This position is located in the Development Management Branch (DMB), in the Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM), Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). DPADM focuses on supporting countries in improving effective, accountable, inclusive and transparent institutions in public administration at all levels for internationally agreed development goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The incumbent is under the overall guidance of the Director of the Division and the direct supervision of the Chief of DMB .
Within delegated authority, the duties of a Governance and Public Administration Officer will fall mainly into sub-specialties mentioned above and comprise the following responsibilities.
•Participates in the formulation, organization and management of mandated programmes of governance, public administration and development management and in the formulation of possible governance, public administration and development management strategies, policies and actions for adoption by individual countries and/or the international community.
•Proposes, designs and supervises substantive research, studies, and prepares or reviews reports, and publications included in the Division’s regular budget programmes.
•Conceives, plans and manages expert group meetings, seminars and similar consultations that contribute to the branch’s outputs and the Division’s knowledge base.
•Proposes, designs and implements training materials, including e-courses, on subjects falling in the area of expertise of the Division.
•Supports the Division’s communication and outreach efforts on analytical products prepared by the branch, by preparing policy briefs, derivatives, and other relevant communication material.
•Prepares briefing notes and speeches for senior staff and makes presentations on governance, public administration and development management related issues for specialist or non-specialist audiences.
•Prepares first drafts of sectoral, country or regional components of analytical studies on governance, public administration and development management.
•Proposes, designs and supervises research analyzing key trends to continuously enrich the substantive work of the Division.
•Provides substantive support on governance, public administration and development management to intergovernmental bodies such as the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, and the UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration.
•Represents the branch/Division at international, regional and national meetings on governance, public administration and development management issues.
•Organizes and coordinates cooperation among Member States on governance, public administration and development management technical cooperation programmes;
•Leads or participates in technical cooperation missions
•Plans and oversees implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of projects in governance, public administration and development management.
•Designs and undertakes research and studies in support of programme and project formulation.
•Takes a leading role in supervising the administration of technical support of seminars and workshops organized by the Division and its partners.
•Participates and provides direct support in the formulation of the medium-term plan, the programme of work and the budget of the branch and in the formulation of the organization’s overall programme of work and other similar endeavors.
•Attends to various administrative matters concerning the Branch or Division.
•Maintains records and data related to programmes within his/her responsibility and enters data, information and documentation in the UNPAN (United Nations Public Administration Network).
•Performs other related duties as required.
•Professionalism: Knowledge of governance, public administration and development theories, principles and applications. Knowledge of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. Ability to produce quality reports and publications in selected areas of governance, public administration and development management. 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.
•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.
•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.
Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in public policy, public administration, development studies, sociology, governance, political science, social science, business administration, law, public finance or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in governance, public administration, development management is required. Experience in writing and publishing in the subject area of sustainable development or public administration is required. Experience working with schools of public administration, supreme audit institutions, or national governments is desirable.
English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
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.
For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or underrepresented in the UN Secretariat as of 31 December 2017, are strongly encouraged to apply: Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belarus, Belize, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Central African Republic, China, Comoros, Cyprus, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Monaco, Mozambique, Nauru, Norway, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Suriname, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Viet Nam.
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.
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 or sexual abuse, or crimes other than minor traffic offences, 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.
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.
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.