Org. Setting and Reporting

DCO has assumed managerial and oversight functions of the resident coordinator (RC) system under the collective ownership of the members of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG). The Deputy Director reports to the Assistant Secretary-General (ASG)/Director, Development Coordination Office (UNDCO). As part of the leadership team, the Deputy Director supports the ASG in ensuring the smooth functioning of the RC system and enables effective coordination with all parts of DCO in order to facilitate coherent and timely support for the implementation of DCO’s mandate. The position is located in the United Nations Development Coordination Office (DCO) at the global level in the Office of the Assistant Secretary-General (OASG) and reports to the Assistant Secretary-General for Development Coordination.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Deputy Director will be responsible for the following: • Supports the ASG in overseeing the strategic positioning and effective functioning of RC system, including DCO in New York and in the regions, RC Offices (RCO); serves as Officer-in-Charge of UNDCO in the absence of the ASG. • Supports the ASG through guidance and inputs to the work of the UNSDG secretariat, as appropriate. • Leads strategic work planning and management of results in UNDCO, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery. • Supports the ASG in operational oversight of RC system. Oversees management of activities undertaken by UNDCO, including: – management of RC system financial resources, administration, procurement – RC system personnel management – DCO role in advancing system-wide efficiencies. • Contributes to the formulation of overall strategies and policies by participating in various committees, preparing documents on policy issues, and acting, as required, in an advisory capacity to the ASG; contributes to the overall management of UNDCO activities and operations. • Guides the preparation of effective communications regarding the results and impact of the RC System and oversees annual results reporting. • Manages and engages in the preparation of reports for presentation to interagency and intergovernmental bodies, including the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, Administrative and Budgetary Committee (Fifth Committee), the Operational Activities Segment of the Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate. • Provides leadership to the development of innovative and/or change management programmes, ensuring that the organization is fit-for-purpose, supporting processes that align structures and work of DCO to the 2024 Member State decisions on regular budget contributions to the RC system. • Ensures that the outputs produced by UNDCO maintain quality standards, harnessing UN 2.0 levers relating to high-quality data and analytics, innovation, foresight, digital advances and behavioral insight. • Engages in external relations and advocacy on behalf of UNDCO and specific initiatives as appropriate, working with partner offices across the UN system, including the UN Office in Brussels. • Develops strategic partnerships and supports the mobilization of voluntary resources for the organization, with special additional focus on pooled funds managed by UNDCO, including the Joint SDG Fund and the Spotlight Initiative, as appropriate. • Oversees strategic considerations relating to UNDCO staffing, including recruitment taking due account of geographical and gender balance and other UN principles; giving specific focus to the needs and capacities of key staff profiles in the organization, especially Heads of RCOs; fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the UNDCO and across organizational boundaries. • Chairs meetings, seminars, etc., on substantive issues; represents the Organization at international, regional, inter-agency meetings, seminars and conferences; provides programmatic/substantive expertise on development issues and holds programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with regional and other partner institutions. • Performs other related duties as requested by the Assistant Secretary-General.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised. Shows ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. Shows ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client. LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing. JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; 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; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in international relations or public administration, law, social sciences, or a related area, 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.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

Over fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible experience in the management and coordination of development cooperation, including a minimum of ten years serving in leadership positions in-country (outside of the candidate’s country of origin) is required. A minimum of ten (10) years of experience at the international level with the United Nations Organization or other comparable international organization is required. Demonstrated commitment to inter-agency collaboration through participation in UN development system coordination or equivalent, planning and reporting systems at the HQ, regional or country level is required. Demonstrated experience translating the SDGs at the country level and raising funds/creating investment coalitions for the Goals is required. Direct knowledge/experience of the UN Resident Coordinator System is required. Field experience in the context of emergency/humanitarian environments is desirable. Experience supporting inter-Governmental consultations is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another official UN language is an advantage. “Fluency equals a rating of “Fluent” in all four areas (read, speak, write and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of “Confident” in two of the four areas.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise, which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This position is temporarily available for six (6) months. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment. Staff members are subject to the authority of the 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. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Internal Applicants: When completing the form, ensure ALL fields, ALL professional experience and contact information are completed and up-to-date. This information is the basis for the hiring manager to assess your eligibility and suitability for the position and to contact you. Individual contractors and consultants (Non-Staff Personnel) who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for professional and higher temporary or fixed-term positions and their applications will not be considered. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. 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 address has been provided. If you do not receive an email acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira “Need Help?” link. NOTE: While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station. This temporary job opening may be limited to “internal candidates,” who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15. Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation. Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as “retirement.” Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places 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. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

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.