ACT Representative to the UN

Title: ACT Representative to the UN

Duty station: New York, USA

Contract type: Fixed-term contract

Duration: 2 years with possibility for renewal

Target starting date: 01/05/2025

Worktime: 100 %

Reports to: Director of Programmes

Travel: Occasional

Languages required: English & ideally Spanish/French

Experience: Minimum of ten years of relevant work experience including experience in advocacy and representation

Application deadline: 8th November 2024

About ACT Alliance

ACT Alliance is the world’s largest coalition of Protestant and Orthodox churches, and church-related organisations engaged in humanitarian, development and advocacy work. It consists of 152 members working together in over 120 countries, with headquarters in 73 countries, whose aim is to create a positive and sustainable change in the lives of poor and marginalised people regardless of their religion, politics, gender, sexual orientation, race or nationality in keeping with the highest international codes and standards. 70% of our members are headquartered in the Global South, 25% in the Global North, and 5% are Global members. For more details about the general work of ACT, please refer to http://www.actalliance.org/.

Job Summary

The Representative to the UN represents ACT Alliance within the New York-based United Nations and other multilateral structures, and actively supports and advises advocacy and partnerships on the ACT Alliance priority issues towards the New York-based United Nations institutions and other partners. The position is based in the Ecumenical UN Office in New York with an expectation of international travel.

Duties and responsibilities

• Actively forms relationships and partnerships which advance ACT Alliance and the ecumenical movement’s agenda
• Represents the ACT Alliance towards the New York-based United Nations institutions and other partners
• Actively supports effective global advocacy, and strategically advises on and implements advocacy tactics towards the New York-based UN institutions, and helps to connect such initiatives to regional and national levels
• In liaison and coordination with the Global Advocacy Manager, supports the implementation of the global advocacy strategy by contributing to identifying and promoting key messages on ACT’s priority issues across the annual UN and related regional and global processes
• Engages with, advises, and contributes to decision-making of ACT secretariat programme leads, ACT Forums, and members on advocacy and policy opportunities in ACT’s thematic priority areas emanating from the New York-based UN institutions
• Supports relevant ACT Secretariat colleagues in advocacy issues relevant to UN and other audiences
• Develops partnerships and fundraises for joint member-led initiatives
• Cooperates with the ACT Alliance EU office in the implementation of the global advocacy strategy in areas of joint concern
• Communicates externally and internally about ACT Alliance engagement on various policy issues
• Supports the General Secretary and Director of Programmes in external representation, as required

Competences and behaviours

Committed:

• Committed to the values of the ACT Alliance and is sensitive to expressions of faith across cultures and denominations.
• Committed to the values of the ACT Alliance and takes pride in delivering on agreed priorities according to the highest standards individually and as part of a global team.

Personal Effectiveness:

• Proactively finds innovative and creative solutions, is efficient and reliable, adapts to change and uncertainty, is decisive and acts with integrity.

Working with others:

• Builds effective internal and external relationships, team player who involves others when solving problems and treats others with consideration and respect in an alliance where faith is a key ingredient of people’s lives.

Passionate:

• Passion for building and developing core skills for the role and contributes knowledge outside of immediate own role.

Working relationships

• Liaises with the external stakeholders (UN agencies, governmental representations, World Bank, civil society networks and others).
• Engages with ACT members on key policy, advocacy and partnership issues.
• Engages with other ACT secretariat staff on implementing relevant strategies, including advocacy, communications and fundraising.
• Advises the regional teams on policy, advocacy and partnership issues relevant to the New York based UN institutions.
• Works collaboratively with the Ecumenical UN office staff, including the Head of Office.
• Reports to the Director of Programmes.

Qualifications and Skills

• A minimum of ten years of relevant work experience including experience in advocacy and representation.
• Ability to analyse rapidly changing policy developments and to see opportunities emerging.
• Highly developed interpersonal and communications skills including influencing, negotiating, partnership brokering and fundraising.
• Good knowledge on key policy issues pertinent to transformational development and humanitarian action.
• Excellent understanding of the added value of churches and ecumenical movement in transformational development and international relations.
• Ability to work flexibly in a networked and high-pressure working environment.
• Relevant academic degree.
• Excellent knowledge of English language, working knowledge of French or Spanish an asset.