United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) Jobs in Nairobi Kenya: Recruitment for Chief, Office Of The Director-general

THE ORGANIZATION:

The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) is the UN headquarters in Africa and the representative office of the Secretary-General. UNON supports programme implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) globally, as well as other UN offices in Kenya, by providing administrative, conference and information services (www.unon.org). The post is located in the Office of the Director-General, UNON. The position is required to manage the office of the Director-General and support him/her in the responsibilities as

Representative of the Secretary-General in Kenya and the main interlocutor with the host country with a special focus on the areas of protocol, liaison with the other members of the UN family in Nairobi, member states governments, other intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and his/her advisory role in regional political and socio-economic issues.

POST TITLE:   CHIEF, OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL, D1

DEPARTMENT/ OFFICE: United Nations Office at Nairobi

DUTY STATION: NAIROBI

POSTING PERIOD: 9 January 2012-9 March 2012

JOB OPENING NUMBER:  11-ADM-UNON-21350-R-NAIROBI

UNITED NATIONS CORE VALUES: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Org. Setting and Reporting

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the overall supervision of the Director-General, the incumbent will be responsible for the following functions:

• Assisting the Director-General in overall direction and management of the United Nations Office at Nairobi and the coordination of the activities of its sections,
• Managing the operations of the Office of the Director-General by reviewing and supervising the output of the office, organising the flow of activities, the co-ordination of reports, handling issues involving senior consultants/advisors, guiding and motivating other staff,
• Advising the Director-General on political and socio-economic issues,
• Maintaining Liaison with Heads of missions and other high ranking representatives of member states, other organisations, donors and partners on political, protocol and procedural questions arising, as well as representation of the UN at meetings and conferences in Nairobi,
• Clearing, reviewing and preparing correspondence, official statements and reports,
• The incumbent will also assist in the planning and implementation of political and administrative objectives and strategies by providing advice on policy and management issues concerning UNON.

Undertaking other assignments as requested by the Director-General.

JOB COMPETENCIES:

Professionalism: 

• Demonstrated in-depth knowledge and understanding of the UN system, including UN Offices away from headquarters; Substantial knowledge of management, policy, coordination, protocol, general administration matters; Strong analytical skills and proven ability to review and edit the work of others as well as diplomacy and tact. Ability to establish priorities and make timely decisions,
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain contacts at all levels; excellent knowledge of United Nations Policies, Inter Agency Coordinations, sound political judgement; remains calm in stressful situations.

Communication: 

Speaks and writes clearly and effective. Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Leadership:

• Serves as a role model that other people want to follow; anticipates and resolves conflict by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participations of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrated knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.

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.

Judgement/Decision-Making: 

• Identifies the key issues in a complex situation and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; 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; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision.

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in public administration, management, social sciences, international relations or a related field,
• A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree,
• A minimum of fifteen years of experience in public administration and management or other relevant experience in the UN system, including several years at the international level,
• Work experience in senior officer assignments in the United Nations is highly desirable.

LANGUAGES:

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another UN language is desirable.

ASSESSMENT METHOD:

• Evaluation of qualified candidates for this position may include a substantive assessment which will be followed by a competency-based interview.

SPECIAL NOTICE:

• Staff members are subject to the authority of 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.

All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. Online applications will be acknowledged where an email has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgment within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application if necessary.

UNITED NATIONS CONSIDERATIONS:

• 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.

NO FEE:

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.