This position is located in the United Nations Global Geodetic Centre of Excellence (UN-GGCE), Statistics Division (SD), Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), based in Bonn, Germany. The Head of the Office/Centre reports to the Director of the Statistics Division.
The Centre’s overarching goal is to assist Member States and geodetic organizations to coordinate and collaborate to sustain, enhance, access and utilize an accurate, accessible and sustainable Global Geodetic Reference Frame (GGRF) to support science, society and global development. The objective is to support, within available resources, the implementation of General Assembly resolution 69/266 entitled ‘A Global Geodetic Reference Frame for Sustainable Development’.
Within delegated authority, the Head of Office/Centre is responsible for the following:
• Takes the lead to implement programmes/projects of the United Nations Global Geodetic Centre of Excellence, including technical and capacity development projects.
• Leads the development of the required leadership, coordination, capacities and standards to strengthen and sustain an accurate, accessible and sustainable Global Geodetic Reference Frame and related regional and national geodetic reference frames.
• Undertakes programme/project development, implementation, monitoring and assessment; prepares and reviews relevant documents and reports; assists in identifying priorities, problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; identifies and initiates follow-up actions.
• Provides policy guidance to the Director, on conceptual global geodesy development strategy and management of the implementation of overall strategies and intra- and inter-divisional/departmental policies and procedures.
• Plans and oversees the management of activities undertaken by the Centre; ensures that the work programmes and programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion, coordinating diverse projects in the Centre, and, in liaison with other organizations of the United Nations System, relevant geodetic stakeholders and donors as appropriate.
• Manages, supervises, and carries out the work programme of the Centre. Co-ordinates the work carried out by the Centre; provides programmatic and substantive reviews of drafts prepared by others.
• Provides substantive input in the preparation of position papers and reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies, administrative budgetary programmes and other policy-making organs, as appropriate.
• Advises and contributes to the development of strategies, workplans and activities including on latest geospatial frameworks, trends, policies, standards, innovation, technology and substantive priorities.
• Contributes to the reporting to intergovernmental bodies on budget/programme performance or on programmatic/substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports.
• Ensures that the outputs produced by the Centre maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the Centre meet required standards before completion and comply with the relevant mandates.
• Prepares inputs for the work programme of the Centre/Division, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs, their timely delivery and reports on programme and projects advancements.
• Carries out programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Centre, 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.
• Recruits staff for the Centre taking due account of geographical and gender balance and other institutional values. Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under their supervision.
• Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Centre and across organizational boundaries.
• Represents the Organization at inter-agency meetings, seminars, etc. on substantive-related issues. Participates in international, regional or national meetings and provides programmatic/substantive expertise on global geodesy development or hold programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions including the United Nations Committee of Experts of Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM).
• Performs other related duties as required.
Competencies:
• Professionalism: Knowledge of the technical and substantive field of work in general and of specific areas related to geodesy, data collection and dissemination, methodological work, and capacity development programmes. 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. 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.
• 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.
Managerial Competencies:
• 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.
• Vision: Identifies strategic issues, opportunities and risks; clearly communicates links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals; generates and communicates broad and compelling organizational direction, inspiring others to pursue that same direction; conveys enthusiasm about future possibilities.
Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in geodesy, geography, geospatial information, geospatial science, Earth science, geoinformatics or other related fields is required. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in geodesy, geospatial information management, analytics, earth observations, mapping, stakeholder management or related area is required.
Experience in global geodesy information management initiatives and geodetic science-based programmes is required.
Managerial experience at the national or international level in geodesy is required.
Experience in national and regional geodesy campaigns including data collection and analysis are desirable.
Experience in regional geodetic infrastructure and capacity development initiatives are desirable.
English and French are the official languages of the Secretariat. For this post, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
• This position is temporarily available starting as soon as possible for 364 days with a possibility of further extension subject to availability of funds. 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.
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.