Org. Setting and Reporting

The position is located in the Meetings and Publishing Division (MPD), Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM), New York. The MPD facilitates the deliberations and decision-making processes of intergovernmental and relevant expert bodies and United Nations conferences by providing high-quality interpretation, verbatim reporting, copy preparation and proof-reading, desktop publishing, printing and distribution services. The incumbent is accountable to the Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management and reports to and works under the guidance of the Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management.

Responsibilities

The Director of Meetings and Publishing Division is responsible for the following:

• Formulates and implements the substantive work programme of the Interpretation Service, Verbatim Reporting Service, and the Meetings Support Section.
• Develops policies, procedures and other guidelines relating to the provision of conference servicing support, including interpretation services, the provision of verbatim records, and the processing and distribution of parliamentary documents, publications and other materials.
• Leads and coordinates capacity-building and succession-planning in the Division, including by sustaining language rosters and expanding pools of qualified freelancers to ensure capacity to fulfil the Department’s interpretation mandates; advise the USG/ASG on provisions for conference servicing support.
• Prepares the strategic framework and programme budget proposals for the Division; participates in meetings of intergovernmental and expert bodies as a representative of the Secretary-General when matters related to conference servicing support are under consideration; and participates in inter-agency forums on such matters.
• Oversees capacity levels and overall staffing requirements, including the recruitment of regular staff and temporary assistance; oversees the cost-effectiveness, timeliness and productivity of the Services; monitors trends and oversees team performance, including by establishing and reviewing performance criteria and evaluation and by monitoring and analysing statistical and operational data to ensure consistency across the Services; oversees the planning and conduct of competitive examinations for interpreters, verbatim reporters and copy-preparers/proof-readers; assesses training needs; and recommends the application of technological innovations while monitoring developments and trends, particularly those related to desktop publishing, the storage, retrieval and transmission of documents in electronic form, database design and management, and the reproduction and distribution of documents and incorporates into the work of the Division as appropriate.
• Participates in inter-agency meetings and consultations relating to conference servicing and documentation matters; prepares policy papers for consideration at inter-agency meetings.
• Promotes the implementation of multilingualism and Integrated Global Management (IGM) of conference servicing support across the Department’s four duty stations (New York, Geneva, Vienna, Nairobi).
• Perform other related duties as requested by the senior management of the Organization.

Competencies

Professionalism: Proven ability to manage complex, multi-disciplinary global operations; conversant with conference management with all of its complexities; knowledge of and ability to provide specialized advice on a broad range of conference management issues; knowledge of various global IT tools in use in conference servicing; ability to negotiate in multilateral settings and ability to persuade and influence others to reach agreement on complex issues; conceptual thinker; excellent communicator, both orally and in writing; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject-matters critical for discharging the responsibilities.

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.

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 improvement; 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.

Judgment/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.

Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision- making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business, public administration, management, social sciences or international affairs. 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

Over 15 years of progressively responsible experience in programme management, public administration, conference services or related area, of which at least 5 years should be at international level in a large multicultural institution is required.

Experience in activities related to conference servicing (such as meetings planning, documents processing, interpretation, translation, verbatim reporting or secretariat services for intergovernmental bodies) or publishing is desirable.

Proven track record of excellent management of multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary teams and leadership skills is required.

Leadership experience in the management of large multi-disciplinary teams is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English (oral and written) is required. Knowledge of other official UN languages is an advantage.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

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.

An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential.

All staff at the D2 level and above are required to submit a financial disclosure statement upon appointment and annually thereafter.

Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or underrepresented in the UN Secretariat as of 31 March 2023, are strongly encouraged to apply: Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Comoros, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu.

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.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side 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.