United Nations – UN-Secretariat

Junior Professional Officer Program (JPO) Chiffre Nr. 2024-2-38

TERMS OF REFERENCE

I. General Information

Title: JPO in Finance and Budget & Programme Management

Sector of Assignment: Administration (Finance and Budget; Project Management & Front Office)

Organization/Office: Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMSPC), Office of Programme Planning, Finance and Budget (OPPFB), Field Operations Finance Division (FOFD)

Country and Duty Station: New York, USA

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

Direct Supervision by:

Director of FOFD, OPPFB, DMSPC

Content and methodology of supervision:

• Induction: During the first week of the first year the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) will be provided with an induction program outlining the functions of OPPFB/FOFD, an overview of its clients, and a relationship with relevant stakeholders, including an introduction to counterparts at headquarters and in the field.
• Work Plan: During the first month of the assignment, the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) will establish a work plan jointly with his/her direct supervisor. 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 yearly evaluation would be completed after the first year of service with close performance monitoring and appraisal as required. Ongoing discussions will take place between the supervisor and supervisee throughout the reporting period regarding tasks to be performed. The incumbent will be given continuous professional feedback, guidance, training, and mentoring by the supervisor. The JPO will also be expected to attend a weekly meeting with all members of the Unit in addition to regular meetings with the Supervisor to discuss work assignments.

III. Duties, Responsibilities and Output Expectations

The position is located in the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMSPC), Office of Programme Planning, Finance and Budget (OPPFB), Field Operations Finance Division (FOFD). FOFD supports the Controller in exercising accountability for the financial resources made available by the Member States for peace operations, with a currently approved annual budget in excess of US$7 billion. The main partners of the Division are the field operations, the Department of Peace Operations, the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, the Department of Operational Support and the legislative bodies.

Under the direct supervision and guidance of the supervisor, the JPO will be responsible for performing the following tasks and duties for the projects to which he/she will be assigned:
 

• Supports the coordination of administrative and management matters to ensure that all background information relative to meetings attended by the Director, the Controller, and other senior officials are properly collected and organized.
• Assists in coordinating the preparation of reports and responses to queries of the legislative bodies of the United Nations on budgetary matters.
• Prepares briefings, talking points and presentations for the attention of the FOFD Director, the Controller and Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMSPC).
• Prepares minutes of meetings, identifies follow-up actions emanating from the decisions taken at the meetings and ensuring that the concerned offices/units within OPPFB and FOFD take the needed actions.
• Supports the monitoring of budgetary allocations through regular reviews; drafts routine and ad hoc outputs; and provides effective monitoring reports and data. Identifies deviations from plans and proposes corrective measures.
• As needed, liaise with client offices such as field operations, the Department of Peace Operations, the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, the Department of Operational Support.
• Reviews documents, conducts research and analysis of various administrative issues, as assigned.
• Drafts correspondence for the signature of the Director and the Controller, as appropriate.
• Assists the Director and the Special Assistant by ensuring that all issues requiring their immediate attention and/or action are followed through.
• Produces major/complex reports for management.
• Oversees the flow of correspondence addressed to and originating from the Director.
• Performs other related work as required.

UN Field Exposure: To further the professional development of the JPO, FOFD would be supportive of the JPO joining staff members for field travel to client peacekeeping and special political missions. In addition, FOFD would also be supportive of the JPO conducting short-term deployments to support UN field missions in their mandate implementation. As the main clients of FOFD are in the field, the Office would make every effort to expose the JPO to such experiences.

IV. Qualifications and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in business management, public administration, international relations, political science, or another relevant field.

Work experience:

At least two years of professional or management consulting experience in monitoring and evaluation, business process analysis/improvement, strategic planning & policy formulation, project management, or organizational change. Experience in international organizations/corporations or public administration is desirable. Experience working in a front office of a senior manager is desirable.

Languages:

Fluency in oral and written English is required; knowledge of French would be an asset.

Other skills:

• Experience and/or certification in project management and process improvement is highly desirable;
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills;
• Good interpersonal and communication skills; presentation and facilitation skills; and customer and stakeholder relationship management skills;
• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Word, PowerPoint; Advanced knowledge of Excel including the ability to generate reports, use spreadsheets, graphing, pivot tables, calculations, and automation to process large quantities of data relevant to business tasks.
• Experience using business intelligence tools or statistical software (e.g., Microsoft Power BI, SPSS, SAP Business Objects) would be an asset; and
• Experience working with an administrative function (e.g., human resources, finance, information technology) or in management consulting (e.g., process improvement, monitoring and evaluation, etc.) would be an asset.

UN competencies:

PROFESSIONALISM: 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.

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.

TECHNOLOGICAL AWARENESS: Keeps abreast of available technology; Understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the office; Actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; Shows willingness to learn new technology.

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:

• An excellent understanding of the UN Secretariat, including its field operations, its overall structure, operational dimensions (civilian, military, police, support) funding and administration;
• Firsthand experience in the workings of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) and the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly;
• Exposure to UN operations in the field;
• An in-depth knowledge of the challenges of implementing change programs in a multicultural environment / large international organization;
• An in-depth understanding of best-practices in administrative service delivery and running projects in a highly diverse and globally distributed organization supporting peace operations and special political missions;
• An in-depth understanding of qualitative and quantitative benefits tracking and the use of data to support business process improvement and quality assurance efforts;
• A comprehensive knowledge of the applicable UN guidelines, policies and procedures, particularly in multiple areas of administration.

VI. Background Information

The position is located in the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMSPC), Office of Programme Planning, Finance and Budget (OPPFB), Field Operations Finance Division (FOFD). FOFD supports the Controller in exercising accountability for the financial resources made available by the Member States for peace operations, with a currently approved annual budget in excess of US$7 billion. The Division is committed to an ongoing change process to ensure the highest effectiveness and efficiency standards in budget preparation and presentation including the mainstreaming of results-based budgeting. The working environment of peace operations is dynamic, and the FOFD team is committed to meeting the corresponding demands. The main partners of the Division are the field operations, the Department of Peace Operations, the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, the Department of Operational Support and the legislative bodies.

The JPO will be placed in the Office of the Director, reporting to the Director and the Special Assistant. The JPO will participate in projects that involve planning, business and data analysis, facilitation of workshops/meetings organized for joint problem solving, and reporting and communications. In this regard, the incumbent will be responsible for providing efficient, timely, responsive and high-quality project support to FOFD and its services including:

• Detailed planning to ensure that all processes and projects of the FOFD Front Office and its services are managed in an efficient and effective manner;
• Development of project deliverables in consultation with all relevant stakeholders; and
• Innovative and effective contributions to all process improvement and change management efforts.

Bitte senden Sie Ihre JPO-Bewerbung direkt an das Büro Führungskräfte zu Internationalen Organisationen (BFIO) unter Angabe der Chiffre Nr. 2024-2-38 auf dem Bewerbungsbogen

Alle Informationen finden Sie unter www.bfio.de