This position is located in the Critical Incident Response Section (CIRS) of the Disciplinary Accountability Service (DAS) of the Administrative Law Division (ALD) in the Office of Human Resources (OHR), Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMSPC). The incumbent reports to the Chief of DAS.
The Division is in charge of the implementation of the United Nations (UN) standards of conduct for all categories of personnel across the UN Secretariat. ALD provides strategic and legal advice on internal justice matters and represent the Secretary-General before the United Nations Dispute Tribunal. ALD handles disciplinary matters relating to Secretariat staff members, oversees and coordinates efforts and actions to prevent and respond to unsatisfactory conduct, and works to empower and support UN Secretariat managers in the exercise of their responsibilities to address conduct and discipline matters.
Within delegated authority and, as necessary, in consultation with the Office of Legal Affairs, the Chief of Section will be responsible for the following:
•Serves as a recognized expert, and independently handles a wide range of multi-discipline, highly complex, and often sensitive and/or conflicting legal matters involving issues relating to international administrative law to address critical issues that can have serious reputational risks and/or other risks adversely impacting the Organization's core values and norms ("critical incidents"). This includes interpretation and application of relevant instruments relating to the legal and policy framework of the Organization and the internal system of administration of justice.
•Provides policy guidance and legal advice to senior officials on the interpretation of personnel policies, regulations and rules, and administrative implications of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal and the United Nations Dispute Tribunal judgments, provides substantive input to the preparation of revisions to the staff regulations and to all series of the Staff Rules, as well as to the preparation or amendment of administrative issuances. Makes various types of recommendations to senior officials of substantive units with respect to actions to take in respect of disciplinary matters and oversees the management of activities and cases undertaken by the Critical Incident Response Section and, ensures that substantive work programmes activities are carried out in a timely fashion.
•Manages, supervises and carries out the work of the Section Co-ordinates the work carried out by the Section; provides programmatic and substantive reviews of drafts prepared by others.
•Provides substantive input in the preparation of reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate, inclusive of budget/programme performance or on programmatic/ substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports.
•Provides authoritative legal advice on administrative law matters.
•Ensures that the outputs produced by the Section maintain high-quality standards; and advises on, and supervises the review of legal submissions/motions, and other legal documents.
•Ensures that all outputs produced by the Section under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates, rules and regulations.
•Represents, or supervises the representation of, the Secretary-General on disciplinary cases before the United Nations Dispute Tribunal.
•Contributes to the review and design of new legal instruments, policy, guidelines, systems, etc.
•Carries out programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Section, including preparation of budgets, assigning and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on budget/programme performance, preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting, evaluation of staff performance, interviews of candidates for job openings and evaluation of candidates, taking due account of geographical and gender balance
and other institutional values.
•Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision.
•Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Section and across organizational boundaries.
•Represents the Organization at inter-agency meetings, seminars, etc. on substantive-related issues.
•Coordinates, directs, guides and supervises the work of legal officers in the Section; assists the Chief/DAS in general management and administration of the Section, organizing and prioritizing the workload and providing general coordination and supervision of assignments as regards the legal work.
•Professionalism: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised. Ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. 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.
•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.
•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.
•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.
•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 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) in law or related area is required. A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in combination with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in law or related field is required.
Of these ten years, at least four years in litigation at the national or international level with
first-hand experience appearing and leading evidence of witnesses before a court or tribunal or
equivalent administrative board or bodies is required.
Experience in supervision of litigators is required.
Experience in handling disciplinary matters of a sensitive nature in a large and complex
national or international organization is desirable.
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview.
• This position is temporarily available until 31 December 2023. 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.
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.
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.
