Senior Political Affairs Officer (Temporary Job Opening) [Temporary]

This position is located in Goma, in the Office of the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General for Protection and Operations in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO). The Senior Political Affairs Officer (Senior Advisor) will report to the DSRSG and his Chief of Office.

Within the limits of delegated authority, the Senior Political Affairs Officer will be responsible for performing the following duties:

• Facilitates interaction between the DSRSG and key political actors in the provinces in the area of operations in order to mobilize the necessary political support for Protection of civilians operations.

• In close consultation with the Political Affairs Division in Kinshasa and the provincial capitals develop political strategies and campaign directed at the provincial authorities, national spoilers and civil society organizations to ensure a strong political support to MONUSCO military operations. Ensure a regular feedback loop on the key messages and results of high-level engagement in Kinshasa to the Field Offices and vice versa so that the Mission sends coordinated messaging and can leverage the results of engagement at both levels.

• Monitor and prepare daily briefs on crosscutting issues on political events in the provinces in the area of operations to allow the DSRSG to engage the relevant provincial actors in support of the work of the field offices, and to convey key messages to Mission Leadership for their engagement in Kinshasa.

• Provide technical support and guidance to field offices and sections in the Pillar with regard to political engagement.

• Advice and support for the use of good offices and mediation by the DSRSG for conflict management, as well as the development and the implementation of community reconciliation strategies, in coordination with CAS.

• Maintain a list of key provincial political and civil society actors and define parameters of engagement in relation to POC operations in the provinces.

• Prepares briefing notes and talking points for the DSRSG and other senior staff. Provides continuous guidance and advice to the DSRSG, and other senior pillar managers concerning the organization of work, status of negotiations, and conduct of business including interpretation of the rules of procedure. Responds to/prepares responses to comments, statements, and queries of parties and manages operations involving several components, including civilian and military operations. Develops and maintains relations with senior government officials and advises them on issues and policies of mutual concern.

• Performs other related duties as required.

PROFESSIONALISM: Ability to provide seasoned effective authoritative advice in a broad range of political issues to Director, the Head of Mission, Headquarters and senior mission staff; ability to identify and analyse the underlying causes of conflict and instability and to provide advice to senior officials in developing and implementing political strategies to address them; sound knowledge of the UN system; strong negotiation, consensus-building and conflict-resolution skills. Proven track record of effective management and engagement with national level stakeholders and members of the international community. Shows pride in work and 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. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

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.

PLANNING & ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

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.

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

A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible professional experience is required, in political affairs, diplomacy, international relations, conflict resolution, or a related field, is required.
A minimum of five-years experience in managing multicultural teams is required.
A minimum of five years of experience serving in a conflict or post-conflict situation and/or supporting countries in political transitions is required.
Experience in the United Nations system or a comparable international organization (inclusive of peacekeeping, political missions and UN agencies, funds and programmes) is desirable.
Three years of work experience related to peace and security issues in the Great Lakes Region is desirable.
Experience in gender mainstreaming activities and designing initiatives supporting the Women protection agenda (WPA) is desirable.

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

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

• This position is temporarily available. 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.

• The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

• 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.

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.

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.