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Setting and Reporting This tary-General of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The incumbent is responsible for leading the work of SPCS, includi. Explicit requirements include Advanced university degree and degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience. Appears open to internationally recruited applicants.
Last checked: 2 hours ago
Closing date: Saturday, 8 August 2026
Country: Global
Duty station: New York
Contract type: Not specified
Grade: D-1
Open to: Internationals
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Org. Setting and Reporting
This position is located in the Strategic Planning and Communications Service (SPCS) in the Office of the Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). The incumbent is responsible for leading the work of SPCS, including the formulation of policies and strategies in the areas of thought leadership, strategic planning, communications and ICT governance, as well as representation of the Department in relevant Secretariat policy and normative bodies. The incumbent reports to the Chief of Office of the Under-Secretary-General.
Responsibilities
The incumbent is responsible for the following duties: -Supports the Under-Secretary-General and the Assistant Secretaries-General in defining the Department’s strategic priorities, and in coordinating and delivering shared goals for the Department. -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; provides programmatic/substantive reviews of the drafts prepared by others. -Support senior management in the thought leadership and analytical work of the Department, act as the Secretary of the Editorial Board and the High-level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs. -Strengthens the collaboration of DESA Divisions to more effectively address new and emerging challenges and enhance foresight, especially on cross-cutting issues. -Promotes strategic integration and policy coherence, including collaborative work with other Secretariat entities in the economic and social fields to better meet intergovernmental mandates and emerging challenges. -Provides strategic direction and authoritative oversight of analytical work, ensuring that publications and policy briefs are substantively robust, methodologically sound, and aligned with mandated priorities and organizational objectives. -Reviews and validates analyses and reports, ensuring accuracy, coherence, and strategic relevance, and advises on necessary revisions to strengthen policy messaging and alignment with the Department’s vision and goals. -Oversees the preparation of the Department’s annual plan of action and performance reports in consultation with the all divisions and offices. -Ensures that the Department’s publications and policy briefs are substantively robust, methodologically sound, coherent and strategically relevant; advises on necessary revisions to strengthen policy messaging and alignment with the Department’s vision and goals. -Serves as the focal point for the work of the Department related to the Executive Committee of the Secretary-General, and the Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs. -Oversees the preparation and implementation of the Department’s strategic communications plan as well as the creation, production and dissemination of public information outreach materials, including through digital campaigning, social media channels and platforms. -Guides the preparation and implementation of the Departmental ICT strategy; act as the Secretary to the Departmental Steering Committee on ICT and its working groups; ensures Departmental compliance with ICT policies and directives. -Undertakes or oversees the programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Service, including preparation of budgets, reporting on budget/programme performance, securing extrabudgetary resources and managing related projects, 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 Service and across organizational boundaries. -Leads and supervises the organization of meetings, seminars, etc. on economic and social issues; manages the substantive preparation and organization of such meetings or seminars. -Represents the Service at internal and external meetings and conferences, and, as required, on other matters.
Competencies
Professionalism: Knowledge of the major social and economic issues as they relate to the Department’s programme of work. 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. 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. Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. 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. Judgement/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.
Education
Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in economics, social sciences, sustainable development or related area is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Job - Specific Qualification
Not available.
Work Experience
A minimum of fifteen years of progressively responsible experience in sustainable development research and policy analysis in an international environment is required. A minimum of five years of experience in strategic planning within a global sustainable development context is required. Experience in managing complex programmes and diverse teams is required. Experience in the production of publications, including substantive review and quality assurance, in the development field is required. Experience in developing communication materials (e.g., communication campaigns, speeches, press releases, articles, audio-visual materials or similar) in the development field is required. Experience in intergovernmental support and inter-agency engagement is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. There are no additional desirable languages specified. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).
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