Civil Affairs Officer, P-4
| 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-425808-R-MULTIPLE D/S |
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| 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 P4 Civil Affairs Officers work at the local level, with some postings at Mission Headquarters. P4 Civil Affairs Officers usually report to the Director / Chief of Civil Affairs, Senior Civil Affairs Officer or Regional Administrator. In order to be rostered, Civil Affairs Officer, P-4 candidates are required to demonstrate competencies and experience in two (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 P4 Civil Affairs Officers). CORE PROFILE: 1) Represents the mission at the regional or local level and ensures that all relevant governmental and non-governmental actors in the area have accurate information about the mandate and full-range of operations of the Mission. 2) 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 a sound methodology for identifying the concerns and perceptions of the local population, and ensures these are effectively communicated to the Mission, as well as other actors where appropriate. Identifies emerging issues and critical peacebuilding gaps, provides an early warning function where necessary. 3) Ensures a shared understanding of the Mission environment, mandate and operations amongst Mission actors at the regional or local level, in particular uniformed components, to support consistency and coherence of approach. Establishes and fosters effective working relations with United Nations Country Team (UNCT), and develops local initiatives for joint work where appropriate. 4) Coordinates and plans with UNCT partners in that area of operations to ensure a coherent UN system effort. 5) Troubleshoots problems that arise at the regional or local level that threaten mandate implementation and the progress of the peace process. Formulates recommendations concerning Mission broader actions and approaches required at regional or local level, mobilises a response from other actors where appropriate. 6) Identifies, manages and evaluates 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. 7) Supervises, monitors and encourages the work of officers under his/her responsibility in undertaking the full range of their duties. 8) 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. 9) Proactively contributes to overall mission monitoring and planning. 10) Performs other duties as required, in line with the DPKO/DFS Policy Directive on Civil Affairs. A) CONFLICT MANAGEMENT: 1) Develops a strategy for regional or local level conflict management work in line with the wider strategy, including mechanisms for information-sharing, crisis response and protection of civilians as needed. 2) Facilitates and supports dialogue between groups in conflict in the area of responsibility by convening structured meetings and similar activities. 3) Promotes and protects the interest of excluded and/or threatened groups through advocacy in full respect of humanitarian and international law. 4) Identifies and supports civil society groups and/or institutions 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) Provides a strategy for effective cooperation between Civil Affairs and state institutions at the regional or local level, in line with the wider strategy and in coordination with other actors. 2) Assists local institutions to assess capacity building and support needs, working with partners including the UNCT and in particular UNDP. Helps to design and mobilise a coordinated response to these needs from relevant actors. 3) Designs and implements appropriate and practical Civil Affairs support to local authorities, including mentoring and support to policy and decision-making processes where appropriate. 4) 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. 5) Initiates and/or supports events such as public fora or town-hall meetings to foster development of political space at the local level. Initiates and/or 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) Supports the Director / Chief of Civil Affairs in all aspects of their role. Acts as Deputy Director / Chief of Civil Affairs of a small Civil Affairs component where requested. 2) Manages a regional or local field office or team, undertaking or overseeing the programmatic and administrative tasks necessary for its functioning. Designs and oversees implementation of the Civil Affairs workplan for that area, as well as the work of other components as relevant, ensuring consistency of approach and efficiency of output. 3) Manages a large 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. 5) Oversees development and ensures distribution of high-quality mission-specific induction materials. Designs, oversees implementation and evaluates tailored in-mission skills training for Civil Affairs components in accordance with global Civil Affairs skills training methodologies. 6) 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. 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. | |
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 seven 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 seven years, a minimum of three years should be in two (or more) specialised areas: A) CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND RECONCILIATION – At least three years 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 three years 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 three years 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 specialised 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
Please see the Frequently Asked Questions, if you encounter problems when applying. |
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