Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Meetings, Documents and Publications Unit (MDPU), External Outreach and Partnerships Service (EOPS) of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva. The incumbent reports to the Chief of External Outreach and Partnerships Service (EOPS).

Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of External Outreach and Partnerships Service, the incumbent will perform the following duties:

– Manages and coordinates OHCHR’s Meetings, Documentation and Publications Unit and its work programme including the various intergovernmental and expert meetings, entire flow of human rights documents submitted by OHCHR to legislative or expert bodies (General Assembly, ECOSOC, Human Rights Council and its mechanisms, and human rights treaty bodies), and OHCHR’s Publications Programme, the Publications Policy and the work of the Publications Committee;
– Leads the development and establishment of specific publications, documentation and meeting policies and guidelines for OHCHR based on existing UN policies, procedures and regulations;
– Develops methodologies and procedures to improve and expedite the availability of respective documents and to facilitate the related work of the Secretariat;
– Proposes solutions to avoid overlap and duplication and to ensure efficient use of resources and anticipate impending problems in these areas and recommend solutions;
– Advises the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Deputy High Commissioner and senior management staff of OHCHR on human rights related publications, documentation and meeting matters;
– Establishes priorities and takes decisions on competing demands and other substantive and politically sensitive issues relating to the order, timing and other circumstances of processing of human rights documents;
– Advises bureaux of intergovernmental and expert bodies, delegations and permanent missions on documentation, existing procedures and related matters;
– Ensures the observance and implementation of established UN policies, procedures and regulations with regard to documentation and publications and adapting those procedures to the circumstances and needs prevailing in OHCHR;
– Supervises the documentation workflow of mandated human rights meetings serviced by OHCHR, including through the preparation of documentation forecasts;
– Proposes solutions, especially in the field of information technologies, for the rationalization of human rights documentation and publications, including through collection and analysis of statistical information;
– Assumes responsibility for human resources and administrative matters concerning the Meetings, Documents and Publications Unit, including directing and supervision of the work of the staff; preparation of annual work plan of the Unit; evaluation of staff performance; overseeing the daily Unit’s work; and carrying out other programmatic and administrative tasks;
– Liaises and coordinates with Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM), Department of Global Communications (DGC) and the Publications Board, Office of Legal Affairs (OLA), New York and United Nations Office Geneva, (UNOG) Division of Conference Services on any matters relating to human rights meeting management, documentation and publications, including pre-editing of documents submitted by OHCHR;
– Represents OHCHR at meetings on human rights documentation and related matters with Governments, UN agencies, NGOs, UNOG Conference Services and other UN departments, as may be appropriate;
– Prepares and implements a personal work plan and seek maximum performance from oneself and others;
– Performs other related functions and assignments, as may be required.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to the management of documents and publications. Shows pride in work and in achievements; 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.

PLANNING AND ORGANISING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

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.

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.

EMPOWERING OTHERS : Delegates responsibility, clarifies expectations, and gives staff autonomy in important areas of their work ; Encourages others to set challenging goals ; Holds others accountable for achieving results related to their area of responsibility ; Genuinely values all staff members’ input and expertise ; Shows appreciation and rewards achievement and effort ; Involves others when making decisions that affect them.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in public administration, law, social sciences, international relations, communication, publishing or other related fields. A first-level university degree in any of these fields, in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in public administration, international relations, communication, publishing or other related areas is required.

Out of the seven (7) years, at least three (3) years within the United Nations Common System is required.

Experience with documentation or publication rules & procedures of international organizations is desirable.

Experience with human rights international bodies, like the Human Rights Council, is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English is required. Fluency in French is desirable. Knowledge of an additional UN official language is an advantage.

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 THREE (3) MONTHS, WITH POSIBILITY OF EXTENSION – SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.

• If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment.

• 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.

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. 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.

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.

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 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.