SPECIAL ASSISTANT, POLITICAL AFFAIRS

This position is located in the office of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), in Kinshasa. The Special Assistant reports directly to the Mission Chief of Staff (MCOS).

Within delegated authority, the Special Assistant, Political Affairs P-4 will be responsible for the following duties :

•Provides specialized advice and technical support to the office of the Chief of Staff in identifying, analyzing and monitoring political developments and emerging issues with respect to the implementation of the Mission’s mandate.
•Brings to the attention of the Chief of Staff all matters requiring the Chief of Staff ‘s personal attention, makes recommendations on how those matters might be handled, and ensures appropriate follow-up, as directed.
•As requested, handles incoming and outgoing correspondence of the Chief of Staff/ SRSG including code cables and Note Verbales.
•Drafts / Reviews correspondence for the Chief of Staff / SRSG’s signature, as well as other documentation including code cables and reports to the Security Council.
•Liaises and maintains close working relationships with all the components of the Mission, as well as with officials of state institutions.
•Plans, Organizes and manages, official visits, conferences, meetings, seminars and workshops as directed by the Chief of Staff.
•Coordinates the drafting of situation reports, political briefs, analytical reports, code cables, Mission policies, standard operating procedures, guidelines and related documents in cross-cutting areas with other Mission components and support the MCOS in overseeing or supporting their implementation/compliance as appropriate.
•Coordinates, as required, actions related to the transition towards the United Nations agency-led commitment, depending on the mission’s mandate and the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Assists in formulating and managing the implementation of the Mission's programme of work and provides support to information and knowledge management, planning and leadership decision-making processes.
•Performs general quality control for O/COS correspondence and documents, and supervises, mentors and evaluates junior staff.
•Performs other duties, as assigned.

Professionalism: Proven capacity to work under pressure and delivering within tight deadlines. Ability to respond expeditiously to diverse requests from multiple stakeholders and to set priorities. Shows pride in work and achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments. Has strong organizational skills. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges. Remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensures the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively. Listen to others. Correctly interpret messages from others and responds appropriately. Ask questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication. Tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience. Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies. Identify priority activities and assignments. Adjust priorities as required. Allocate appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work. Foresees risks and allow contingencies when planning; monitor and adjusts plans and actions as necessary.

Judgment and Decision - Making: Identifies 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 action proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision. Makes tough decisions when necessary.

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in political science, international relations, economics, law, public administration or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in political affairs, diplomacy, conflict resolution, or related Extensive experience in political outreach, facilitation, analysis, advice and reporting is required. .
Experience working in a disarmament, security, development management, conflict resolution or related area is required.
Experience working in or in support of a field operation of the United Nations Common System or a comparable international organization or non-governmental organization is desirable.
Experience in a conflict or post-conflict setting is desirable.
Previous experience working in the office of a senior public official and/or as a Special Assistant (or similar) to a senior public official is desirable.
Previous professional experience in the Central Africa region is desirable

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in oral and written English and French is required.

Previously rostered candidates are not subject to any further assessment and as such, will not be invited for such an assessment.

This "Recruit from Roster" job opening is only open to roster applicants who are already placed on pre-approved rosters, following a review by a United Nations Central Review Body. Only roster applicants who were placed on rosters with similar functions at the same level are considered to be eligible candidates. Eligible applicants receive an email inviting them to apply. Rostered applicants are encouraged to apply only if they are interested and available to take up the position at the duty station/s specified in the Job Opening. Applying to this job opening carries an expectation to accept the offer, if selected.

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.

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.

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.