Org. Setting and Reporting

The Ethics Office was established in 2006 to secure the highest standards of integrity of staff members in accordance with Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, taking into consideration paragraph 161 of the 2005 World Summit Outcome and pursuant to General Assembly resolution 60/248. This position is located in the independent United Nations (UN) Ethics Office which assists the Secretary-General in ensuring that all staff members observe and perform their functions consistent with the highest standards of integrity, required by the Charter of the United Nations, through fostering a culture of ethics, transparency and accountability. While maintaining operational independence and strict confidentiality of the UN Ethics Office, the Director is accountable to the Secretary-General for its management. The Director presents an independent annual report on the Activities of the Ethics Office to the General Assembly and consults with the Independent Audit Advisory Committee. The Director will have observer status at the Management Committee, and also serves as the Chairperson of the inter-agency Ethics Panel of the United Nations.

Responsibilities

Under the terms of reference of the Secretary-General’s Bulletin 2005/22, the Director of the United Nations Ethics Office will be responsible for the following duties: Manages and leads the work of the Ethics Office: • Directs, manages, and coordinates the work of the Ethics Office in the implementation of a responsive and coherent ethics programme (s) and its related activities that foster a culture of ethics, transparency and accountability. • Provides functional leadership to the Ethics Panel of the United Nations to ensure the development of a unified set of ethical standards and policies for its membership, pursuant to the Secretary-General’s Bulletin 2007/11 and represent the UN Ethics Office at the Ethics Network of Multilateral Organizations. • Provides leadership in the development of ethical practices and promotes ethical standards within the Secretariat, peacekeeping and special political missions and in coordination with other Organizations of the UN system, as appropriate; Leads the development of substantive content for ethics training and information packages. • Provides guidance and confidential advice to senior managers and staff on conflicts of interest; Provides consultations on ethics-related policy issues as requested. • Undertakes or oversees the programmatic and administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Ethics Office Division, including preparation of budgets, reporting on budget/programme performance, including management of its human, financial and information resources and respond to oversight enquiries. • Oversees the recruitment of staff for the Office taking due account geographical and gender balance and other institutional values. • Manages, guides, develops, and trains staff under his/her supervision; foster teamwork and communication among staff in the office and across organizational boundaries. Leads the implementation of the financial disclosure programme: • Pursuant to Secretary-General’s Bulletin 2006/6, oversees and leads the implementation of the financial disclosure programme, including the annual disclosures for the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly. • Leads the activities related to the work of the independent external reviewers responsible for evaluating the financial disclosure statements. Administers the cases on protection against retaliation: • Administers the case management and conduct preliminary reviews of requests from those individuals from the Secretariat who seek protection against retaliation in accordance with Secretary-General’s Bulletin 2017/2/Rev.1 and those individuals from the Ethics Panel membership in accordance with Secretary-General’s Bulletin 2007/11. Other duties: • Coordinates and oversees the preparation of reports for presentation to the General Assembly, the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions and other policymaking organs, as appropriate, and appear before such bodies as necessary. • Represents the UN Ethics Office at international, regional or national meetings and provides substantive expertise on issues. • Convenes substantive discussions with representatives of Member States and Heads of other Organizations within the UN system. Serve as principal liaison with external parties, including representatives of other international, inter-governmental and nongovernmental organizations, experts and media representatives.

Competencies

Professionalism: Proven conceptual, analytical and evaluative capabilities; expert knowledge in legal and/or administrative approaches to defining and managing conflicts of interest and other ethics issues within an intergovernmental setting; proven ability to give guidance and advice to and produce analytical briefing/advisory notes for senior leaders; ability to rapidly identify issues, formulate options, and make conclusions and recommendations; shows strong conceptual understanding of conflicts-of-interest management, financial disclosure requirements and whistleblower protection; ability to generate and communicate broad and compelling organizational direction, inspiring others to pursue that same direction; and demonstrated experience in programme management, including budgeting, human and information resources. 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. Exceptional interpersonal skills, with an ability to inspire trust and confidence with internal and external stakeholders. Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow. Empowers others to translate vision into results. Demonstrates leadership talent, with the ability to motivate and interface with all staff at all levels by virtue of keen ethics acumen, excellent judgment, emotional intelligence, credibility, flexibility and personal integrity. Is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives. Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support. Demonstrates ability to build and maintain strong cross-functional relationships with a variety of stakeholders. Anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions. Drives for change and improvement; 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. Strong ability to balance strategic and practical issues. Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to clearly and concisely articulate complex concepts and ease in rendering key messages to staff at all levels of the Organization. Strong ability to interact with stakeholders at all levels, including senior management. 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 the audience. Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. 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 that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision. Makes tough decisions when necessary. Managing performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.

Education

Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent degree) in public or business administration, law, applied ethics or public ethics with a focus on administrative ethics or governance and corruption, human resources management or labour relations. A first-level university degree, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of fifteen years of experience in public administration, human resources management, administrative law, ethics, compliance, risk management, audit functions or anti-corruption programmes within a large non-profit or public sector institution or international organization is required. A minimum of seven years of progressively serving as executive or senior manager leading large programme and related activities in the area mentioned above is required. A minimum of seven years of experience managing a large team in a multicultural setting is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another United Nations official language is desirable.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview.

Special Notice

The appointment against this position is limited to the UN Ethics Office. The incumbent shall serve a five-year term with the possibility of renewal for one additional term. Upon completion of tenure, the incumbent shall not be eligible for any employment within the Secretariat. Staff members appointed to the current position are required to submit a financial disclosure statement upon assignment or appointment and annually thereafter. An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. 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 un-represented or under-represented in the UN Secretariat as of 31 Jan 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 Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu. 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.

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.