Principal Administrative Officer

Department of Operational Support (DOS) was established to provide operational advisory services to operating entities across the Secretariat, including other departments, offices-away-from headquarters, field missions, and regional commissions. Division for Special Activities (DSA) oversees a range of specialized or cross-cutting operational capacities. A large part of its responsibilities is to support start-up, surge, transition, and liquidation requirements and to exercise authority on behalf of entities to which authority has not been granted owing to a lack of capacity or from which authority has been temporarily withdrawn. The focus of this job is to support the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of DOS responses in cross-cutting operational support during start-up, surge, transition, liquidation, and crisis. Within DSA, Operational Planning Service (OPS) helps identify emerging support requirements and works with counterparts across DOS and other United Nations entities to provide operational planning capacity, technical assistance and advice for the deployment, establishment, transition and liquidation of client entities. This position is located within the Operational Planning Service (OPS) under the Division for Special Activities (DSA) of the Department of Operational Support (DOS) and will be based in New York. The Principal Administrative Officer will report to the Director of the Division.

Within the delegated authority, the Principle Administrative Officer, D-1 will perform the following duties: • Formulates and implements the substantive work programme of the Service under his/her supervision. Oversees the management of activities undertaken by the Service, ensures that programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion and co-ordinates work in the different areas both within the Division and Department, and with other organizations of the United Nations System, as appropriate. • Leads, supervises and carries out the work programme of the Service under his/her responsibility. Co-ordinates the work carried out by different work units under the Service and by other agencies and bodies of the United Nations system; provides programmatic/substantive reviews of the drafts prepared by others. • Leads and coordinates cross-cutting operational support and planning activities to ensure the effective delivery of mandates in headquarters and field settings. • Provides cross-cutting operational planning, advisory and coordination support for field entities during start-up, surge, transition, crisis response, drawdown and liquidation phases, ensuring coherence with organizational priorities and operational requirements. • Oversees the development of policy papers, manuals, operational guidance, SOPs, briefing materials, as well as reports to Senior Leadership for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, Committee for Programme Coordination, Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate. • Reports to intergovernmental bodies on budget/programme performance or on programmatic/ substantive issues, as appropriate. Ensures that the outputs produced by the Service maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the teams 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 Service, 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 Service, including preparation of budgets, reporting on budget/programme performance, evaluation of staff performance (ePAS), 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. • Leads coordination and collaboration across HQ departments, field entities and other stakeholders on cross-cutting operational support and crises response matters; Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Service and across organizational boundaries. • 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 relevant issues, including crisis preparedness and response, and holds programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions. • Represents the Division at international, regional or national meetings.

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised. Ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. 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. PLANNING AND 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. 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. JUDGMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business or public administration, finance, accounting, law, engineering, social sciences or related area. A first-level university degree in combination with 2 years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Not available.

A minimum of fifteen years of progressively responsible experience in human resources management, logistics, financial management/budget or related field is required. Experience in leading in a cross cutting operational planning, including advisory or coordination support in start-up, surge, transition, drawdown/liquidation or crisis preparedness/response of a field entity of an international organization is required. Experience in crisis or emergency situations response in an international organization or not for profit setting is required. Experience in developing or overseeing the preparation of policy papers, analytical reports for intergovernmental legislative/budgetary/oversight bodies, manuals, SOPs and papers, as well as high level statements to legislative and oversight bodies is required. A minimum of two years of experience in a country-setting or a field-based organization, in an operational support or senior leadership advisory function, is required. A minimum of two years of experience at an organization’s headquarters coordinating across various stakeholders is desirable. Experience in liaising with government counterparts or regional or sub organizations is desirable.

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

This position is temporarily available until 30 June 2027, with a possibility of extension. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment. 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. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Individual contractors and consultants (Non-Staff Personnel) who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for professional and higher temporary or fixed-term positions and their applications will not be considered. Staff members appointed to the current position are required to submit a financial disclosure statement upon assignment or appointment and annually thereafter. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. NOTE: While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station. This temporary job opening may be limited to "internal candidates," who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15. Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation. Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as "retirement." Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

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. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. 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. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The 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 according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. 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 reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. All external candidates recruited in accordance with section ‎2.2 (a) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment without limitation and all external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2. (c) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment limited to the entity are subject to an initial probationary period of one year under a fixed-term appointment. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

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.