Political Affairs Officer

The Political Affairs Officer supports the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict by establishing and maintaining relationships with key international organizations and partners, monitoring implementation of recommendations related to children and armed conflict, preparing analytical reports, and managing office operations in Brussels. The role involves political analysis, coordination, and strategic partnership development to mainstream child protection concerns in conflict settings.

Responsibilities

• Establishes and maintains working relationships with Member States, United Nations offices, European Union institutions, NGOs, NATO, Council of Europe, and OSCE to mainstream children and armed conflict concerns.
• Reviews and monitors implementation of recommendations related to children and armed conflict from intergovernmental bodies based in Brussels, Geneva, Vienna, and Strasbourg.
• Analyzes and disseminates information on children and armed conflict received from the UN Headquarters-based office to entities in Brussels, Geneva, Vienna, and Strasbourg.
• Prepares analytical reports and papers on sensitive and high-profile matters related to children and armed conflict for the General Assembly, Security Council, and other bodies.
• Drafts notes, background papers, talking points, speeches, and correspondence for senior UN officials.
• Participates in organization and supervision of Secretariat services required by the Security Council and other committees.
• Acts as focal point for collection and analysis of political information regarding children and armed conflict in Brussels, Geneva, Vienna, and Strasbourg.
• Provides up-to-date information and recommendations to the OSRSG-CAAC at UN Headquarters in New York.
• Maintains contacts with other UN sectors, international organizations, and governments on coordination and policy matters.
• Participates in conferences, seminars, and academic fora related to children and armed conflict.
• Carries out administrative functions relating to staff planning and budget of the Brussels liaison office.
• Drafts plans for growth of operations of the Brussels liaison office and participates in implementation activities.
• Develops and maintains strategic partnerships with donors including fundraising and outreach.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Requirements

• An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in political science, international relations, international economics, law, public administration or other related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in the specified fields of studies in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in political science, international relations, diplomacy, law, disarmament, security, conflict resolution or related area is required.
• A minimum of five years of experience in working with the European Union, the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Security Council, and the United Nations Human Rights Council on child protection in conflict or post-conflict settings is required.
• A minimum of four years of experience working with the United Nations Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict is required.
• A minimum of three years of experience in managing an Office and team, including responsibility for human resources and budgets, is required.
• Experience in developing trainings and capacity building on children and armed conflict for a multidisciplinary audience is required.
• Experience in drafting reports and in writing speeches for high-level officials is desirable.
• English and French are required at UN Level III proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
• Either Arabic or Spanish is desirable at UN Level I proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

Skills

• Political Analysis
• Conflict Resolution
• Diplomacy
• Child Protection in Armed Conflict
• United Nations Security Council
• European Union Relations
• Human Rights Council Engagement
• Office Management
• Team Management
• Human Resources Management
• Budget Management
• Training Development
• Capacity Building
• Report Writing
• Speech Writing
• Strategic Partnership Development

Languages

English, French, Arabic, Spanish