The position is located in the Integrated Office of the Office of the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (henceforth the Integrated Office) for South Sudan. The incumbent will report to the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (DSRSG/RC/HC).
Within delegated authority, the Principal Coordination Officer (Head of Integrated Office) will be responsible for the following duties:
• Leads and coordinates overall management of the Integrated Office of the DSRSG/RC/HC to ensure efficient and effective substantive coordination support to the Integrated Office, UN Country Team (UNCT) and the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and adherence to organizational policies and procedures and DSRSG guidance.
• Supports the DSRSG/RC/HC to connect humanitarian, development and peace efforts strategically, with a view to ensuring coherence between peace consolidation and sustainable development assessment and planning, and alignment, as appropriate, with humanitarian objectives, peace-building and integration.
• Engage the mission Chief of Staff as well as UNCT Heads of Agencies and Deputies on behalf of the DSRSG/RC/HC on integrated strategy and planning as well as to advise on programmatic integration. • Leads, supervises and carries out the work programme of the Integrated Office under his/her responsibility. Co-ordinates the work carried out by different work units under the Integrated Office and by other agencies and bodies of the United Nations system; provides programmatic/substantive reviews of the drafts prepared by others.
• Supervises and provides guidance to staff in the Integrated Office and provides day-to-day management support to Area-based leaders in support of the DSRSG/RC/HC.
• Leads the provision of strategic guidance to the DSRSG/RC/HC and UNCT/HCT on effective, quality and timely UN support for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda through the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF). Supports the DSRSG/RC/HC in transition planning and monitoring progress as required.
• Promotes integration between the UNCT, HCT and UNMISS including through joint analysis, planning, monitoring and reporting and establishment of joint teams and co-location of teams where appropriate.
• Oversees the Risk Management Unit to support robust risk-informed analysis and planning, due diligence and information sharing aiming to improve programme implementation, informed decision-making, fiduciary accountability, do-no-harm and open dialogue with partners.
• Ensures that the outputs produced by the Integrated Office maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the Units under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates.
• Undertakes or oversees the programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Integrated Office, including preparation of budgets, reporting on budget/programme performance, evaluation of staff performance, interviews of candidates for job openings, evaluation of candidates and preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting.
Professionalism: Knowledge of the work of the United Nations common system, including peacekeeping and the UN agencies, funds, and programmes in the field, particularly in Africa. Knowledge of political, ethnic and social environments in Africa. Ability to work with people of different national, cultural and professional background. Understanding of the drivers of conflict in the region. Understanding of the coordination requirements for multi-stakeholder planning processes within the UN common system (UNSDCF, Integrated Strategic Framework). Ability to work in difficult circumstances, including crisis situations. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. Ability to produce quality reports and papers. 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. 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. 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. 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 that 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 business or public administration, international law, political affairs, social sciences or related area is required., A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience
A minimum of fifteen (15) years of work experience of progressively responsible experience in economic development, political, civil or humanitarian affairs, public administration, or programme management at the international level is required. A minimum of two years of experience in coordinating humanitarian, development and/or peace and security related inter-agency processes at the field level within the UN system or other large international organization is required. Experience in supporting and advising senior management in outreach, facilitation and analysis is required. Experience in managing teams in complex contexts is required. Experience in coordinating external partnerships is desirable. Experience in participating in UN Country Team, Humanitarian Country Team structures and in relevant UN field mission structures is desirable.
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required.
