Assistant Secretary(P4)

This selection exercise may be used to generate a roster of pre-approved candidates to address future staffing needs for similar functions in any of the Departments and Offices of the Organization.
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING APPLICATION DEADLINE: Please note that the closing date for submission of applications is indicated in local time as per the time zone of the applicant's location.

Organizational Setting

The Secretariat of the Policy-Making Organs provides support for the planning and conduct of business and meetings to enable the Policy-Making Organs (the General Conference and Board of Governors) to effectively perform their statutory responsibilities and their other functions and to ensure that all their meetings are conducted efficiently.

Main Purpose

Under the general supervision of the Director SEC-PMO to assist in the smooth conduct of the work of the Policy-Making Organs, their Committees and Working Groups, and to maintain continuous contacts and communication with other parts of the Secretariat and with delegations of Member States so as to facilitate effective communication between the governing bodies and the Secretariat. This includes research and preparation of preliminary drafts of documents and correspondence, and their revisions leading to their finalization.

Role

The Assistant Secretary is (a) a team member, contributing to ensuring that the Policy-Making Organs are supported in functioning well, and (b) an analyst seeing issues from a broad perspective taking into consideration the competing interests of Member States and focusing on details.

Functions / Key Results Expected

Hold initial discussions with Member States of area groups to assess their standpoints and requirements. Develop and streamline best approaches to communication between IAEA stakeholders and area groups of Member States.
Coordinate in-house preparation and issuance of agendas for Board and Committee meetings. Study all relevant Board and General Conference resolutions and decisions as well as special requests by Member States and reports by the Director General, and liaise with all Departments of the Secretariat. Prepare forecasts of agenda items and tentative lists of items for Board or Committee meetings, solicit comments from Departments and Offices and prepare the annotated provisional agenda and revised Board agendas.
Initiate, maintain and promote continuous communication with delegations of Member States with a view to better eliciting their views on items and issues relevant to the PMO as well as further clarifying and advocating Secretariat positions, with particular appreciation of and care for political sensitivities.
Assist the Director SEC/PMO in consultations conducted by the Chair of the Board of Governors and prepare summaries of these consultations for the use of the Secretariat and the Chair.
Conduct research into past practices and official records of the Policy-Making Organs related to political, technical or procedural matters and develop relevant guidelines for use of IAEA staff.
Maintain close liaison with Permanent Missions and representatives of geographical groups to coordinate preparation of geographical rotation listings of candidates for election and designation to the Board and its Committees and to all the offices of the General Conference. Prepare background papers, speaking notes and procedural scenarios, including voting scenarios, for the President of the General Conference and SEC-PMO. Represent the Director of SEC-PMO in plenary sessions as needed.
Prepare for publication of the annual compilations of all Board decisions and all General Conference resolutions and decisions.
Organize the Speakers' List per day for the General Conference in close contact and coordination with Member States, by evaluating their requests and commitments of their representatives.
Assist members of Diplomatic Missions before and during all Policy-Making Organs' meetings of the IAEA with questions concerning the functioning of the PMO, and provide them with the required information.

Competencies and Expertise

Core Competencies(Competency Framework)

NameDefinition Planning and OrganizingPlans and organizes his/her own work in support of achieving the team or Section’s priorities. Takes into account potential changes and proposes contingency plans. CommunicationCommunicates orally and in writing in a clear, concise and impartial manner. Takes time to listen to and understand the perspectives of others and proposes solutions. Achieving ResultsTakes initiative in defining realistic outputs and clarifying roles, responsibilities and expected results in the context of the Department/Division’s programme. Evaluates his/her results realistically, drawing conclusions from lessons learned. TeamworkActively contributes to achieving team results. Supports team decisions.

Functional Competencies

NameDefinition Client orientationHelps clients to analyse their needs. Seeks to understand service needs from the client’s perspective and ensure that the client’s standards are met. Judgement/decision makingConsults with supervisor/manager and takes decisions in full compliance with the Agency’s regulations and rules. Makes decisions reflecting best practice and professional theories and standards. Partnership buildingIdentifies and builds partnerships. Develops and maintains long lasting partnerships to strengthen relationships. Delivers programmatic outputs and acquires resources in support of Agency goals.

Qualifications, Experience and Language skills

• Master's Degree - An advanced university degree in Public Administration, Political Science or International Relations.
• Bachelor's Degree- A university degree in Public Administration, Political Science or International Relations with at least two years of additional relevant experience might be considered in lieu of an Advanced university degree.
• A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible relevant professional experience preferably in diplomacy, multilateral negotiations and external relations in a multilateral environment.
• Excellent oral and written command of English. Knowledge of other official IAEA languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is an asset.

Remuneration

The IAEA offers an attractive remuneration package including a tax-free annual net base salary starting at US $86027 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance), a variable post adjustment which currently amounts to US $ 46627*, dependency benefits, rental subsidy, education grant, relocation and repatriation expenses; Other benefits include 6 weeks' annual leave, home leave travel, pension plan and health insurance. More information on the conditions of employment can be found at: https://www.iaea.org/about/employment/professional-staff/conditions

General Information

• The IAEA's paramount consideration in the recruitment of staff member is to secure employees of the highest standards of efficiency, technical competence and integrity.
• Staff Members shall be selected without any unfair treatment or arbitrary distinction based on a person's race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, age, language, social origin or other similar shared characteristic or trait.
• The IAEA is committed to gender equality and to promoting a diverse workforce. Applications from qualified women and candidates from developing countries are strongly encouraged.
• Applicants should be aware that IAEA staff members are international civil servants and may not accept instructions from any other authority. The IAEA is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. As part of the United Nations common system, the IAEA subscribes to the following core ethical standards (or values): Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for diversity.
• The IAEA has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and the IAEA, including sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.

Evaluation process

• The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the selection criteria stated in the vacancy announcement. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information. Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise, which may be followed by a competency-based interview.
• Candidates under serious consideration for selection may be subject to reference and background checks as part of the recruitment process.

Appointment information

• Appointment is subject to a satisfactory medical report.
• Staff members may be assigned to any location.
• Candidates appointed to posts in the Professional and higher categories are subject to IAEA rotation policy and their maximum tour of service shall normally be seven years.
• The IAEA retains the discretion not to make any appointment to this vacancy, to make an appointment at a lower grade or with a different contract type, or to make an appointment with a modified job description or for shorter duration than indicated above.