Counter Terrorism Expert

The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) was established by the Secretary-General in 2005. It is the United Nations designated entity to bring together into one coherent framework the United Nations counter-terrorism policy and legal responses emanating from the General Assembly, Security Council and relevant United Nations specialized agencies. The CTITF Office, which supports the Task Force, is part of the Department of Political Affairs (DPA) and is located at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. In 2011, the United Nations Secretariat launched the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) within the CTITF Office. The Centre contributes to support Member States’ efforts to implement the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

In 2015 , UNCCT adopted its 5 –Year Programme  , which includes a Roster of Counter-Terrorism Experts. This initiative responds to the increased global demand from Member States for swiftly deployed comprehensive and integrated assistance in countering terrorist activities. Within the CTITF, UNCCT is well-positioned to provide assistance through deploying experts on field missions utilizing its mandate on coordination and coherence and to ensure focused delivery of capacity-building assistance. Depending on the specific formal request of a Member State experts will be selected from four thematic areas and deployed for two to four weeks within a period of three weeks to provide tailored technical expertise.

Among the four identified thematic areas of expertise is the development and implementation of national and regional counter-terrorism strategies and action plans as well as the development of tools for implementing advance passenger information systems.

During the fifth review of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, the General Assembly encouraged Member States to further elaborate and develop national, subregional and regional plans, as appropriate, to support the implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. It also recalled the role of CTITF, in promoting international cooperation and capacity-building as elements of the Strategy at international, regional and subregional levels. 

Under the direction of UNCCT within the CTITF Office, experts on this roster must be available upon request to assist and support the counter-terrorism efforts of the United Nations and its partners.

The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the Director of the CTITF Office. The expert shall coordinate and consult with the CTITF Office on all activities related to the Global Strategy so as to ensure a "one UN" approach.

This expert will:

When deployed:

• Provide technical expertise and advice on specific aspects of national and regional counter-terrorism strategies to United Nations Member States and the CTITF Office or others as appropriate;
• Engage with national and regional authorities to explore particular counter-terrorism objectives in relation to the local terrorist threat, map country or region specific existing counter-terrorism efforts, identify and collaborate with relevant international, regional and national stakeholders and develop counter-terrorism strategy action plans in specific areas for the development or fine-tuning of existing strategies, including for effective use and mobilization of resources for this purpose;
• Provide technical expertise and advice on the implementation of advance passenger information to United Nations Member States;
• In conjunction with CTITF entities, engage with national authorities to understand and analyse their legal, financial, technical and infrastructural capacities to implement advance passenger information systems.
• Cooperate closely with and receive guidance from the relevant CTITF Working Groups;
• As necessary and appropriate, participate and contribute to the drafting of relevant sections of national and regional counter-terrorism strategies;
• As necessary, conceive, plan and manage training seminars for local counter-terrorism officials, CTITF entities or others on national and regional counter-terrorism issues;
• Any other related tasks as requested by the CTITF Office or the UNCCT.

When not deployed and upon request:

• Engage with national authorities and CTITF entities to develop tools to support the implementation of advance passenger information systems, such as ‘roadmaps’, which analyse and identify the capacity gaps and technical assistance needs of Member States and provide necessary recommendations to enable the implementation of an effective advance passenger information system that is fully compliant with the requirements of United Nations Security Council resolution 2178 (2014).
• Identify good practices and recognized principles as well as assistance needs of Member States in the thematic area of developing or improving counter-terrorism strategies as basis for Terms of Engagements;
• Provide, via telephone and written materials, technical expertise and advice on counter-terrorism strategies in the field;
• Prepare for deployments by reading and drafting relevant documents prior to deployment;
• Research and coordinate lessons learned reviews of best practices in the area of expertise;
• Produce operational guidance notes and related training materials in the area of expertise;
• Prepare and plan training sessions on area of expertise for Department of Political Affairs or other United Nations staff;
• Prepare reports on completed field deployments;
• Build, manage, and contribute to UNCCT’s network of experts in counter-terrorism;
• Any other related tasks as requested by the CTITF Office or the UNCCT.

Education:

Advanced university degree in political science, international relations, international economics, law, public administration or other relevant field.

A first-level university degree in relevant fields with additional two years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of an advance university degree.

Experience:

A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience with at least two years in relevant counter-terrorism issues, with significant field experience. Direct experience in counter-terrorism is required.

Languages:

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Working knowledge of at least one other UN language is strongly preferred. Knowledge of French and/or Arabic is an asset.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

 UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale. 

Based in Geneva, the Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECR) supports UNOPS offices throughout the region through: management, financial and programmatic oversight of global and country-specific portfolios, clusters and operations centres, including hosting services; fund and management advisory services; project implementation; procuring goods and services; and managing human resources.

ECR ensures that projects are executed to the highest standards, providing a shared knowledge base and ensuring that best practices and lessons learned are disseminated between business units and projects across the entire region.

ECR strategy is to:

• Strengthen UNOPS role in operationalizing the Sustainable Development Goals with particular emphasis on health, environment and economic development.
• Position UNOPS in the Balkan sub-region, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
• Strengthen the implementation of ECR global and regional programmes, with revitalized partnerships in infrastructure, procurement and project management.

ECR operates global portfolios from offices in Geneva, Brussels and New York, and country-specific programmes from its operations and project centres located in Eastern Europe and Central Asian countries.

Based in the New York, the UNOPS Development Group Cluster supports diverse partners with their peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations. For example, within the United Nations Development Programme, the Cluster works with the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support and the Office of South-South Cooperation.

The cluster also supports the United Nations Secretariat, as well as a broadening community of other New York-based United Nations organizations in the delivery of project management and implementation services