United Nations – UN-Secretariat

Junior Professional Officer Program (JPO) Chiffre Nr. 2025-2-28

TERMS OF REFERENCE

I. General Information

Title: JPO in Programme Management

Sector of Assignment: Programme Management/Administration /Human Resources Management

Organization/Office: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA),

Capacity Development Programme Management Office (CDPMO),

Junior Professionals Officer Programme

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

Content and methodology of supervision:

Under the general supervision and guidance of the Chief of the UN JPO Programme, the incumbent will report to the Human Resources Officer of the UN JPO Programme.

Establishment of a Work Plan:

During the first months 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

III. Duties, Responsibilities and Output Expectations

The incumbent’s primary role will be to serve as JPO in Programme Management, contributing to the overall objective of the UN JPO Programme, to effectively provide donor funded human resources in support of the UN Secretariat’s mandate. Specifically, the incumbent will perform the following functions:

JPO Programme Management/ Administration/ Outreach:

The JPO will

1. Liaise with receiving offices and participating Member States to support the identification of JPO placements. Establish and maintain collaborative and productive client/ donor relations for the Programme.
2. Keep donors and receiving offices informed of developments and activities of the Programme.
3. Contribute to donor outreach activities of the Programme.
4. Provide advisory services to client departments/ offices and to donors on matters pertaining to JPO post selection and JPO recruitment.
5. Review and classify incoming Terms of References of JPO positions from client departments/offices.
6. Maintain relevant up to date information on the Programme website using a Content Management System.
7. Post vacancy announcements, screen applications and short-list candidates on behalf of those donor countries that delegate the pre-selection process to the JPO Programme.
8. Review shortlists provided by all donors to verify eligibility of candidates.
9. Provide guidance on onboarding procedures and the UN staff rules and regulations to JPOs under recruitment.
10. Provide relevant data/HR analysis reports to client departments and donors as required.

Capacity Building and Career Guidance

1. Organize periodic thematic briefings or networking events for JPOs on board.
2. Provide career development guidance to other JPOs; Offer coaching opportunities on topics such as career development to JPOs.
3. Provide guidance on onboarding procedures and the UN staff rules and regulations to JPOs under recruitment.
4. Maintain and develop knowledge management tools for the JPO Programme (e.g. MS Teams Rooms).
5. Prepare and present information on the JPO Programme to different audiences.

Organization of biennial Inter-Agency/Donor meeting

1. Support the organization of the 16th Meeting of National Recruitment Services and UN Organizations on the JPO Programmes.
2. Contribute to develop the draft provisional agenda in consultation with government representatives and UN Organizations.
3. Solicit and coordinate with all donor and organization participants input for the meeting, such as presentations and discussion papers; negotiate participation of guest speakers.
4. Coordinate the infrastructural and technical set up of the meeting with the host government; coordinating logistic arrangements with the host government and disseminate relevant instructions to participants.
5. Contribute to the smooth overall running of the conference on site.
6. Follow up on meeting conclusions and recommendations related activities.
7. Draft meeting report upon completion of the meeting; ensure publication and dissemination of meeting report.

The JPO is expected to progressively take on additional responsibilities in the 2^nd year of assignment.

 

IV. Qualifications and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in International Relations, Public Administration, Human Resources Management, Psychology, Law, or in another related field.

Work experience:

At least 2 years of relevant professional experience, preferably in an office in charge of recruitment and administration of personnel.

Languages:

English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position proficiency in written and oral English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable.

Other skills:

Experience in providing advisory services to a wide range of clients would be an asset. Experience with financial management would be an advantage. Experience in managing online meetings an asset. Experience with Access, Sharepoint, Drupal and SAP based systems would be considered 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.

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.

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.

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 the audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

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 gained knowledge and acquired skills in:

• Building and maintaining efficient working relationships with client departments and donor counterparts and with other international organizations/agencies;
• Developing a sound knowledge of UN conditions of service and the UN staff rules and regulations;
• Familiarity with the UN recruitment and administrative procedures;
• Building collaborative client relations and provide advisory services to a wide range of counterparts on matters pertaining to the UN JPO Programme;
• Inter-agency meeting planning, coordination, and reporting;
• Understanding and experience in using the UN Secretariat’s SAP-based ERP system.

 

 VI. Background Information

The JPO will work in the UN JPO Programme team within DESA’s Capacity Development Programme Management Office (CDPMO). The UN JPO Programme in CDPMO manages the United Nations Secretariat JPO Programme. It is servicing more than 35 client departments/offices and more than 25 active donor countries and approximately 380 JPOs at any given time. The UN JPO Programme recruits more than 130 new JPOs per year to be deployed across the globe.

Management of the JPO Programme includes a variety of activities, including donor relation and outreach, JPO position management; JPO selection and recruitment; administration of the JPO’s conditions of service throughout the life cycle of the JPO assignment, financial management, learning and development and career support as well as inter-agency coordination.

Bitte senden Sie Ihre JPO-Bewerbung direkt an das Büro Führungskräfte zu Internationalen Organisationen (BFIO) unter Angabe der Chiffre Nr. 2025-2-28 auf dem Bewerbungsbogen

Alle Informationen finden Sie unter www.bfio.de