Special Assistant to Regional Director, East and Southern Africa Regional Office

We are pleased to announce the following vacancy:

VACANCY NO.: Job ID 3019

CLOSING DATE: 26 June 2015 (5.00 p.m. New York time)

POST TITLE: Special Assistant to Regional Director

CATEGORY: ICS-10 (equivalent to P-3)

POST NUMBER: 29671

DUTY STATION: Johannesburg

POST TYPE: Non-Rotational

DURATION: One year (renewable)[i]

ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO)

****BACKGROUND INFORMATION:****

The Special Assistant will provide operational support to the Director acting as a key interface with all units within and outside the Regional Office.

• coordination of Director's participation in various fora
• management of operations of the Office of the Regional Director
• contribution to knowledge management of the RO and political scanning of the region.

****ORGANIZATIONAL LOCATION:****

The Special Assistant reports directly to the Regional Director (RD). S/he works with both the RD and the Deputy Regional Director (DRD) by providing high level operational, planning, managerial and coordination support to all aspects of the work of the ESA Regional Office and functions that the Regional Office has in support of the respective Country Offices in the Region.

****MAIN ACTIVITIES / EXPECTED RESULTS****

1. Co-ordinates the Director's participation in key events, missions and regional groupings including on the UN reform and Post 2015 Development Agenda; Regional UNDG; prepares and/or facilitates the preparation of background papers/briefing documents, statements and presentations for the Director; conducts research on organizational thematic areas and other topical issues for the Director and management; provides and organizes relevant briefings for the Regional Director; follows up on decisions related to UN reform, Regionalization; post 2015 development processes; key corporate priorities of the organization; Executive Board participation of the Regional Director and other key initiatives; and fields queries related to these issues.
2. Manages the organization and operations of the Office of the Regional Director, analyzes and appraises incoming correspondence and documents; drafts statements and provides inputs into communications for the Regional Director including internal messages to staff in the region and external communication messages with partners, drafts talking points and correspondence for the Director ensuring timeliness, quality and relevance to subject and themes; coordinates preparation of the RO's inputs to the annual and other key reports; prepares communications on behalf of and as instructed by the RD; contributes to the organization and planning of the Regional Director’s travels and missions and supports the regional team to plan for in-coming missions of the Executive Director and other Executive Committee members.
3. Assists the Director and his/her colleagues in coordinating the sharing of relevant information within the Regional Office and Country Offices in the ESA region; provides support to the overall Regional Office management; serves as secretariat to the regional management team meetings and coordinates regular staff meetings, attends meetings and follows up on and monitors the implementation of tasks assigned by the Director.
4. Liaises between the ESA Regional Office and other offices of UNFPA and the UN system at regional, country and global levels, to obtain relevant information and provides feedback and advice to the Director; monitors and follows up all of the Regional Office's activities, contributes to the planning of the annual regional management retreats and region wide planning meetings as requested, forms part of the regional internal communication and partnership working group so as to be able to position and communicate key directions from the Regional Director and the regional management team.
5. Establishes a mechanism to regularly monitor and inform the Regional Director on policy and political situations in the countries under the East and Southern Region and subsequently suggests and follows up on actions as directed by the Regional Director in terms of communication with Member States and Country Offices.
6. Undertakes any other tasks assigned by the Director.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

Required Competencies:

i) Values: Exemplifying integrity, Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system, Embracing cultural diversity, Embracing change

ii) Core Competencies: Achieving results, Being accountable, Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen, Thinking analytically and strategically, Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships, Communicating for impact

iii) Required Skillset:

• Strong analytical capacity and professional experience in policy advice;
• Strong writing and communication skills;
• Good knowledge of UN reform, UNDG system and Post 2015 Development agenda ;
• Fully conversant with computer-related applications;
• Knowledge management and environmental scanning;
• Familiarity with UN development programmes and working methods, particularly with UNFPA's mandate, agenda, policies and programming procedures.

Qualifications, skills and experience required:

Education:

Advanced University degree (preferably an MBA) with specialization in management or a related subject in international development.

Knowledge and Experience:

• 5 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in developmental work
• Strong organizational, planning and analytical ability and professional experience in policy analysis and development work
• Basic research skills and familiarity with quantitative and qualitative methods
• Excellent writing and strong oral communication skills
• Good networks within the academic, management and development community
• Ability to form strategic partnerships and to collect and analyse strategic information in the field of population and sexual and reproductive health
• Strong interpersonal and networking skills
• Field experience in the region is a positive asset

****Languages:****

English. Working knowledge of French and/or Portuguese an asset

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender quality, teamwork, respect for diversity, integrity and a healthy balance of work and life. We are committed to maintaining our balanced gender distribution and therefore encourage women to apply.

We offer an attractive remuneration package commensurate with the level of the position. The package includes a competitive salary plus housing allowance, home leave, health insurance and other benefits.

[i] No expectancy of renewal in accordance with UN Staff Regulation 4.5

HOW TO APPLY:

UNFPA has established an electronic application management system. This allows applicants to create a candidate profile, which can be updated regularly and submitted for more than one vacancy.

Download the Step by Step Guide to Applying in the E-Recruit System of UNFPA at

http://www.unfpa.org/employment/

Please print out the Guide for your reference during the registration and application process.

Notice: There is no application, processing or other fee at any stage of the application process. UNFPA does not solicit or screen for information in respect of HIV or AIDS and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV or AIDS status.

In accordance with the rules of the United Nations, persons applying to posts in the international Professional category, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, are required to renounce such status upon their appointment. Exceptions to this rule are very limited and can be made only for: (a) stateless persons; (b) newly appointed staff members who have applied for citizenship by naturalization, when such citizenship will be granted imminently; (c) acting staff members in the General Service and related categories with permanent residency status, on promotion to the Professional category; (d) staff members appointed under a temporary appointment. Please understand that UNFPA is not in a position to provide advice on or assistance in applying for any citizenship.