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Job Opening
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Posting Title: |
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POLITICAL AFFAIRS OFFICER, P4 (Temporary Job Opening)
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Job Code Title: |
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POLITICAL AFFAIRS OFFICER
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Department/ Office: |
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United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
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Duty Station: |
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KABUL
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Posting Period: |
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26 August 2015-9 September 2015
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Job Opening number: |
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15-POL-UNAMA-47152-J-KABUL (M)
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Staffing Exercise ID: |
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N/A
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United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
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Org. Setting and Reporting
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This position is located within the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The Political Affairs Officer will be based in Kabul. The Political Affairs Officer (Peace and Reconciliation) works on the peace and reconciliation portfolio with the Political Affairs Division (PAD) Headquarters in Kabul. The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of the Senior Political Affairs Officer responsible for reconciliation and under the overall direction of the Chief Political Affairs Division.
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Responsibilities
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Within delegated authority, the Political Affairs Officer will be responsible for the following duties:
Political Analysis and Advice - Identify, analyze and monitor political developments, trends and emerging issues with respect to the implementation of UNAMA’s mandate. - Assess implications and make recommendations to senior management on possible policies, strategies and other measures to address issues of concern and to advance mandated objectives.
Reporting and Information Management - Prepare summary and analytical reports including, but not limited to, situation reports, briefing notes, options papers, code cables and input for the reports of the Secretary-General to the Security Council, General Assembly or other bodies. - Prepare contextual information materials, such as background notes, political profiles and databases of relevance to the assigned portfolio; Manage information to ensure its accessibility and utility.
Planning, Coordination and Facilitation - Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with mission components, the authorities, the High Peace Council, elders and political and religious leaders, civil society actors, the broader UN family and other national and international partners on coordination and policy matters. - Propose, support and conduct, if requested by the Afghan government, good-offices, confidence-building and outreach activities; Support capacity-building initiatives in the fields of mediation and reconciliation in coordination with the Afghan authorities; Monitor, evaluate and report on implementation; Provide strategic and practical guidance to field offices on how best they can support reconciliation initiatives.
Management/Administration - Contribute to the formulation and implementation of the unit’s programme of work. - Support planning and budgetary processes. - Supervise, mentor, and evaluate staff; assist with the selection of new staff.
- Perform other relevant duties as required.
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Competencies
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Professionalism - A good knowledge and understanding of Islam, Islamic culture, including concepts, beliefs and practices is desirable as well as excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate with people at all levels and from other faiths and cultures. 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.
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.
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 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.
Vision - Identifies strategic issues, opportunities and risks; Clearly communicates links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals; Generates and communicates broad and compelling organizational direction, inspiring others to pursue that same direction; Conveys enthusiasm about future possibilities.
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Education
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Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in political science, international relations, international economics, law, public administration or other related. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
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Work Experience
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A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in political affairs, diplomacy, conflict resolution, or related field. Extensive experience in political outreach, facilitation, analysis, advice and reporting is required. Experience working in a United Nations common system field operation (inclusive of peacekeeping, political missions and UN agencies, funds, and programmes) - or similar international organization or non-governmental organization- in a conflict or post-conflict setting is required. Experience working in Afghanistan or the region is desirable. Practical experience supporting mediation, dialogue or other peacemaking and peacebuilding processes and initiatives is desirable.
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Languages
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English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of a Dari/Pashto desirable.
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Assessment
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Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
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Special Notice
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This Temporary Job Opening is for a duration of 6 months with possibility of extension up to 364 days. The Temporary Job Opening is open to external/internal applicants.
• A current staff member who holds a fixed-term, permanent or continuing appointment may apply for temporary positions no more than one level above his or her current grade. However, a current staff member who holds an appointment at the G-6 or G-7 level may also apply to temporary positions in the Professional category up to and including the P-3 level, subject to meeting all eligibility and other requirements for the position. A staff member holding a temporary appointment shall be regarded as an external candidate when applying for other positions, and may apply for other temporary positions at any level, subject to section 5.7 below and staff rule 4.16 (b) (ii). Therefore, a staff member holding a temporary appointment in the General Service or related categories may only apply to positions within those categories. For full information on eligibility requirements, please refer to section 5 of ST/AI/2010/4Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments. In its resolution 66/234, the General Assembly further “stressed that the Secretary-General should not recur to the practice of temporarily filling posts in the Professional and higher categories with General Service staff members who have not passed the General Service to Professional category examination other than on an exceptional basis, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that temporary occupation of such posts by the General Service staff shall not exceed a period of one year, effective 1 January 2013…” Consequently, eligible candidates in the General Service or related categories for temporary job openings in the Professional category that have not passed the competitive examination may be selected only on an exceptional basis endorsed by the Office of Human Resources Management where no other suitable candidate could be identified.
• Upon separation from service, including, but not limited to, expiration or termination of, or resignation from, a fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointment, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment on the basis of a temporary appointment for a period of 31 days following the separation. In the case of separation from service on retirement, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment for a period of three months following the separation. This equally applies, mutatis mutandis, with respect to a former or current staff member who has held or holds an appointment in another entity applying the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules and who applies for a temporary position with the Secretariat.
• Subject to the funding source of the position, this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.
• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. An external candidate selected for this position is bound by the prevailing condition of the staff selection system under ST/AI/2010/3, as amended, and ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1. A staff member holding a temporary appointment who is recruited in the Professional and above categories on a temporary appointment, and placed on a position authorized for one year or longer may not apply for or be reappointed to his/her current position within six months of the end of his/her current service. This provision does not apply to staff members holding temporary appointments and placed on positions authorized for one year or more in duty stations authorized for peacekeeping operations or special political missions.
• The expression “Internal candidates”, shall mean staff members who have been recruited after a competitive examination under staff rule 4.16 or after the advice of a central review body under staff rule 4.15.
• Please note that candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, 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 and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
• For information on special post allowance, please refer to ST/AI/1999/17. For more details on the administration of temporary appointments please refer to ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1.
• The Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and administrative issuances governing staff appointments can be viewed at: http://www.un.org/hr_handbook/English
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United Nations Considerations
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Candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, 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 and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
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). 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 inspira account-holder homepage.
Applications are pre-screened by the system according to the published requirements of the job opening on the basis of the information provided in the application. In relation to the requirements of the job opening, applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their qualifications, including their education, work experience, and language skills. Each applicant must bear in mind that submission of incomplete or inaccurate applications may render that applicant ineligible for consideration for the job opening. Initial screening and evaluation of applications will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted. Applications cannot be amended following submission. 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.
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No Fee
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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.
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