Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Force Generation Service (FGS), Office of Military Affairs (OMA) within the Department of Peace Operations (DPO), and the incumbent reports to the Chief of the Force Generation Service and the Team Leader of the Americas Division within the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. DPO provides political and executive direction to UN peacekeeping operations around the world and maintains contact with the Security Council, troop and financial contributors, and parties to the conflict in the implementation of Security Council mandates. The Department works to integrate the efforts of UN, governmental and non-governmental entities in the context of peacekeeping operations. DPO also provides guidance and support on military, police, mine action and other relevant issues to other UN political and peacebuilding missions. (https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/department-of-peacekeeping-operations) Office of Military Affairs (OMA) works to deploy the most appropriate military capability in support of United Nations objectives; and to enhance performance and improve the efficiency and the effectiveness of military components in United Nations Peace and Political missions. (https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/department-of-peacekeeping-operations).

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Military Planning Officer will be responsible for the following duties: • Develop and implement plans to generate military forces for United Nations peace and political operations. • Provide expert military advice on military matters, particularly as regards military equipment and structure of military units; coordinate, prepare and lead integrated initial pre-deployment and assessment missions; and coordinate the Reconnaissance Visits of the Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) to the Field Missions. • Contribute to the development of support plans for missions; coordinate Mission-Specific TCC Guidelines and provide inputs to Force Requirements, Force Commander’s Directives, Status of Mission Agreements (SOMA) and Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). • Provide leadership for the Force Generation Team, which comprises members of OMA, Department of Operational Support (DOS) and other specialists as required. • Coordinate the negotiation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the TCC and DOS, from its inception and until it is signed. Undertake updates of the MOU, when required. • Oversee the detailed organization and equipment for military units and headquarters required for missions; evaluate the capability of countries’ military units offered for missions and may be required to participate in Contribution Agreement Negotiations. • Participate in workshops, seminars and symposiums on peace and political operations, in order to further advance the understanding of the UN’s capabilities and limitations. • The incumbent is also responsible for the initial recruitment and further rotations of Staff Officers and UN Experts on Mission deploying to peace and political operations, in so doing dealing with the TCCs, DPO, and field mission civilian and military authorities as needed. • The incumbent is as well responsible for the recruitment of contracted military officers seconded by their governments to specific positions in peace and political operations. • Organize and coordinate the recruitment process of the contracted officers, including forming the interview panel, coordinating the interviews and staffing the final recommendations of the panel. • Contribute to the drafting/ clearing of code cables, reports of the Military Adviser to the UN peace and political missions in the Field as well as other Offices in the UN Secretariat, in military component mission wide or thematic reports. • Prepare talking points, speeches, and take notes while accompanying the Military Adviser and other Senior Officials attending high level meetings. • Undertake these or similar duties anywhere within UN Headquarters, as well as in field missions including deployment to the missions for up to 90 days.

Competencies

Professionalism: Demonstrated professional competence and knowledge of theories and concepts relevant to military planning at the strategic and operational level. Proven research, analytical and evaluative skills, and ability to conduct independent research and analysis, identify issues, formulate concepts and options and make conclusions and recommendations. Ability to produce work with limited supervision and in unfamiliar environments. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Planning and Organizing: 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. Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; Is willing to learn from others; Places team agenda before personal agenda; Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Education

Graduate of a National Command and Staff College is required. A first level university degree preferably in Political Science, History, International Relations or related field is required. Additional Master’s degree in Military Affairs, Political Science or related field is desirable.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible military experience, including command experience in a military headquarters and of an international peacekeeping operation is required. Applicant must be a retired military officer at the rank of Colonel or other Service equivalent rank and experience in commanding at the battalion/regimental or equivalent level is required. Operational experience at a UN peacekeeping operation for this post is required Staff experience at the Ministry of Defence level and/or General Staff Officer in the Army/Navy/Air Force is desirable. Operational planning experience in the generation of forces in an international organization is required Do you have a Prince 2 certification and advanced use of BI tools for reporting purposes is required

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English (both oral and written) are required. Knowledge of Spanish is required. Knowledge of another 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 an initial period of 364 days. 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, 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. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or under-represented in the UN Secretariat as of 31st October 2024, are strongly encouraged to apply:Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, China, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Libya, Liechtenstein, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, 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. 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.