Political Affairs Officers at United Nations

Org. Setting and Reporting

This post is located in the Nairobi Liaison Team of the Eastern Africa Division of the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO), based in the office of the Director-General of the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON), in Nairobi, Kenya. The Political Affairs Officer works under the direct supervision of the Team Leader of the Eastern Africa and Indian ocean Team of DPPA-DPO, under the general supervision of the Director of the Eastern Africa Division of DPPA-DPO, and the overall guidance of the Director-General of UNON.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Political Affairs Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

• Reviews and monitors activities in the East Africa and Indian Ocean regions;assess developments and trends which might affect the political situation in the region or in the countries in the region, and recommend solutions and possible action by the United Nations.
• Develops, plans and implement projects in support of peace and security in the region, in coordination with other UN entities and national stakeholders;
• Maintains close contact and strong relations with the East African Community and the Indian Ocean Commission, and work to deepen these relationships through joint initiatives and activities;
• Analyzes political and related events within the assigned area with a view to providing early warning advice to senior officials;
• Prepares analytical reports and papers on the situation in the region and matters of concern for senior UN officials;
• Coordinates and liaises with the other UN presences in the region as needed, and provide substantive support for senior UN officials visiting the countries of the East Africa region, as requested and appropriate; liaise with stakeholders in countries in the region, including with representatives of Governments, national institutions, regional and sub-regional organizations, civil society organizations, partners and other actors, with a view to strengthening regional and national peacebuilding and conflict prevention capacities;
• Prepares inputs for the Secretary-General's reports to the Security Council and the General Assembly, notes, background papers, talking points and speeches;
• •Arranges and participates in mediation, peacebuilding and fact-finding missions.
• Competencies
• Professionalism: Identifies problems, i.e., political, ethnic, racial, social, economic, etc., causing unrest in a country or geographic area; good analytical, research and negotiating skills. Shows pride in work and in 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.
• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
• 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.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in political science, international relations, international economics, law, public administration, or related fields. Afirst-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experiencemay be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

• A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in political science, international relations, development, conflict resolution or international crisis management is required
• Experience working on issues related to East Africa and Indian Ocean regions is desirable.
• Experience in mediation processes is desirable.
• Experience working with regional organizations is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English and French is required.
Assessment

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

Special Notice

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 in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. For this position, applicants from the following

This position is funded for a finite period of one year. Extension of the appointment is subject to extension of the mandate and the availability of the funds.

United Nations Considerations

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.