA-38873-D-GENEVA (R)

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

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Special Notice - 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.

- Appointment at the United Nations is subject to mandatory adherence to the United Nations Financial Disclosure programme.

Org. Setting and Reporting This position is located in the Office for Disarmament Affairs, Conference on Disarmament Secretariat and Conference Support Branch, Geneva, which supports multilateral negotiations and deliberations on agreements on disarmament, arms limitation and non-proliferation in all its aspects and provides support as required by States parties to the existing multilateral agreements in those areas". The incumbent reports to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs and consults regularly with the SecretaryGeneral of the Conference on Disarmament on matters concerning the work of the Conference. http://www.un.org/disarmament/ Responsibilities

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As Director of ODA’s Geneva Branch, the incumbent reports to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. He/she is responsible for the formulation and implementation of the substantive work programme of the Branch and identifies and recommends the actions to be taken resulting from the General Assembly resolutions and decisions made by Member States and makes recommendations thereon to the High Representative. The incumbent provides leadership, management and oversight for the Branch’s activities as well as its financial and human resources. The incumbent coordinates and oversees the preparation of reports for presentation to the General Assembly, the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, and other policy-making organs, as appropriate, and appears before such bodies as necessary. The incumbent provides the High Representative with sound political advice and makes substantive contributions on all aspects related to the work of the Branch, including support to the Conference on Disarmament, the General Assembly and its First Committee as well as UN conferences and other meetings on multilateral arms control and disarmament agreements. The incumbent also serves as the Deputy Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament and in this capacity, he/she ensures and supervises the substantive and organizational servicing of the Conference on Disarmament and its subsidiary bodies. Ensures and supervises the substantive and organizational servicing of multilateral disarmament treaty conferences and meetings in Geneva. The incumbent interacts extensively with the disarmament community in Geneva. Oversees the implementation of the UN Disarmament Fellowship, Training and Advisory Services Programme.

Duties and Responsibilities: 1. Within delegated authority, the Director of the Branch will be responsible for the overall management of the Branch’s activities as well as its human and financial resources by. a. Directing, managing and overseeing the activities undertaken by the Branch, ensuring that they are carried out in an effective and timely fashion and in this respect, plan and allocate work assignments, foster teamwork, coach and mentor the staff of the Branch ; b. Providing leadership and oversight for the Branch’s activities as well as its financial and human resources; c. Contributing to the formulation of the Branch’s overall strategy, developing a vision and direction for work, proposing policy directives and preparing documents on policy issues, and acting, as required, in an advisory capacity to the High Representative; d. Coordinating and overseeing the preparation of reports for presentation to the General Assembly, the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, and other policy-making organs, as appropriate, and appearing before such bodies as necessary; e. Providing sound political advice in the negotiations on legal and political norms and agreements, providing solutions and defining a possible course of action on all aspects related to the work of the Conference on Disarmament and to the work of the General Assembly’s First Committee as well as UN conferences and other meetings on multilateral arms control and disarmament agreements, by participating in various committees; f. Undertaking and overseeing the programmatic and administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Branch, including contributing to the Office’s strategic framework and the preparation of the biennial programme budgets, assigning monitoring performance parameters and reporting on budget and programme performance; g. Overseeing the recruitment of staff of the Branch and the evaluation of staff performance (ePAS); h. Representing the High Representative, as required; at high level meetings and conferences related to disarmament issues organized by Member Stares; i. Supervising the maintenance of an updated collection of documentation relating to disarmament and international security as well as specialized literature on armaments and disarmament; j. Overseeing and guiding the implementation of the United Nations Disarmament Fellowship, Training and Advisory Services Programme, including providing advice on the selection of the fellows, the study programme and visits to international organizations and Member States; k. Maintaining close contacts with representatives of Permanent Missions in Geneva as well as with representatives of Specialized Agencies, other Organizations of the UN system and non-governmental organizations, particularly in Europe, on matters related to the Department as well as other questions of significance for disarmament efforts of the UN. 2. As Deputy Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament, ensures and supervises the

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Competencies Professionalism: 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. Has the ability to communicate in a clear, concise and effective manner and exhibit good judgment skills in handling information which is made available to the press; has the ability to work calmly under pressure and be conscientious in meeting tight deadlines. Must be able to use initiative and work with minimal supervision.

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.

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 improvements; 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 -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 (Masters degree or equivalent) in international affairs, political science, international law or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advance university degree.

Work Experience A minimum of fifteen years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level in the field of disarmament, as well as expertise in multilateral negotiations, preferably in the area of arms control and disarmament, or related field.

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

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

United Nations Considerations Job openings posted on the Careers Portal are taken off at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.

Applications are automatically pre-screened according to the published evaluation criteria of the job opening on the basis of the information provided by applicants. Applications cannot be amended following submission and incomplete applications shall not be considered. The selected candidate will be subject to a reference checking process to verify the information provided in the application.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the At-a-Glance on "The Application Process" and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” on the upper right side of the browser on Inspira.

The United Nations shall place 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. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

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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