Aux termes du paragraphe 3 de l’Article 101 de la Charte des Nations Unies, la considération dominante dans le recrutement du personnel doit être la nécessité d’assurer à l’Organisation les services de personnes possédant les plus hautes qualités de travail, de compétence et d’intégrité. Ne seront pas retenues les candidatures des personnes qui ont commis des violations du droit international des droits de l’homme, des violations du droit international humanitaire, des actes d’exploitation, d’atteintes ou de harcèlement sexuels, ou au sujet desquelles il existe des raisons plausibles de croire qu’elles ont été impliquées dans la commission de tels actes. L’expression « exploitation sexuelle » désigne le fait d’abuser ou de tenter d’abuser d’un état de vulnérabilité, d’un rapport de force inégal ou de rapports de confiance à des fins sexuelles, y compris mais non exclusivement en vue d’en tirer un avantage pécuniaire, social ou politique. On entend par « atteinte sexuelle » toute atteinte physique de nature sexuelle commise par la force, sous la contrainte ou à la faveur d’un rapport inégal, ou la menace d’une telle atteinte. Le harcèlement sexuel s'entend de tout comportement déplacé à connotation sexuelle raisonnablement propre ou de nature à choquer ou humilier, lorsqu'il entrave la bonne marche du service, est présenté comme une condition d'emploi ou crée au lieu de travail un climat d'intimidation, d'hostilité ou de vexation, et lorsque ce comportement est assez grave pour justifier le licenciement de son auteur. La candidature de personnes qui ont commis des infractions autres que des infractions mineures au code de la route ne sera pas retenue.
Sera dûment prise en considération l'importance d'un recrutement effectué sur une base géographique aussi large que possible. Aucune restriction ne sera imposée par l'Organisation à l'accès des hommes et des femmes, dans des conditions égales, à toutes les fonctions, dans ses organes principaux et subsidiaires. Le Secrétariat de l'Organisation des Nations Unies est un espace non-fumeurs.
La considération dominante dans l’engagement, la mutation ou la promotion du personnel est la nécessité de s’assurer les services de personnes possédant les plus hautes qualités de travail, de compétence et d’intégrité. En acceptant une offre d’engagement, les membres du personnel sont soumis(es) à l’autorité du Secrétaire général, qui peut leur assigner l’une quelconque des tâches ou l’un quelconque des postes de l’Organisation des Nations Unies, conformément à l’alinéa c) de l’article 1.2 du Statut du personnel. Dans ce contexte, tous les membres du personnel recrutés sur le plan international sont tenus de changer de fonctions périodiquement à l’intérieur d’un même lieu d’affectation ou dans un autre lieu d’affectation, dans les conditions fixées par le Secrétaire général.
Les candidats sont invités à respecter scrupuleusement toutes les instructions disponibles sur la plateforme de recrutement en ligne Inspira. Pour des informations plus détaillées, ils ou elles peuvent consulter le manuel d'instructions pour le candidat, en cliquant sur le lien hypertexte « Manuels » sur le côté supérieur droit de la page d'accueil de leur compte Inspira.
Les candidatures feront l'objet d'une évaluation et d'un examen préalables sur la base des informations soumises conformément aux critères d'évaluation de l'avis de vacance de poste et aux dispositions législatives internes applicables de l'Organisation des Nations Unies, notamment la Charte des Nations Unies, les résolutions de l'Assemblée générale, le Statut et le Règlement du personnel, les textes administratives et les directives. Les candidats doivent fournir des informations exhaustives et précises conformément aux instructions fournies sur la plateforme Inspira. Une fois la candidature envoyée, aucune modification, suppression ou révision, ni aucun ajout ou changement ne pourra être fait. Il sera procédé à une vérification des références des candidats faisant l'objet d'une attention particulière pour s'assurer de l'exactitude des renseignements qu’ils ont fournis dans leur candidature.
Les avis de vacance de postes publiés sur le Portail des carrières sont retirés à 11:59 p.m. (heure de New York), le jour de la date limite de dépôt des candidatures.
L’ONU NE PERÇOIT DE FRAIS À AUCUN STADE DU RECRUTEMENT (DÉPÔT OU TRAITEMENT DE LA CANDIDATURE, ENTRETIEN, FORMATION, ETC.), ET ELLE NE DEMANDE AUCUNE INFORMATION BANCAIRE.