Job: STAFF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

Closing date: Sunday, 28 May 2017

Posting Title: STAFF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER (Temporary Job Opening), P4 (Temporary Job Opening)

Job Code Title: STAFF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

Department/ Office: Office of Human Resources Management

Duty Station: NEW YORK

Posting Period: 23 May 2017-29 May 2017

Job Opening number: 17-HRE-DM OHRM-79779-J-NEW YORK(G)

Staffing Exercise ID: N/A

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Special Notice

Notes

This position is available for the period 1 July through 30 October 2017 subject to availability of post.

A current staff member who holds a fixed-term, permanent or continuing appointment may apply for temporary positions no more than one level above his or her current grade. However, a current staff member who holds an appointment at the G-6 or G-7 level may also apply to temporary positions in the Professional category up to and including the P-3 level, subject to meeting all eligibility and other requirements for the position.

A staff member holding a temporary appointment shall be regarded as an external candidate when applying for other positions, and may apply for other temporary positions at any level, subject to section 5.7 below and staff rule 4.16 (b) (ii). Therefore, a staff member holding a temporary appointment in the General Service or related categories may only apply to positions within those categories.

For full information on eligibility requirements, please refer to section 5 of ST/AI/2010/4Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments. In its resolution 66/234, the General Assembly further 'stressed that the Secretary-General should not recur to the practice of temporarily filling posts in the Professional and higher categories with General Service staff members who have not passed the General Service to Professional category examination other than on an exceptional basis, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that temporary occupation of such posts by the General Service staff shall not exceed a period of one year, effective 1 January 2013…' Consequently, eligible candidates in the General Service or related categories for temporary job openings in the Professional category that have not passed the competitive examination may be selected only on an exceptional basis endorsed by the Office of Human Resources Management where no other suitable candidate could be identified.

Upon separation from service, including, but not limited to, expiration or termination of, or resignation from, a fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointment, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment on the basis of a temporary appointment for a period of 31 days following the separation. In the case of separation from service on retirement, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment for a period of three months following the separation. This equally applies, mutatis mutandis, with respect to a former or current staff member who has held or holds an appointment in another entity applying the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules and who applies for a temporary position with the Secretariat.

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.

Subject to the funding source of the position, this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.

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. An external candidate selected for this position is bound by the prevailing condition of the staff selection system under ST/AI/2010/3, as amended, and ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1.

A staff member holding a temporary appointment who is recruited in the Professional and above categories on a temporary appointment, and placed on a position authorized for one year or longer may not apply for or be reappointed to his/her current position within six months of the end of his/her current service. This provision does not apply to staff members holding temporary appointments and placed on positions authorized for one year or more in duty stations authorized for peacekeeping operations or special political missions.

The expression 'Internal candidates', shall mean staff members who have been recruited after a competitive examination under staff rule 4.16 or after the advice of a central review body under staff rule 4.15.

Please note that 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.

For information on special post allowance, please refer to ST/AI/1999/17. For more details on the administration of temporary appointments please refer to ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1.

The Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and administrative issuances governing staff appointments can be viewed at: http://www.un.org/hr_handbook/English

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.

Staff members are not eligible to apply for the current temporary job opening if they are unable to serve the specified duration of temporary need before reaching the mandatory age of separation. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.

Organizational Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Learning, Leadership and Organizational Development Section (LLODS), Learning Development and HR Services Division (LDSD), Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM), Department of Management (DM). The incumbent reports directly to the Chief, LLODS/LDSD. LLODS manages a wide range of the Organization's learning and development programmes, for staff at all levels. These programmes are aimed at developing core values, core and managerial competencies and promoting a shared organizational culture and values. In addition, LLODS is responsible for the coordination of opportunities offered to staff for the upgrading of their substantive and technical skills.

Responsibilities

Within limits of delegated authority, the Staff Development Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

• Manage and supervise Staff Development Assistants to maintain and deliver learning programmes and ensure that programmes are offered at a global scale meeting the needs of the organisation within the allocated budget
• Keep abreast of developments in the area of staff development and learning and take lead in the conceptualisation, design and implementation of new and/or revised staff development activities, policies, practices and procedures to ensure that content is in line with the organisational priorities, learning methodologies applied are fit for purpose (using a variety of online, social and blended approaches) and to ensure that the impact of the programmes is visible
• Serve as focal point for the Learning Needs Assessment and provide recommendations for 2018-19 adjustments to learning programmes in terms of content and modality;
• Guide and ensure the team's competence in building, codification and sharing knowledge, including best practices; participate in and/or lead special staff development projects and initiatives.
• Serve as focal point for the monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness and impact of staff development programmes, oversee impact assessment projects, and recommend ways to enhance effectiveness and impact.
• Prepare policy papers, position papers and briefing notes on issues related to Learning, Leadership and Organisational Development to OHRM, Senior Management, the General Assembly and other stakeholders and
• Provide ongoing support to the Chief, LLODS/LDSD including drafting reports, budgets, correspondence, guidelines, etc. Serve as Deputy to the Chief of Section, and Officer-in-Charge in the absence of the Chief of Section.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Demonstrated in-depth technical knowledge of all aspects of distance learning, knowledge management, learning programmes, training evaluation systems and web-based application development projects; proven analytical skills; ability to synthesize and summarise data and prepare cogent reports; good presentation skills; knowledge of human resources policies, practices and procedures; and, ability to identify issues, formulate opinions, make conclusions and recommendations. 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; and, remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• 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. Ability to plan, coordinate and monitor own work and work of those under his/her supervision.
• TECHNOLOGICAL AWARENESS: Keeps abreast of available technology and learning modalities; Understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the office and to increase effectiveness of learning programmes offered to clients; Actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; Shows willingness to learn new technology.
• MANAGING PERFORMANCE: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each team 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 team members; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.
• 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. Makes 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) in human resources management, education, business or public administration, social sciences, or related area.
• A first level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

• A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in HR learning and development, including designing learning programmes using a variety of learning methodologies (including online, social, face-to-face and blended learning) is required.
• Experience in conducting learning impact assessment and needs assessments is highly desirable.
• Experience in policy development or related fields of public administration is highly desirable.
• Experience in drafting high level documentation for legislative bodies and/or Senior Management is highly desirable.
• Experience working in a field mission or OAHs environment is highly desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.
• For this position, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required.
• Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage

Assessment

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

United Nations Considerations

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, 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 or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

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.

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' hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The screening and 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, including but not limited to, their education, work experience, and language skills, according to the instructions provided on inspira.

Applicants will be disqualified from consideration if they do not demonstrate in their application that they meet the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations.

Applicants are solely responsible for providing complete and accurate information at the time of application: 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 a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.

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.

For more info: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1495602847820