Protocol Officer, NOC

The Protocol Officer (Chief of Unit) at the United Nations Office at Nairobi is responsible for planning, organizing, supervising and monitoring the activities of the Host Country Services Unit to ensure effective delivery of protocol and host country services. The role involves liaison with the Government of Kenya, managing staff, overseeing resource management, and ensuring compliance with the Host Country Agreement and related policies.

Responsibilities

• Plan, organize, supervise and monitor the activities of the Host Country Services Unit (HCSU), ensuring effective and timely delivery of protocol and host country services.
• Develop and oversee implementation of the Unit's annual workplan, establishing priorities and monitoring performance against objectives and service standards.
• Provide advice and guidance on matters relating to the Host Country Agreement, privileges and immunities, diplomatic protocol, and host country procedures.
• Liaise with the Government of Kenya and relevant ministries, departments and agencies on matters affecting the United Nations and the implementation of the Host Country Agreement.
• Maintain effective working relationships with host government counterparts, UN client entities and other stakeholders to facilitate resolution of host country service matters.
• Review and advise on complex or sensitive cases relating to privileges and immunities and other host country-related matters.
• Ensure timely communication with client entities on protocol procedures, host country requirements, and service delivery updates.
• Monitor and analyze service delivery performance and operational data, identify trends and areas for improvement, and recommend and implement measures to enhance efficiency and client satisfaction.
• Maintain and periodically review standard operating procedures, guidelines and business processes to ensure consistency, efficiency and compliance.
• Oversee the effective utilization and continuous improvement of information systems and tools supporting protocol and host country services.
• Represent the Unit in meetings with host government counterparts, inter-agency bodies, technical committees and other forums related to protocol and host country services.
• Supervise preparation and review of official correspondence including note verbales, briefing notes, reports, memoranda and communications with government authorities and client entities.
• Monitor and report on the Unit's performance against KPIs and recommend corrective measures.
• Prepare budget proposals and monitor implementation and expenditure to ensure compliance with financial regulations.
• Review and validate service billing and cost recovery reports for client entities.
• Identify operational risks and service delivery challenges and recommend mitigation measures.
• Collect and analyze data to identify trends or patterns and provide insights through data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning and reporting.
• Ensure documentation of requirements and background information used for data analysis.
• Manage and supervise staff including work allocation, performance management, and professional development.
• Coordinate human resources actions within the Unit including recruitment, onboarding, learning and development, succession planning and separation.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive and client-oriented work environment and promote professionalism, accountability and service excellence.
• Identify training needs and ensure staff have the knowledge and skills required to perform their functions.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in International Relations, Political Science, Law, Public Administration, Diplomacy, Foreign Affairs, Business Administration or a related field 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.
• Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.
• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant and progressively responsible working experience in protocol services, diplomatic relations, government liaison or a related area is required.
• Experience in the interpretation and application of host country agreements, privileges and immunities and liaison with government authorities is required.
• Experience supervising staff and managing service delivery operations is required.
• Experience in the United Nations Common System or international organization is desirable.
• Experience using information management systems and analyzing service delivery data to support operational decision-making is desirable.
• English language proficiency at UN Level II for reading, writing, listening and speaking is required.

Skills

• Protocol Services
• Diplomatic Relations
• Government Liaison
• Host Country Agreements
• Privileges and Immunities Law
• Staff Supervision
• Service Delivery Management
• Management Information Systems
• Data Analysis
• Operational Decision-Making
• United Nations Common System
• International Organization Experience
• Resource Management
• Policy Compliance

Languages

English