Org. Setting and Reporting

The Economic and Social Commission of Western Asia is one of the five regional Commissions of the United Nations. (ESCWA unescwa.org) forms part of the United Nations Secretariat and, like the other regional commissions, operates under the supervision of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. ESCWA comprises 21 Arab countries in Western Asia and North Africa. ESCWA provides a framework for the formulation and harmonization of sectoral policies for member countries, a platform for congress and coordination, a home for expertise and knowledge, and an information observatory. ESCWA activities are coordinated with the divisions and main offices of the Headquarters of the United Nations, specialized agencies, and international and regional organizations, including the League of Arab States and its subsidiary bodies, and the Gulf Cooperation Council. This position is located in the Office of the Executive Secretary. The Chief of Staff reports to The Executive Secretary of ESCWA.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, and under the overall supervision of the Executive Secretary, the Chief of Staff will be responsible for the following duties: • Provides advice and support to the Executive Secretary and Deputy Executive Secretary in discharging their strategic leadership functions in the programmatic and managerial areas. • Offers assistance and counsel to the Executive Secretary and Deputy Executive Secretary regarding the execution of comprehensive strategies, as well as the development of policies and procedures within and between divisions and departments. • Oversees and assists in the execution of the programmatic, administrative, and legal responsibilities essential for the efficient operation of OES. These tasks encompass budget preparation, resource allocation, monitoring performance metrics and key indicators, reporting on program and budget performance, contributing to results-based budgeting, evaluating staff performance through e-performance systems, conducting candidate interviews for job vacancies, and assessing candidates to ensure timely and effective support to the Executive Secretary and Deputy Executive Secretary. • Co-ordinates the work carried out by the OES. Liaises with Cluster Leaders of the Commission to ensure an efficient and timely two-way flow of information between them and the OES. • Liaises with Departments at HQs, Regional Commissions, Funds and Programmes and Specialized Agencies to ensure coordination. Liaises with offices of high-level government officials from within and outside the Region in a wide array of issues, including highly sensitive matters. • Plans and oversees the preparation of meetings and official missions of the Executive Secretary and Deputy Executive Secretary, including designing their agendas, logistical arrangements, and talking points. • Provides programmatic and substantive reviews of drafts prepared by members of the OES and clears the final drafts of the Executive Secretary and Deputy Executive Secretary of speeches, statements, talking points, presentations, meeting reports, internal communications, circulars and all official correspondence. • Ensures the adherence of OES outputs to accurate quality standards, including the production of clear, objective reports based on comprehensive data that align with relevant mandates. • Ensures that the outputs produced by OES maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data and ensure they comply with the relevant mandates. • Undertakes the preparation of inputs for the work programme of the OES, encompassing the identification of priorities and the effective allocation of resources to ensure the timely delivery of outputs. • Performs the hiring process for staff in the OES office, making sure to take into account geographical and gender diversity, as well as other important institutional values. • Oversees, mentors, cultivates, and provides professional development and training to the staff under his/her direct supervision. Additionally, as the Head of ES office, he/she will manage, and supervise the work of the team with wide discretion and responsibility. • Promotes collaboration and effective communication among the OES staff as well as across various Clusters and departments, fostering a culture of teamwork. • Serves as the Organization’s representative in inter-agency meetings, seminars, and other relevant forums, addressing substantive matters of importance. • Participates in global, local, or countrywide conferences, providing specialized knowledge and guidance on particular subjects, while also fostering discussions on programmatic, substantive, and organizational matters with representatives from other establishments. • 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. • Head of Executive Secretary Office (OES) and manage and oversee the work of the staff within the office with wide discretion and responsibility.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised. Ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; 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. • Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. • Planning& 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. • 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 economics, management, public administration, international relations, sciences or related area is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in coordination, administration, human resources management, international relations, political outreach, analysis and reporting or related field is required. A minimum of five years of experience on programme and budgetary issues is required. A minimum of three years of experience as Head of Office in an Embassy or Permanent Mission of a country and/or UN organization, or multinational or international global development organization are required. Experience with drafting analytical and strategy documents in line with organizational priorities is required. Experience in priority-setting, forward planning, strategic analysis, and change management and/or implementation of organizational development initiatives in a large international organization is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Arabic is also a working language of ESCWA. For this post, fluency in written and oral English and Arabic is required. 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.

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 364 days. • Recruitment, selection or extension of appointments against this position will be subject to budgetary approval. 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. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. • The recommendation or selection decision for this position shall be void if the recommended or selected candidate does not obtain a clearance according to ST/SGB/2005/7 on designation of staff members performing significant functions in the management of financial, human or physical resources.• Staff members appointed to the current position are required to submit a financial disclosure statement upon assignment or appointment and annually thereafter.

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.