PUBLIC INFORMATION ASSISTANT

These positions are located in the Guided Tours Unit, Visitors Services Section, Outreach Division within the Department of Global Communications at UN Headquarters in New York. Visitors Services encompasses guided tours, public inquiries and the speakers' bureau/briefings at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Each year nearly half a million people from around the world experience the UN Visitor Centre. The incumbent (Tour Guide) reports to the Chief of Unit and the Chief of the Section. This position is only temporarily available and subject to the availability of funding, with the possibility of an extension.

Within delegated authority, the Public Information Assistant (PIA-II) will be responsible for the following duties: • Conduct one-hour lecture tours on the history and work of the United Nations in the areas of peace and security, development, and human rights. This includes showing visitors the various Council Chambers and thematic exhibits while explaining the functioning of its Main Organs and recent developments in the field. • Participate in daily briefings, as well as special briefings on different topics, such as peacekeeping, disarmament and human rights. • Study and research UN materials in English, in order to stay abreast of current activities related to the UN system. • Use tact and diplomacy in handling probing questions or comments from visitors regarding politically sensitive issues involving the work of the organization and any other concerns related to the operation. Tailor language and information to different audiences (e.g. children, students, senior citizens, VIPs, UN Mission staff and media representatives) and respond to politically sensitive questions in an accurate and effective manner. • Plan, schedule, and dispatch tours daily, ensuring a smooth flow of all guided tours and the overall operation. • Ensure a fair and efficient distribution of the daily workload of the PIAs through assignment of tours and special duties. He/she checks and maintains records of the PIAs daily attendance, as well as their punctuality when starting and finishing tours, making sure primarily that all tours leave as scheduled. • Modify the pre-scheduled daily plan as needed, most often on short notice, to ensure a smooth running of the operation, bringing operational and recurring issues to the attention of the Senior Tour Coordinator and/or the Chief of Guided Tours to find appropriate solutions. • In the absence of the Briefing Assistant, and under supervision of the Chief of GTU, prepare and conduct daily morning briefings to Public Information Assistants (PIAs) on current UN activities and related world news, as required.

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. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work. Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively. Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately. Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication. Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience. Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. 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 clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions. Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ 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 client.

A recognized first level degree is required

Not available.

At least one year of full-time experience as an official Tour Guide in an International Organization, providing an informative and educational experience to global visitors is required. Extensive work experience in public speaking and engaging diverse audiences in a customer service setting within an international organization is required. Prior experience conducting official tours for children and younger audiences is required. Experience working in a culturally diverse workplace is desirable. Previous experience with the United Nations system or another international organization is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. Korean is required. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult

https://languages.un.org

for details).

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Required Languages

Language

Reading

Writing

Listening

Speaking

English

UN Level III

UN Level III

UN Level III

UN Level III

Korean

UN Level III

UN Level III

UN Level III

UN Level III

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

• This position is only temporarily available and subject to the availability of funding, with the possibility of an 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.

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. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 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 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. All external candidates recruited in accordance with section ‎2.2 (a) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment without limitation and all external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2. (c) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment limited to the entity are subject to an initial probationary period of one year under a fixed-term appointment. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

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.