Director, Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs, D-2

Position description

Org. Setting and Reporting

The position is located in the Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs (DPA) of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna, Austria. Under the supervision of the Executive Director of UNODC, and within delegated authority, the incumbent will be responsible for the overall conceptualization, planning and coherent implementation of the Office’s activities in the areas of policy development, strategic planning, research and analysis, and public affairs, and manage the work of the Division.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Director will be responsible for the following specific duties:

• Direct and manage the Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs (DPA), which comprises the Public Affairs and Policy Support Branch (PAB) – including the Brussels Liaison Office (BRULO), the Research and Trend Analysis Branch (RAB), Drugs, Laboratory and Scientific Services Branch (DLSSB), the New York Liaison Office (NYLO), and the Civil Society Unit (CSU);
• Contribute to the formulation of the Office’s and Division’s overall strategies and policies by leading and participating in committees, preparing documents on policy issues, and acting, as required, in an advisory capacity to the ED;
• Provide leadership to the development of innovative and/or change management programmes. Provide the UNOV/UNODC Executive Committee with authoritative and expert advice on the worldwide trends in drugs and crime, and recommend appropriate strategies and approaches;
• In-line with the UNODC Strategy, formulate and implement the substantive work programme of the Division, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs. Exercise oversight over research projects, the preparation of flagship global publications and studies to ensure that outputs are of high quality; coordinate data, planning, scientific and research activities with field based technical assistance programmes, and ensure that research and evaluation findings and identified best practices are taken into account in the design of UNODC’s technical assistance programmes and cooperation activities;
• Oversee the management of activities undertaken by the Division, ensuring that programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion and co-ordinate work in the different areas both within the Division and with other Divisions, and with other organizations of the United Nations System, other inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations, donors and agencies;
• Co-ordinate and oversee the preparation of reports for presentation; represent the Division in key meetings with intergovernmental bodies, senior officials of international development and financial institutions, foundations, private sector organizations and other relevant bodies, with a view to establishing working partnerships and mobilizing support for the implementation of drug control and crime prevention programmes and activities;
• Report to intergovernmental bodies on budget/programme performance of the Division or on programmatic/substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports;
• Direct and promote UNODC’s public outreach activities and direct the development and operation of a system for effective external relation strategies (e.g. impact of public service announcements, awareness on the part of the general public and decision-makers of the role and mandates of UNODC) and develop strategies to bring UNODC and the issues it is addressing to the attention of the public and policy-makers. Ensure that the outputs produced by the Division maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensure that all outputs produced by the Office/Division under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates;
• Oversee programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Division, including preparation of budgets, resource allocation and human resources management, assigning and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on budget/programme performance, preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting, evaluation of staff performance (e-Performance), interviews of candidates for job openings and evaluation of candidates;
• Oversee the recruitment, management and evaluation of staff for the Office/Division, including taking account geographical and gender balance and other institutional values;
• Manage, guide, develop and train staff under his/her supervision; foster teamwork and communication among staff in the Division and across organizational boundaries;
• Chair meetings, seminars, etc., on substantive-related issues; participate in the deliberations of the Executive Committee and other decision-making bodies; represent the Organization at international, regional, inter-agency meetings, seminars and conferences; undertake missions and meet with senior government officials, UN agencies, NGOs, donor communities and field offices to provide programmatic/substantive expertise, negotiate agreements;
• Perform other work-related duties as requested by the Executive Director of the Organization.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Has proven negotiation and diplomatic knowledge/skills and relevant UN core and managerial competencies. Has excellent command of relations with intergovernmental bodies, donor community and NGOs. Has profound knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised, including the international treaties on drug control, crime prevention and terrorism, Resolutions of the General Assembly, ECOSOC and decisions of respective functional commissions. Shows ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. Shows knowledge and ability to apply UN staff and financial 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;
• Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable;
• Creativity: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks “outside the box”; takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches;
• 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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in international relations, economics, communications, public administration, political or social science or similar fields is required. A first level university degree in one of the aforementioned disciplines in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

• Over fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible experience in strategic planning, research and analysis and public affairs at the national and international level with profound exposure to the areas of drug control and crime prevention is required;
• Extensive work experience in senior management assignments of large work units with a large portfolio of programmes in the above areas in an international environment is required;
• Work experience in developing policies and strategies in UNODC’s thematic areas is required;
• Work experience in developing strategic cooperation with UN system partners, intergovernmental bodies, the donor community and non-governmental organizations is required;
• Work experience with demonstrated results in resource mobilization of development cooperation programmes is desirable;
• Work experience with the United Nations system or similar international organization and its administrative policies and procedures is desirable;
• Work experience in international development and field operations contexts is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of at least another United Nations official language is desirable.

Application instructions

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