Political Affairs Officer

This position is located in the Policy and Mediation Division of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. The Political Affairs Officer serves as Team Leader of the Guidance and Learning Unit, overseeing the development and promotion of policies, guidance, and training related to Special Political Missions and UN integration. The role involves strategic planning, knowledge management, and coordination with various UN entities and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Serves as Team Leader of the Guidance and Learning Unit and oversees all aspects of the Unit’s work.
• Leads, reviews and monitors the development and promotion of policies, guidance and training for DPPA, working with DPO/DPET on joint, or coordinated, initiatives.
• Develops and supports DPPA's knowledge management system, including undertaking lessons learning exercises and after-action reviews, in close collaboration with DPPA-DPO regional divisions, Special Political Missions and other entities.
• Oversees a variety of guidance and learning issues related to Special Political Missions (SPMs) and provides targeted support to regional desks and SPMs; provides in-briefings and debriefings to Special Representatives and Envoys.
• Prepares analytical reports and inputs on sensitive and high-profile matters of concern to the General Assembly, Security Council, or other bodies; drafts notes, background papers, talking points, speeches and other correspondence for senior UN officials on DPPA policies and guidance, learning, and other cross-cutting issues such as integration and UN mission transitions.
• Meets regularly with operational teams to plan projects and review project activities.
• Represents DPPA at interagency policy fora such as the Integration Working Group (IWG); maintains contacts with other UN entities, other international organizations and governments on coordination and policy matters; briefs representatives and provides, as appropriate suggestions and recommendations.
• Participates in conferences, seminars and academic fora related to his/her assigned area of expertise.
• Works closely with other units in the Division and contributes to the management of the Policy and Mediation Division.
• Carries out, in consultation with the Chief for Policy and Guidance, administrative functions relating to staff planning and budgetary resources.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in political science, international relations, international economics, law, public administration or other related fields is required.
• A first-level university degree in any of these fields, in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A minimum of seven years of experience in political science, international relations, law, disarmament, security, development management, conflict resolution or related area is required.
• Knowledge of the work of the UN or related international organization in the areas of peace and security, including conflict prevention and peacemaking, is required.
• Experience in knowledge management, guidance development and strategic planning is required.
• Experience in and/or familiarity with the work of Special Political Missions is required.
• Experience working on UN integration or related area is desirable.
• Experience leading a team is desirable.
• Project development, management and results based budgeting experience is desirable.
• English is required at UN Level II for reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

Skills

• Political Science
• International Relations
• International Law
• Disarmament
• Security
• Conflict Resolution
• Development Management
• Peace and Security
• Conflict Prevention
• Peacemaking
• Knowledge Management
• Strategic Planning
• Guidance Materials Development
• Special Political Missions
• UN Integration
• Project Development
• Project Management
• Results Based Budgeting
• Team Leadership

Languages

English