Director, Political Affairs, D2

United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan

Khartoum, Sudan

Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 2524 (2020) authorizing the mandate of UNITAMS which is to assist the political transition, progress towards democratic governance, in the protection and promotion of human rights, and sustainable peace; support peace processes and implementation of future peace agreements; assist peacebuilding, civilian protection and rule of law, in particular in Blue Nile and South Kordofan (the Two Areas) and Darfur; and support the mobilisation of economic and development assistance and coordination of humanitarian assistance.

Responsibilities

Within the limits of delegated authority, the Director, Political Affairs, will be responsible for performing the following duties:

Political Analysis and Advice:

Identifies, analyses and monitors developments and emerging issues with respect to the implementation of UNITAMS' mandate, in particular regarding the political transition and the peace process, in order to keep Mission leadership apprised;
Assesses implications and makes recommendations to the Mission leadership on possible strategies, policies and other measures to address political issues of concern and to advance mandated objectives.

Good Offices:

Engages or supports the SRSG and broader Mission leadership in their engagement with national and international stakeholders to facilitate mandate implementation, in particular efforts to support political and peace processes;
Advocates and represents Mission views authoritatively and ensures that support to these processes proceeds in a coordinated and integrated manner.

Reporting:

Ensures regular, timely and high-quality integrated political reporting and analysis to the Mission leadership on issues pertaining to the mandate;
Oversees the preparation of contextual information materials and reports to United Nations Headquarters.

Coordination:

Develops and maintains collaborative relationships with national authorities, political and community leaders, civil society actors, the UN system and other national and international partners.

Management:

Leads and oversees the activities of the Office of Support to the Political Transition, setting priorities within the Mission and with external stakeholders;
Designs the implementation of the Office's programme of work and determines priorities and activities that are in accordance with the mandate;
Oversees managerial and administrative tasks, including preparation of budgets, assignment and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on budget, preparation of inputs for the results-based budgeting process (RBB);
Provides strategic guidance to the Office’s staff and participates in their evaluations.

Competencies

Professionalism: Ability to provide seasoned effective authoritative advice in a broad range of political issues to the Head of Mission, Headquarters and senior Mission staff; ability to identify and analyse the underlying causes of conflict and instability and to provide advice to senior officials in developing and implementing political strategies to address them; sound knowledge of the UN system; strong negotiation, consensus-building and conflict-resolution skills. Shows pride in work and 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. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed;
Creativity: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; Offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; Promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; Takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks "outside the box"; Takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; Is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches;
Vision: Identifies strategic issues, opportunities and risks; Clearly communicates links between the Organization's strategy and the work unit's goals; Generates and communicates broad and compelling organizational direction, inspiring others to pursue that same direction; Conveys enthusiasm about future possibilities;
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 that 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 Political Science, International Relations, Social Science, Law or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted, in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible professional experience in political affairs, diplomacy, international relations, conflict resolution, or a related field is required;
A minimum of ten (10) years of experience in political outreach, facilitation, analysis and reporting is required;
Experience managing a large multi-functional team or office in a United Nations common system field operation (inclusive of peacekeeping, political missions and UN agencies, funds and programmes) or a comparable international organization in a conflict or post-conflict setting is required;
Experience working in Africa is required;
Experience supporting a peace process is desirable;
Experience in handling complex organizational issues at local and international level is desirable;
Experience in the United Nations system or a comparable international organization is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Arabic is desirable.

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Director, Political Affairs, D2