Organization: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: United States of America
Closing date: 11 Jun 2015
Special Notice:
This is an extension for 30 days as of 13 May 2015 of 15-PGM-OCHA-40169-R-NEW YORK (X) – Chief, Information Services Branch, D1, which was previously advertised from 13 March 2015 to 12 May 2015. The purpose of the extension is to attract additional qualified women candidates as well as additional qualified candidates from diverse geographic locations.
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.
This post is funded for a finite period of one year. Extension of the appointment is subject to extension of the mandate and/or the availability of the funds.
Org. Setting and Reporting:
Reporting to the Director of the Corporate Programmes Division (CPD) and a member of the Senior Management Team, the incumbent will be responsible for the management and leadership of the Information Services Branch, overseeing the delivery of information, data and technology services in support of OCHA’s mandate and agreed priorities. This will involve developing and implementing an effective and innovative strategy to deliver information, data and technology services and solutions for OCHA staff and for clients in the humanitarian sector worldwide, and particularly for field teams based in crisis locations.
Responsibilities:
Within delegated authority, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:
• Leads, supervises and carries out the work programme of the Branch under his/her responsibility. Co-ordinates the work carried out by different work units under the Branch and by other agencies and bodies of the United Nations system.
• Leads the development and implementation of an information strategy for the organization to encompass: information, data, enterprise and technology solutions for internal staff and external clients in the humanitarian sector.
• Oversees development of a new data architecture and business workflow to ensure that staff have access to key data for their work. This involves developing – in collaboration with internal clients – statistical methodologies that support analysis and decision-making.
• Promotes an open data policy for the humanitarian community by leading or helping to set policy.
• Ensures that the outputs produced by the Branch maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the Sections under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates.
• Assists the Director in preparing the work programme of the Branch, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery.
• Undertakes or oversees the programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Branch, including preparation of budgets, reporting on budget/programme performance, evaluation of staff performance (PAS), interviews of candidates for job openings, evaluation of candidates and preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting.
• Recruits staff, taking due account of geographical balance.
• Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision.
• Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Branch and across organizational boundaries, focused on delivering innovative solutions for clients.
• Leads and supervises the organization of meetings, seminars, etc. on substantive issues. Manages the substantive preparation and organization of such meetings or seminars.
• Participates in international, regional or national meetings and provides programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue, or holds programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions.
• Represents the Division at international, regional or national meetings.
Competencies:
• Professionalism: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised. Speaks clearly and effectively; ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. 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.
• 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.
• Technological Awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.
Managerial Competencies:
• 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 management, public administration, finance, social sciences, information management, marketing or a related field. 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 years of progressively responsible experience in administration, budget, finance, human resources management, or related field. Experience in Information Management is required. Experience in the management or oversight of teams or resources is desirable. Experience in the design, delivery and marketing of information to clients is desirable. Experience in the latest approaches to information in a humanitarian context is desirable. Humanitarian field experience is desirable.
Languages:
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.
Assessment Method:
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview
How to apply:
United Nations Considerations:
- Job openings posted on the Careers Portal are taken off at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.
- Applications are automatically pre-screened according to the published evaluation criteria of the job opening on the basis of the information provided by applicants. Applications cannot be amended following submission and incomplete applications shall not be considered. The selected candidate will be subject to a reference checking process to verify the information provided in the application.
- 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” on the upper right side of the browser on Inspira.
- 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.
- Candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, 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 and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
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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