Job Vacancies Office of the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), June 2012

Job Vacancies Office of the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Position: Executive officer
Location: United States of America ( The ), New York
Closing Date: Wednesday, 20 June 2012

Organizational Setting and Reporting
The Executive Officer will head the Administrative Services Branch of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The incumbent will report to the Director of Corporate Programmes.

Responsibilities
Under the overall direction of the Director of Corporate Programme, the Executive Officer will assume full responsibility for the management of the Administrative Branch, directing and overseeing the provision of administrative services within OCHA in headquarters and the field. The Executive Officer will ensure client orientation by a large, multidisciplinary team. Core responsibilities are set out below. The portfolio may be expanded to include oversight for information and communications technology services.

POLICY AND PLANNING:
Provides strategic advice to OCHA senior management on budgeting, financial, procurement, human resources and general administration issues and practices.
Analyzes administrative processes and systems on a continual basis to identify opportunities to enhance efficiency and improve delivery.
Ensures that administrative service provision is fully in line with the needs of the organization and the strategic objective of strengthened OCHA management and administration.
Identifies potential administrative management reviews of high sensitivity and complexity. Defines problems to be addressed in management reviews; directs the work of review teams through all stages.
Provides direct support to the Director on change management, both internally and across the Secretariat.
Liaises, maintains and manages relationships with key counterparts in offices and departments of the Secretariat, as well as key agencies, funds and programs.
Ensures that OCHA is well-positioned to engage with and effectively implement new and emerging Secretariat initiatives and tools such as Inspira, IPSAS and Umoja.

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT:
Coordinates and manages the full range of staff and human resources administration issues for OCHA, ensuring that requirements of staff and managers in the field and headquarters are met.
Oversees development, consolidation and implementation of a robust and inclusive Human Resources Strategy for OCHA that ensures optimal field support, organizational learning, career development, staff rotation and rostering.
Promotes corporate human resources policies within OCHA.
Works closely with senior managers and others to identify human resources challenges in OCHA and drives changes in systems and procedures necessary to improve service delivery.
Provides expert advice with respect to conditions of service, duties and responsibilities, privileges and entitlements under the Staff Rules and Regulations.
Ensures all actions are in compliance with IMIS operational procedures for recruitment, transfer, placement and separation of staff promotions as well as mobility and career development; gender equality and staff-management relations.

BUDGET AND FINANCE:
Serves as OCHA’s lead financial officer, providing guidance to OCHA Senior Management on financial matters, including procurement, and advising the Management on financial implications of strategic options under consideration.
Oversees financial aspects of preparation of OCHA’s program budget plan in addition to extra-budgetary cost plans.
Oversees engagement, and ensures management of relationship with, budget presentations to legislative bodies, in particular, the ACABQ and Fifth Committee.
Exercises delegated authority for management of trust funds under control of the Administrative Branch.
Contributes to the development and implementation of a set of sound policies, procedures, standards and tools that are consistent with UN policy and practice in order to ensure proper accounting financial management and control of OCHA’s overall resources and assets.
Oversees internal financial reporting and responses to internal and external audit observations in compliance with financial rules and regulations.
Contributes to efforts to bring about closer alignment of OCHA’s work and cost planning processes.

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION:
Oversees planning, organization and implementation of administrative support services to field and headquarters operations, ensuring that OCHA is optimally placed for Secretariat-wide reforms including Umoja.
Oversees implementation of recommendations of audits, reviews and evaluations related to administrative service provision.
Manages and directs OCHA administrative staff, including in terms of performance monitoring and planning.

Competencies
PROFESSIONALISM:
- Proven ability to provide seasoned technical advice in a broad range of human resources, financial and administrative areas to managers.
- Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situation s and preparer reports or rationale with respect to key administrative decisions.
- Demonstrated ability in leading administrative operations and teams of staff to meet organizational requirements.
- Proven ability to address and find solutions to exceptional emergency-driven requirements.
- Track record of effective leadership with the ability to identify key strategic issues, opportunities and risks, capacity to stimulate innovation, conceptualize new approaches and empower others to accept and promote new ideas.
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 audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

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.

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.

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) in business or public administration, finance, accounting, law or related area. A first-level university degree in combination with 17 years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience
A minimum of fifteen years of progressively responsible experience in administration, budget, finance, human resources management, or related field. Experience managing/leading administrative sections at the international level, handling emergency and crises situations is required. Verifiable experience effecting change in an organization, taking the lead in instigating, supporting and propagating this change in an administrative setting is required. Experience in field operations is highly desirable.

Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.

Assessment Method
Evaluation of qualified applicants may include a substantive assessment, which may be followed by a competency-based interview.

Special Notice
This position is funded for a period of at least one year and may be subject to extension.
Extension of the appointment is subject to extension of the mandate and/or the availability of the funds.

United Nations Considerations
The United Nations shall place 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. (Charter of the United Nations – Chapter 3, article 8). The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

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.




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