Closing date: Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Posting Title: CHIEF, DIVISION OF CONFERENCE SERVICES, D1
Job Code Title: CHIEF OF SERVICE, CONFERENCE SERVICES
Department/ Office
United Nations Office at Nairobi
Duty Station
NAIROBI
Posting Period
26 December 2014-24 February 2015
Job Opening number
14-CON-UNON-38677-R-NAIROBI (R)
United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
Special Notice
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.
- All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. On-line applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided.
- If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira ‘Need Help?’ link.
Organizational Setting and Reporting
The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) is the UN headquarters in Africa and the representative office of the Secretary-General. We support programme implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UNHABITAT) globally, as well as other UN offices in Kenya, by Providing administrative, conference and information services (www.unon.org).
This position is located in the the Division of Conference Services, United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON). The incumbent reports to the Under-Secretary-General, Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM), New York and to the Director-General of UNON.
Responsibilities
Directs and manages the conference service programmes of UNEP and UN-Habitat. Formulates work programmes, costings and budgets based on forecasted workload and capacity; prepares programme budget submissions and budget performance reports; determines resource requirements and utilization rates. Provides guidance to and implements the conference-servicing programme of the client offices to ensure the most efficient and cost-effective use of available resources and facilities and adherence to General Assembly resolutions on organizing and servicing of conferences and meetings. Coordinates and oversees the preparation of reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, Committee for Programme Coordination, The General Assembly, Committee on Conferences and other policy-making organs, as appropriate; Maintains liaison with the Department of General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM) at Headquarters, New York and the conference servicing offices at other duty stations (Geneva and Vienna) regarding the work programme and resource requirements. Provides policy advice to the Director-General, UNON and the Under Secretary General (USG)/DGCAM, on the organization and servicing of meetings and conferences and effective utilization of resources under the approved programme budget. Provides guidance and implements the Division’s chargeback system and the conference-servicing programme of the client offices. Manages the conference facilities at UNON in consultation with major users of conference resources at Nairobi in order to ensure their most effective utilization and, in cooperation with the Office of the Director-General UNON and Division of Administration, UNON realizes improvements to the facilities and increase in regular budget funding of the service. Provides policy, operational and managerial guidance to Conference Service staff, and approves proposals for recruitment of staff, extension of contracts or other personnel actions; ensures proper application of performance management to staff and recommends staff development activities and training. Through regular meetings of the Conference Service management team, develops innovative programmes to improve the cost efficiency of the service; Implements remote translation for meetings outside Nairobi where feasible and outsourcing of documentation without compromising quality; Develops new procedures and policies to improve the service and its delivery; Implements policies and strategies in line with the Global IT Strategy of DGACM in areas as the Integrated Conference Management System, Official Documentation System, Common Web Portal and Wireless LAN services in conference room areas. Has overall supervisory responsibility for Conference Services, ensures effective coordination between sections and units of the service and implements the policy and standard practices of the UN and UNEP/UN-Habitat in the field of conference servicing and implementing the policies, procedures and standard practices in the field of conference-servicing, as established by the USG for DGACM; Initiating innovations, technical and procedural, to improve efficiency of services and directing development of training programmes for staff to that effect. Introducing and institutionalizing methods of work for language staff, and forging closer working relations between interpreters, translators, editors and language and other support staff; Negotiates with government authorities the conclusion of host government agreements covering conference service requirements, costings, facilities for remote translation, including visits to meetings venues to review facilities. Represents UNEP and UN-Habitat at International Annual Meeting on Language Arrangements, Documentation and Publications (IAMLADP) and contributes to global management of UN conference services and ensures effective collaboration with DGACM/NY and counterparts in Geneva and Vienna. As part of the management team at UNON and DGCAM, represents the Division at the Management Board of UNON to advise the Director-General and the USG/DGCAM discusses and prepares decisions of the Director-General and the USG/DGCAM at UNON.
Competencies
Professionalism:
- Knowledge of and ability to provide specialized advice in a broad range of conference management issues;
- Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter;
- 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; 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;
- Skills in negotiating in multilateral settings and ability to persuade and influence others to reach agreement on complex issues; and
- Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Teamwork:
- Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals;
- Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others;
- Places team agenda before personal agenda;
- Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; and
- Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. Planning & 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; and
- Uses time efficiently. Vision:
- Identifies strategic issues, opportunities and risks;
- Clearly communicates links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals;
- Generates and communicates broad and compelling organizational direction, inspiring others to pursue that same direction; and
- Conveys enthusiasm about future possibilities. 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 improvement; does not accept the status quo; and
- Shows the courage to take unpopular stands.
Education
Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business or public administration, finance, accounting, law, social sciences 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 15 years of progressively responsible relevant experience in conference management, administration, financial management, budget or related field is required. Of these 15 years, at least five years should be at the United Nations, international organizations or at the international level in activities related to conference servicing. Significant language-related management experience in international, regional or national institutions is required. Proven managerial experience in complex programmes is also required.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.
Assessment Method
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
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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