Extension of the appointment is subject to Extension of the mandate and/or the availability of the funds.
This position is located within the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen. The Director, Political Affairs will report to the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen. The position will initially be located in Amman, Jordan with eventual relocation to Sana'a as the mission further deploys to Yemen in phases according to the security situation.
Within delegated authority of the Special Envoy, the Director, Political Affairs will be responsible for the following duties:
• As deputy to the Special Envoy, represents the Special Envoy during the Special Envoy’s absence;
• Contributes to the formulation of the Special Envoy’s strategies and policies and acting, as required, in an advisory capacity to the Special Envoy; contribute to the overall management of the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen’s activities and operations;
• Formulates and implements the substantive work programme of the Office under his/her supervision, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery;
• Oversees the management of the Office in line with the strategic vision and guidance of the Special Envoy as per the Envoy’s mandate to exercise the good offices of the Secretary-General to enable the resumption of a peaceful, inclusive, orderly and Yemeni-led political transition;
• Support the Special Envoy’s ongoing reporting obligations to the Secretary Council as specified in relevant Security Council resolutions;
• Supervises and monitors all relevant substantive activities of the Office;
• Maintains close engagement with the Government of Yemen, civil society and other Yemeni stakeholders on organization and conduct of negotiations to end the conflict and to enable the resumption of a peaceful transition;
• Develops and maintains close collaboration and interaction with the Department of Political Affairs, the UN Resident Coordinator and the UN Country Team;
• Engages closely with representatives of Member States and regional organizations in support of the transition process, including the members of the Security Council, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the European Union, and other international partners;
• Ensures that the outputs produced by the Office maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the office under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates;
• As Deputy Head of Mission, undertakes or oversees the programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Office;
• Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision; fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Office and across organizational boundaries;
• Chairs meetings, seminars, etc., on substantive-related issues; represents the Organization at international, regional, inter-agency meetings, seminars and conference; provides programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue, or holds programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions;
• Performs other related duties as requested by the Special Envoy.
• Professionalism: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised. Shows ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. Shows 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.
• 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.
Managerial Competencies
• 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.
• 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 political science, international relations, social sciences, law or related area. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Over fifteen years of progressively responsible experience in political affairs, diplomacy, conflict resolution, or related field. Experience in mediation or the management of peace talks and support for political transitions is highly desirable. Experience working in the Middle East and post-conflict transitions is highly desirable. Experience in collaboration with regional organizations is highly desirable.
English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of Arabic is highly desirable.
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
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, including but not limited to, respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to, whether they have committed or are alleged to have committed criminal offences or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
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 At-a-Glance on "The Application Process" and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.
The screening and 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, including but not limited to, their education, work experience, and language skills, according to the instructions provided on inspira. Applicants will be disqualified from consideration if they do not demonstrate in their application that they meet the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations. Applicants are solely responsible for providing complete and accurate information at the time of application: 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 a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.
Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at midnight (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.