Chief of Section, Conference Services (Planning and Coordination Section), P-5

Position description

Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) is the UN headquarters in Africa and the Director-General of UNON is the representative of the Secretary-General in Kenya. UNON supports programme implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the Resident Coordination System (RCS) globally, as well as other UN offices in Kenya, by providing administrative, security, conference and information services. This position is located in the Division of Conference Services, United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON). Within delegated authority, Planning Coordination and Documents Chief is responsible for developing UNON’s conference services policies and guidance on strategy, carrying out the Division’s work programme under his/her responsibility (meetings and documents), providing programmatic/substantive input to intergovernmental bodies and substantive secretariats, managing the calendar of meetings and documents workload, supervising the Section, providing charge back parameters, guiding the development of system-wide meetings and documents management databases and managing/supervising the integrated operation of the conference center at UNON. Under the direct supervision of the Chief of the Division of Conference services, the incumbent will be responsible for the following:

Responsibilities

• Meetings & Documents Management: Participating in and providing recommendations on the development of policies and procedures relating to all aspects of conference servicing in the planning and servicing of United Nations conferences and meetings held at and away from Nairobi and its related documentation. Planning and overseeing the management of activities undertaken by the Section, liaising with other organizations of the United Nations System, donors and agencies as appropriate. Representing the United Nations at negotiations with Governments with respect to the hosting of meetings and conferences away from Headquarters. Initiating, coordinating and supervising actions covering the entire span of conference services activities related to meetings and documents, e.g., planning, scheduling, forecasting, organizing, recruitment, documentation processing, capacity planning, conference venues’ assessment, facilities usage optimization, actual coordination of services of meeting and conferences, etc. ensuring consistency in the application of UN rules and procedures and optimal utilization of available financial, human and physical resources;
• Programmatic/Substantive Support: Managing, supervising and carrying out the work programme of the Division under his/her responsibility. Coordinate the work carried out by the Section including preparation, planning and implementation of UNON’s clients’ Calendar of Conferences and Meetings as well as the official UN calendar of meetings serviced by UNON. Providing the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM) with UNON’s substantive input in the preparation of and draft reports on Meetings and Documents serviced/processed by UNON for presentation to intergovernmental bodies including the Committee on Conferences, the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate. Preparing Conference Services Implications as and when needed for legislative bodies under UNON’s purview. Guiding the development from the business perspective and supervising the maintenance and adequate use and data integrity input on system-wide meeting & documents management applications such as meetings planning system (gMeets), global document management system (gDoc 2.0) Support Paper Smart meetings and help identify and realize related efficiency gains;
• General Administration:  Supervising the meetings & documents management teams and providing advice to others on conference and document management and its impact on finance. Managing and disseminating information on meetings and conferences to relevant services and service providers. Overseeing the capture of conference facilities and services utilization and issuance of statistical reports for client invoicing and the Division’s charge back system as well as for DGACM’s annual report. Provide expert support and advice to the Conference Center Master Plan and in the sound management of the conference facilities at UNON;
• Leads team members efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. Ensures that everyone can discover, access, integrate and share the data they need;
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of conference policies, procedures and practices. Ability to research, select, organize and summarize information required for the preparation of meetings and conferences. Ability to demonstrate tact and negotiating skills, good judgement, decision-making and analytical skills. Ability to produce reports and documentation on technical issues. Ability to collaborate with industry technology experts. The ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. 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;
• 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;
• 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 them informed and anticipate problems. Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects. Meets timelines for delivery of products or services to clients;
• 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 improvements. 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;
• 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 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 languages, communications, international affairs, public administration, management, social sciences or related field is required. A first-level university degree in the specified fields of study with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.

Work Experience

• A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in planning and coordinating the delivery of conference services and special events, including 5 years at the international level or in multicultural institutions is required;
• Experience in managing diverse teams of staff and significant conference-related human resources is required;
• Experience in conferencing related tools and technology is desirable;
• Experience in facilitating intergovernmental processes and multilateral diplomacy, as well as experience in handling a multi-disciplinary portfolio of tasks and duties is desirable;
• Experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of any other UN official language is desirable. NOTE: “Fluency equals a rating of “fluent” in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and ” Knowledge of” equals a rating of ” confident” in two of the four areas.

Application instructions

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