POLITICAL AFFAIRS OFFICER (Temporary Job Opening)

Org. Setting and ReportingThe post is located in the Office of the Director-General of UNOG, in the Political Affairs and Partnerships Section, NGO Liaison Unit. The incumbent will be under the general supervision of the Head of Political Affairs and Partnerships Section. ResponsibilitiesWithin delegated authority, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties: - Is responsible for ensuring a fruitful cooperation between UNOG and civil society, especially with NGOs enjoying consultative status with ECOSOC; initiates and coordinates policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of evaluations and studies; participates with substantive departments, in the elaboration of policies and strategies to integrate civil society in activities taking place at UNOG. - Provides substantive advice, guidance, and assistance to the Director-General, departments and services at UNOG, UN and specialized agencies staff, and Permanent Missions, including Host Country, on policy matters, as well as politically sensitive issues related to civil society, such as NGOs, academic institutions, think tanks and youth groups; keeps abreast of United Nations and civil society activities in fields of mutual cooperation, especially those of the competence of the Economic and Social Council, reporting on them and making substantive analysis; provides up-to-date information through written outputs to senior officials regarding substantive matters related to civil society developments and makes recommendations on actions to take. - Provides information, advice, guidance, and assistance to civil society actors on substantive issues, including the Sustainable Development Goals, International Geneva, peace and security matters, equality and inclusion, multilateralism, and partnerships as well as ways and means to contribute efficiently to the work of the United Nations; strengthens outreach to civil society on key UN priorities. - Initiates actions to improve coordination among officials dealing with NGOs at UNOG and Geneva-based specialized agencies, cooperates with substantive departments to ensure that proper procedure is followed with regard to the participation of NGOs in UN activities, and liaises with the corresponding sections at UNHQ. - Organizes consultations between UN officials and civil society representatives; assists in making arrangements for meetings organized by NGOs at UNOG, represents the UN at these meetings, reports on them, and carries on necessary follow-up action; participates in seminars, workshops, and conferences related to his/her assigned area of expertise; speaks to groups and organizations on different subjects or on behalf of the Director-General, and writes speeches, talking points, notes, reports and correspondence for him/her as well as for other senior UN officials. - Ensures smooth and productive relations between representatives of governments and NGOs within activities taking place at UNOG and acts as a reference person on NGO-related matters at UNOG for the Swiss Authorities; gives advice and orientation at an early stage to both NGOs and UN colleagues, and informally to governments representatives, with a view to ensure the smooth running of meetings and activities and to prevent conflicts; cooperates with the authorities of the Host Country with regard to the granting of visas to NGOs participating in UN meetings or in relation to requests addressed to NGOs wishing to set up an office in Switzerland or receive assistance from the Swiss Authorities. - Serves as a Deputy to the Head of the Political Affairs and Partnerships Section and oversees the administration of the NGO Liaison Unit. Carries out the administrative work as required by the office. - Supervises or carries out accreditation procedures and facilitates participation of NGOs in various UN meetings and conferences. - Organizes internships and trains students on issues related to NGOs and civil society. - Performs various other substantive and managerial functions at the request of the Director-General, the Chief of Staff, or the Head of Political Affairs and Partnerships Section. CompetenciesProfessionalism: Knowledge of United Nations mandates and activities concerning the participation of NGOs in the work of the Organization. Ability to advise senior officials on sensitive issues in relation to the work of NGOs with the United Nations, including the ability to present and defend difficult positions. Ability to assess trends in the work of NGOs and their relationship with the United Nations, and advise on possible courses of action. Shows pride in work and in achievements. 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. 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. 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 audience. Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. 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. EducationAn advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in international relations, political science, law, human rights or related field is required. A first-level university 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 ExperienceA minimum of seven years' of progressively responsible experience related to political affairs, including at least five years of experience at the international level in fluids requiring analysis of complex political matters and presentation of recommendations to senior officials, preferably at the United Nations is required. Experience in drafting policy speeches for senior level officials is required. Experience in leading a team is required. Proven experience in facilitating-collaboration between the United Nations and civil society actors is required. Experience in an international or regional organization in partnership building and working with external partners is required. Providing direct support to a high-level UN official is desirable. Preparing and coordinating substantive reports as well as other communications in a variety of formats is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English and French is required. Knowledge of another United Nations official language is desirable. AssessmentEvaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview. Special NoticeThis position is temporarily available as of 1 April 2025 for a period of maximum six months (i.e. from 1 April 2025 through 30 September 2025). 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. 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.