Civil Affairs Officer, P-3

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS:	27 Aug 2012
DATE OF ISSUANCE:	28 Jul 2012
ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT:	Field Missions Administered by DPKO
DUTY STATION:	Multiple D/S
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER:	12-CIV-PMSS-425812-R-MULTIPLE D/S

The assessment process will include an evaluation of spoken Arabic language skills.

Remuneration Depending on professional background, experience and family situation, a competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. More Info

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Responsibilities These positions are located in the United Nations field Peace Operations and Special Political missions. The majority of P3 Civil Affairs Officers work at the local level, with some postings at Mission Headquarters. P3 Civil Affairs Officers usually report to the Director / Chief of Civil Affairs, Senior Civil Affairs Officer or Regional Administrator. Please note that, in order to be rostered, P3 Civil Affairs Officer candidates are required to clearly demonstrate competencies and experience in one (or more) of three specialised areas, in addition to a core profile. The specialisations are: Conflict Management, Support to State Institutions, and Programme Management. (These duties are generic, and may not all be performed by all P3 Civil Affairs Officers.) CORE PROFILE: 1) Provides information and analysis for the Mission and other actors where applicable, on political, social and economic issues affecting conflict dynamics at the local and regional level, including analysis on how these relate to the national level and vice versa. Ensures that the concerns and perceptions of the local population are effectively communicated to the Mission, as well as other actors where appropriate. 2) Represents the mission at the local level as required. 3) Contributes to a shared understanding of the Mission environment, mandate and operations amongst Mission actors at the local level, in particular uniformed components, to support consistency and coherence of approach. Fosters effective working relations with United Nations Country Team (UNCT). 4) Contributes to the formulation of recommendations concerning Mission actions and approaches required at the local level, assists in mobilising a response from other actors where appropriate. 5) Manages individual Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) intended for confidence building purposes at the local level, in line with DPKO/DFS Policy Directive on QIPs and mission specific priorities. 6) Supervises, monitors and encourages the work of officers under his/her responsibility in undertaking the full range of their duties. 7) Identifies and researches good practice and lessons learned in Civil Affairs work and shares these with colleagues, including through active participation in the online Civil Affairs Network. 8) Contributes to overall mission monitoring and planning as required. 9) Performs other duties as required, in line with the DPKO/DFS Policy Directive on Civil Affairs. A) CONFLICT MANAGEMENT: 1) Supports dialogue between groups in conflict in the area of responsibility by convening structured meetings and similar activities. 2) Promotes and protects the interest of excluded and/or threatened groups through advocacy in full respect of humanitarian and international law. 3) Supports civil society groups and/or institutions at the local level that promote a culture of peace and reconciliation. Assists them, including, where appropriate, in becoming effective implementing partners for Quick Impact Projects. B) SUPPORT TO STATE INSTITUTIONS: 1) Assists local institutions to assess capacity building and support needs, working with partners including the UNCT and in particular UNDP. Helps to design a coordinated response to these needs from relevant actors. 2) Assists in the design and implementation of appropriate and practical Civil Affairs support to local authorities, including mentoring and support to policy and decision-making processes where appropriate. 3) Supports dialogue and cooperation between authorities and relevant interest groups with the aim of creating political space and accountability, and provides support to the development of structures of accountability and transparency. 4) Supports events such as public fora or town-hall meetings to foster development of political space at the local level. Supports civic education programmes at the local level on a range of issues, including elections, policy issues, and good governance principles, in coordination with local authorities and/or civil society actors. C) PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT: 1) Manages a local field office or team, undertaking or overseeing the programmatic and administrative tasks necessary for its functioning. 2) Manages a small Mission QIPs programme in accordance with Mission priorities and the DPKO/DFS policy on QIPs. Includes, inter alia: acting as Secretariat to a decision-making body on QIPs, ensuring the effective and timely running of the project design, approval and implementation process, the keeping of accurate records, assistance with determining mission specific priorities, assessment of impact of the overall programme, and drafting of QIPs submission for the Mission budget. 3) Contributes to the development and ensures distribution of high-quality mission-specific induction materials. Assists with the design, implementation and evaluation of tailored in-mission skills training for Civil Affairs components in accordance with global Civil Affairs skills training methodologies. 4) Serves as focal point on gender for the Civil Affairs component, identifying and communicating ways to ensure that a gender perspective is taken into account in all aspects of Civil Affairs work. 5) Serves as focal point for researching, identifying and sharing good practices and lessons learned with the Civil Affairs component and the global Civil Affairs community.

Competencies PROFESSIONALISM – 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.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in social sciences, political science, international relations, public administration, anthropology, law, economics or related area. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in Civil Affairs-related work with UN Peacekeeping Operations, UN funds or programmes, National or International NGOs, or community based organizations. Of these five years, a minimum of eighteen months should be in one (or more) specialised areas: A) CONFLICT MANAGEMENT – At least eighteen months of experience in a position requiring conflict management, facilitation, mediation or negotiation skills; experience in facilitating structured dialogue events between different parties, and reconciliation activities and processes. B) SUPPORT TO STATE INSTITUTIONS – At least eighteen months in working in public administration or related areas. Experience in liaising with institutions on sensitive issues, such as excluded and threatened groups. Experience in institution-building in post-conflict transition countries would be an asset. C) PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT – At least eighteen months of experience in programme/project management working with international governmental or non-governmental organizations, including relevant experience in monitoring and evaluation of projects. Experience in budgeting and financial reporting. In addition, analytical reporting experience gained in a professional capacity is required for all specialized areas.

Languages Fluency in spoken and written English is required. Fluency in spoken Arabic is required.

Other Skills

The United Nations shall place 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. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, TRAINING OR ANY OTHER FEES). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS. PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

How to apply All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the vacancy announcement. Because applications submitted by United Nations (UN) staff members are considered first, provided the eligibility requirements set out in ST/AI/2006/3 are met and the application is submitted in a timely fashion, staff members should apply within 15-day or 30-day mark. Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please go to “My UN” page and check the status of your application by clicking on “View Application History”, and resubmit the application, if necessary. To start the application process, applicants are required to register by opening a "My UN" account. Go to Login, and Register as a User. Fill in the form and choose a User Name and Password. After opening the account, applicants may apply for vacancies using the Personal History Profile (PHP) provided. Once the PHP has been completed for a particular vacancy, it can be saved and used for future applications. The PHP may be up-dated, when necessary, for future applications. In completing the PHP, please note that all fields marked with an asterisk must be completed. UN staff members must submit scanned copies of their two latest Performance Appraisal System (PAS) reports at the time of application to the appropriate Human Resources Office (HRO)/Personnel Office (PO) to the email address below, clearly indicating the vacancy announcement number. In case you have no access to the digitizing equipment, please submit hard copies of the two latest PAS reports to the relevant HRO/PO via fax. E-mail: staffing@un.org, Fax: 1-212-963-2800 Please see the Frequently Asked Questions, if you encounter problems when applying.