Position description
This position is located within the Office of the Director (OD), UNOOSA, in Vienna, Austria. The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of the Programme Management Officer supporting the Director, and under overall guidance of the Director, UNOOSA.
The Office of the Director (OD) is responsible for leading external relations and public information activities of the Office for Outer Space Affairs, including the coordination of its communications, public affairs, partnerships and advocacy matters, and overseeing the coordination and cooperation of the Office for Outer Space Affairs with space agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and private sector entities involved in space-related activities. OD also supports the Office’s overall direction, administration and management, maintains the United Nations Register of Objects Launched into Outer Space and implements assigned partnerships, initiatives and activities, among which World Space Forum, Space for Women, Space Economy, Space for Youth, Space for Climate Action, Promoting Space Sustainability and Enhancing International Expertise in Registration of Space Objects.
Responsibilities
Within assigned authority the Programme Officer (Engagement and Partnerships) will perform the following specific duties:
- Support the Director in developing and implementing strategies to build and maintain partnerships with a diverse range of stakeholders, including Member States, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, United Nations entities as well as academia and the private sector;
- Assist the Director in preparing the Office’s strategic vision, strategy and action plan;
- Contribute to the preparation and implementation, in close coordination with senior management, of the Office’ strategy and plan of action for strategic engagement and partnerships;
- Contribute to the elaboration of the Office’s communication strategy and plan of action;
- Periodically propose improvements and adjustments, monitor and report on the status of implementation. Support periodic updating of the strategies and plans of action;
- Provide substantive support for strategic messaging and positioning of the Office and the role of space in the global development agenda;
- Assist the Director in reviewing and prioritizing engagement requests and invitations and in coordinating with senior officers of the Office;
- Support participation of senior management to high-level UN conferences and meetings and global space-related events;
- Prepare background documents, statements, briefing notes, key messages and talking points and other documents to support senior management’s participation and contributions to those events and related deliverables;
- Engage with space-related entities, intergovernmental and non-governmental entities, United Nations entities, academia and the private sector;
- Provide substantive support and prepare inputs to policy briefs, tool kits, fact sheets and internal guidance notes on Office’s engagement strategies and partnerships, including development of indicators of success;
- Plan and organize events, meetings, workshops, and other interactive sessions, including proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations. Provide substantive support to other meetings and conferences as required;
- Participate in or lead field missions, including provision of guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties and drafting mission summaries, etc.;
- Participate in resource mobilization efforts, including contributing to the design of high-quality project proposals and concepts, improvement of partnership development and engagement processes. Provide substantive support and engage with prospective donor for those projects and initiatives as required;
- Collaborate closely with officers responsible for external relations and communications on stakeholder engagement and outreach on the execution of the strategy and related plan of action;
- Contribute to monitoring and analyzing programme and project developments and implementation; review relevant documents and reports; identify problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; identify and track follow-up actions;
- Research, analyze and present information gathered from diverse sources on space-related issues;
- Assist in policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of evaluations or other research activities and studies;
- Undertake survey initiatives; design data collection tools; review, analyze and interpret responses, identify problems/issues and prepares conclusions. Collect and analyze data to identify trends or patterns and provide insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting;
- Contribute to outreach activities; make presentations on assigned topics/activities;
- Perform other work-related duties as required.
Competencies
- Professionalism: Has knowledge of the mandates of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA) and of national, regional, and international space activities of Member States. Has knowledge and understanding of UN-Member State cooperation environment on space affairs and technical cooperation. Has knowledge of business development and partnership building, including the private sector. Has ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Is able to conduct data collection using various methods. Has ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. Has conceptual analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and analysis, including familiarity with and experience in the use of various research sources, including electronic sources on the internet, intranet and other databases. 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. 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; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings;
- 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.
Education
- An advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in international relations, political affairs, international economics, business administration or a space-related field is required.
Work Experience
- A minimum of five years of progressively responsible professional experience in the management of programmes and projects is required;
- Experience in engaging with senior managers and building partnerships with Member States, space-related and UN entities on the use of space to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals is required;
- Experience in supporting engagement of senior managers in high-level UN conferences and meetings or space-related global events, including coordinating and preparing related inputs is required;
- Experience in resource mobilization, developing and implementing projects, and nurturing relationships with donors is required;
- Experience in providing political analysis support and preparing communiques and responses to politically sensitive space-related matters is required;
- Experience in planning, organizing and conducting conferences, meetings and events, preferably in space-related field, is desirable;
- Experience in data analysis in using space-related information is desirable.
Languages
- English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another United Nations official language is an advantage.
Application instructions
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