UNOG – United Nations Office in Geneva

Junior Professional Officer Program (JPO) Chiffre Nr. 2024-1-11

TERMS OF REFERENCE

I. General Information

Title: JPO in Administration

Sector of Assignment: Programme Management, Administration

Organization/Office:
United Nations Office in Geneva/ Division of Administration / Office of the Director

Country and Duty Station: Geneva, Switzerland

Duration of assignment: 2 years with possibility of extension for another year. The extension of appointment is subject to yearly review concerning priorities, availability of funds, and satisfactory performance

Please note that for participants of the JPO-Programme two years work experience are mandatory! Relevant work experience can be counted. In order to assess the eligibility of the candidates, we review the relevant experience acquired after obtaining the first university degree (usually bachelor’s degree).

II. Supervision

Title of Supervisor:

Programme Management Officer

Content and methodology of supervision:

Establishment of a Work Plan: During the first month of the assignment, the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) will work jointly with his/her direct supervisor to finalize an agreed upon work plan. The final work plan will be discussed and mutually agreed to by the JPO and his/her supervisor.

Evaluation: The United Nations Performance Evaluation System (e-performance) will serve as a primary platform to evaluate of the JPO’s performance.

The candidate will be trusted to work independently on assigned projects. He/she will have easy access to the direct supervisor who is available for guidance and support. The candidate will work in collaboration with other members of the team within the Office of the Director. There will be regular interaction with colleagues in the Division and within UNOG.

III. Duties, Responsibilities and Output Expectations

Within delegated authority, the Junior Professional Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

• Participate in the implementation of an internal governance review, mapping the work of working groups and other bodies, preparing standard operating procedures (SOPs) and contributing to an exchange of good practices.
• Follow innovation in conference and meeting organization and contribute to the work with clients on providing optimal conditions for multilateral meetings, including expanded meeting modalities such as hybrid, fully virtual and webcast meetings.
• As part of UNOG’s change management initiative, help implement a new culture focused on the end user experience, including single point of entry and other innovations.
• Contribute to a mapping of the distribution of tasks between clients and service providers, develop and visualize work flows, in close collaboration with clients, as guidance for the interaction. Support other ongoing mappings of end-to-end services, identifying pain points, developing suggestions for improvement.
• Assist in the design and implementation of initiatives to keep track of customer needs and improve client satisfaction.
• Facilitate the development and implementation of other assigned projects, identify problems and issues to be addressed and recommend corrective action, identify and tracks follow-up action.
• Participate in research and analysis, monitoring and evaluation initiatives, assist in the design of surveys and other data collection tools, review and interpret responses, prepare preliminary conclusions and draft recommendations for improvement.
• Provide substantive support for policy coordination, contributing to the development of globally coordinated strategies and initiatives.
• Support innovation and transformation projects to improve processes and internal operations.
• Assist in the organization of meetings, workshops and events, proposing innovative formats, identifying participants, preparing background documents, talking points and presentations, handling logistics, etc..
• Contribute to communication and outreach.
• Participate in special projects and perform other duties as required.

IV. Qualifications and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in business administration, management, international relations, diplomacy or a related field.

Work experience:

A minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience in project/programme management, administration or related area is required. Experience in innovation and change management is an advantage.

Languages:

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

 Other skills:

Proficiency in office software and packages.

UN competencies:

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to Administration and Management.  Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Ability to assist with data collection using various methods. Conceptual analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and analysis, including familiarity with and experience in the use of various research sources, including electronic sources on the internet, intranet and other databases.  Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities. 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.

TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; Places team agenda before personal agenda; Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

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 informed and anticipate problems; Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

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.

Workforce Diversity

The United Nations believes that an inclusive culture attracts the best talent and encourages all qualified applicants, regardless of gender, disability, sexual orientation, cultural or religious backgrounds, to apply.

V. Learning Elements

On completion of the assignment, the JPO will have/be able to…

• An in-depth understanding of work processes in administration and management at the UN Secretariat, including affiliated organizations such as UNCTAD, UNECE and others.
• Understand the policy framework and related challenges under which the United Nations has to deliver its mandates and programmes.
• Experienced first-hand initiatives to innovate and improve administrative and management processes .
• Honed skills in programme management, research and analysis, monitoring and evaluation.
• Established a wide network within UNOG and other Geneva-based entities as well as partners at UN headquarters in New York and in other duty stations.

The candidate can participate in training offered by the Centre of Learning and Multilingualism (CLM) at UNOG and other UN training, including the UN Mentoring programme. Training offered by external providers can also be organized, as necessary.

VI. Background Information

The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) is the representative office of the United Nations Secretary-General at Geneva and it is the largest United Nations office after United Nations Headquarters in New York. UN Geneva contributes administrative support to UN entities, funds, programmes and specialized agencies all over the world in the following areas:

People management and capacity building, e.g. 

• Managing some 4,500 staff contracts across more than 25 UN entities.
• Offering learning activities to more than 9,000 participants each year.
• Providing legal advisory services to 22 UN entities.

Financial management, e.g.

• Providing services, advice and guidance in finance and budget to UN Geneva and select UN entities.
• Payroll services to more than 5,000 UN personnel, and medical insurance services to some 26,000 staff, retirees and their dependents globally.
• Processing more than 300,000 payments and administering more than 5,500 grants per year.

Facilities and property management, e.g.

• Operating and maintaining the Palais des Nations as an international conferencing facility and provider of office space, including physical facilities and technical installations, and parks and gardens.

Information and Communication Technology, e.g.

• Providing IT and communication-related services to UN Secretariat offices and programmes in Geneva and the European region.
• Maintaining the UN Geneva network and data center, comprising more than 400 servers and 7,000 work stations, supporting some 7,000 fixed telephone connections and 1,000 mobile users.

Bitte senden Sie Ihre JPO-Bewerbung direkt an das Büro Führungskräfte zu Internationalen Organisationen (BFIO) unter Angabe der Chiffre Nr. 2024-1-11 auf dem Bewerbungsbogen

Alle Informationen finden Sie unter www.bfio.de