Special Notice
Extension of the appointment is subject to Extension of the mandate and/or the availability of the funds.- Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.- An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. All staff of the Ethics Office are required to submit a financial disclosure statement upon appointment and annually thereafter.
Applicants from troop and police-contributing countries who are found most suitable and recommended for selection will be given due consideration for positions in a peacekeeping operation or Headquarters support account funded positions in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support, taking into account their contribution to United Nations peacekeeping, in accordance with General Assembly resolutions 66/265 and 67/287
Org. Setting and Reporting
This position is located in the United Nations Missions in Liberia (UNMIL). The Director of Mission Support (DMS) will report to the Head of Mission (HoM).
Responsibilities
Within delegated authority, the DMS will be responsible for the following functions:
• Acts as the principal adviser to the HoM on all matters pertaining to administrative and technical support activities and, as such, is responsible and accountable to the HoM for the effective general management of the human, financial and physical resources allocated to the mission.
• Contributes to the implementation of the mission’s mandate by providing the necessary managerial, logistical and administrative support required for the fulfilment of the mandate, including such areas as budget, finance, human resources management, logistics, communications, transport, air operations, etc.
• As a member of the Mission Senior Management Team, participates in the mission planning process throughout the mission lifecycle, with particular attention to support areas, and contributes to an integrated approach and consistency in the implementation of the mandate.
• Ensures that the mission budget, staff, and assets are optimally allocated to support of mandate implementation across all mission components and guides any reprioritization of resources during the budget period in line with priorities that support effective mandate implementation. Undertakes or oversees reporting methodology for budget and performance in accordance with results-based budgeting guidelines.
• Initiates the development and implementation of the mission support work plan and ensures coordination and monitoring of overall strategies and programmes for the support activities of the mission and takes the lead in securing the required human and financial resources for the mission.
• Develops and implements a service optimization programme to promote continuous improvement in the quality and delivery of services to mission clients. This will include the establishment of relevant strategic mission performance indicators which provide data and analysis for the review of legislative bodies. Ensures that all processes and systems in place are relevant and cost effective.
• Ensures, through collaboration with all stakeholders, the implementation of the Global Field Support Strategy including, among others, a commitment to supply chain management and integrated/shared service delivery that is client-oriented, responsive and allows for efficiencies wherever possible.
• Maintains active communication with UN headquarters and the global/regional service centres supporting the mission.
• Actively engages with police and military components within the mission to ensure coordinated, high quality support in accordance with their operational requirements.
• Establishes a set of robust policies, procedures, practices, standards and tools that are consistent with UN regulations, rules, policies and practice in order to ensure proper budget, accounting, procurement, financial, assets and human resources management and control and certifies mission expenditures.
• Liaises, negotiates and coordinates with national authorities with respect to administrative and logistical matters.
• Provides guidance, support and supervision to senior administrative and logistics support staff as well as audit and evaluation services, as appropriate.
• Actively engages in management performance duties and ensures the provision of management, guidance, development, training, constructive feedback and performance evaluation and appraisal, and administrative support and other management functions to staff in the areas of his/her responsibility.
• Maintains good order and discipline of staff under his/her overall supervision.
• Develops initiatives to promote the welfare and well-being of mission staff.
• Represents the mission before legislative bodies, providing information and clarification in support of budget proposals.
• Represents the mission support component at meetings, protocol and ceremonial occasions, military parades, etc.
• Performs related duties as may be required by the HoM or DFS, e.g., provides briefings to visiting senior officials on mission, administrative and technical support activities, etc
• Performs other related duties as required.
Competencies
- Professionalism: Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of principles, techniques and practices related to specialized advice in a broad range of human resources, financial, logistical, procurement and administrative areas to Head of Office/Mission, and to Headquarters and senior mission staff; ability to ensure adequate preparation of reports or rationale with respect to key logistics and administrative decisions; proven abilities to represent the Organization before governmental counterparts and UN legislative committees; strong negotiation and conflict-resolution skills. Shows pride in work and 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.
• 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 audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
• 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 in the best interest of the organization. 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.
• Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation and gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the organization; makes tough decisions when necessary.
• Managing performance: Empowers staff and 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 (Masters or equivalent) in business or public administration, logistics, human resources management, finance, accounting, or related area. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Work Experience
A minimum of fifteen (15) years of experience in the areas of administration, finance, logistics, information technology, communication or related fields. A minimum of ten (10) years of management experience, including five (5) years managing multidisciplinary teams including human resources, procurement, finance and/or logistics. Experience ensuring compliance with support-related regulations in a decentralized operational environment is required. Demonstrated outstanding verbal and written communication skills and proven problem solving skills including innovation, flexibility and creativity are required. Demonstrated leadership skills including the ability to build productive teams and motivate individuals at all levels of an organization in the pursuit of common objectives is required. Proven track record of personal effectiveness in complex environments and demonstrated ability to build relationships with multiple stakeholders are required. Experience leading change management or complex innovation initiatives is required. Experience supporting complex and multidimensional field operations in conflict and post-conflict environments is desirable. Experience supporting field operations with police, military or security forces is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of other UN official languages is desirable.
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
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, including but not limited to, respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to, whether they have committed or are alleged to have committed criminal offences or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
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.
Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the At-a-Glance on “The Application Process” and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.
The screening and 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, including but not limited to, their education, work experience, and language skills, according to the instructions provided on inspira. Applicants will be disqualified from consideration if they do not demonstrate in their application that they meet the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations. Applicants are solely responsible for providing complete and accurate information at the time of application: 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 a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.
Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at midnight (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.
More Information
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