CHIEF OF MISSION SUPPORT

Org. Setting and ReportingThese positions are located in the United Nations Secretariat including, Peacekeeping Operations, Special Political Missions, Service Centers and Offices as applicable. The Chief of Mission Support reports to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), or to the Head of Mission. ResponsibilitiesWithin delegated authority, the Chief of Mission Support will be responsible for the following duties: • Contributes to the implementation of the mission mandate by ensuring the necessary and timely delivery of support services including Operations and Resource Management (budget, finance, human resources, mission support centers and field technology); Supply Chain Management (supply chain performance, acquisition management, procurement, centralized warehousing, and movement control), Service Delivery (transport, aviation, medical services, engineering and life support); control and compliance functions. • Advises the Head of Mission on all matters pertaining to effective resource stewardship, administrative and logistical support. • Ensures the provision of leadership, guidance, supervision and mentoring to all mission support and other staff in the areas of his/her responsibility and supports audit and evaluation services, as appropriate. • Plans, organizes, implements, manages and oversees activities of all administrative and logistical support operations. • Ensures timely provision of effective management of human, financial and physical resources of the mission. • Identifies broad strategies required for the development and implementation of the mission support's work programme. Ensures alignment and integration with the Organizational and Mission's strategic goals and directions. • Ensures development, preparation, coordination and monitoring of overall work plans, strategies and programmes for the support activities of the missions and takes the lead in securing the required human and financial resources for the missions. • Establishes a set of sound procedures, practices, standards and tools that are consistent with UN regulations, rules, policies and practice to ensure proper budget, accounting, financial and human resources management and control. • Liaises, negotiates and coordinates with national authorities with respect to administrative and logistical matters. • Ensures cooperation and integration of administrative and logistical resources with military, police and civilian substantive elements of the missions, as required. • Maintains exemplary conduct and discipline of staff under his/her overall supervision. • Maintains a harmonious work environment where team members can thrive and work without fear of prejudice. • Represents the missions before legislative bodies, providing information and clarification in support of budget proposals. • Represents the mission support component at meetings, protocol and ceremonial occasions, military parades, etc. Performs related duties as may be required by the Heads of entities e. g., provides briefing to visiting senior officials on mission, administrative and technical support activities, etc. • Collaborates with other members of the UN Common System, as required. • Certifies mission expenditures. • Performs other related work, as needed. CompetenciesProfessionalism: Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of principles, techniques and practices related to specialized advice in a broad range of human resources, financial, logistical, procurement and administrative areas to Head of Office/Mission, and to Headquarters and senior mission staff; ability to ensure adequate preparation of reports or rationale with respect to key logistics and administrative decisions; strong interpersonal negotiation, systems thinking and conflict-resolution skills. Demonstrated outstanding verbal and written communication skills and proven problem-solving skills including innovation, flexibility and creativity are required. Demonstrated leadership skills including the ability to build, sustain and nurture productive teams and motivate individuals at all levels of an organization in the pursuit of common objectives is required. Proven track record of personal effectiveness in complex environments and demonstrated ability to build high-functioning relationships with multiple stakeholders. 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. Accountability Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honors 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. 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. 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. EducationAdvanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in business or public administration, human resources management, accounting, management, logistics, supply chain management, engineering, communications or related field is required. A first-level degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Job - Specific QualificationNot available. Work ExperienceAt least fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible experience in administration, finance, human resources, logistics, supply chain management, information technology, communication or other related fields, is required. Experience in providing senior officials with strategic decision-making advice, in an international operational context, is required. Experience leading change management or complex innovation initiatives, is required. Experience supporting field operations across multi-stakeholders, in conflict and post conflict environments, is required. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English or French is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations Language is an advantage. AssessmentEvaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview. Special NoticeThis job opening is for roster purposes. Recommended candidates will be put in a roster for future consideration for similar roles. The United Nations Secretariat maintains rosters of qualified and available candidates to fill anticipated job openings in peacekeeping operations, special political missions, and other field operations. The purpose of this job opening is to generate a list of qualified candidates for inclusion in the Chief Mission Support D-1 roster. The entire assessment process takes an average of four months; all applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application (whether successful or unsuccessful) within 14 days of the conclusion of the process. Successful candidates will be placed on the roster and subsequently will be invited to apply for field mission vacancies open only to roster members. Roster membership does not guarantee selection. 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. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Individual Contractors and Consultants who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for or be appointed to any professional and higher temporary or fixed-term positions, within six months of the end of their current or most recent service. For such positions, at least six months need to have elapsed between the end of a consultancy or individual contract and the time of application and consideration for an appointment as a staff member under the Staff Rules and Regulations of the United Nations. Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfill the lateral move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy. Staff members are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral moves in their Personal History Profile (PHP) and cover letter. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. For this roster exercise, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or under-represented in the UN Secretariat as of 31 May 2025, are strongly encouraged to apply: Brunei Darussalam, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Sao Tome and Principe, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Andorra, Angola, Belize, China, Cuba, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Turkmenistan, United States of America. All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an email acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira \"Need Help?\" link. United Nations ConsiderationsAccording 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. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date. No FeeTHE 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.