Senior United Nations Representative

Position description

With 75 years of experience, our focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. We help children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith.

 

Come join our 33,000+ staff working in nearly 100 countries and share the joy of transforming vulnerable children’s life stories!

 

Key Responsibilities:

Location: New York, United States - hybrid role.

Application Language: All CVs should be submitted in English.

 

Job Purpose

 

The Senior United Nations Representative leads on context analysis, advocacy, partnerships and overall World Vision external engagement at United Nations Headquarters in New York. This role coordinates and articulates World Vision's United Nations (UN) engagement, which aims to promote the full realization of children's rights and well-being, particularly for the most vulnerable and marginalized, in line with “Our Promise” (our global strategy) and the Advocacy & External Engagement (A&EE) Roadmap.

 

The representative provides strategic insights, analysis, and trends, including to Senior World Vision leaders, to advance A&EE’s and the Partnership’s objectives for the UN (for example, regarding Child Rights and the next Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs). They develop and implement external engagement strategies to ensure effective outcomes for advocacy priorities across World Vision’s development and humanitarian teams. 

 

Additionally, they build strong relationships with key actors such as Member States, UN Secretariat, key UN Agencies, and other priority stakeholders and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), consolidating strategic partnerships that contribute to World Vision’s United Nations strategy.

 

The representative serves as the focal point for UN relations in New York and works closely with advocacy and external engagement colleagues in other Global Capitals (Geneva, Brussels, Addis Ababa).

 

In addition, the representative will serve as the relationship manager for UNICEF, a Tier 1 Stakeholder for World Vision.

 

SCOPE / DISTRUBUTION OF RESPONSABILITES

 

1. UN Engagement and Advocacy (40%)

• Lead World Vision’s advocacy and engagement strategy with the United Nations in New York, across priority agendas including the Global Campaign, child rights accountability (SDGs), future SDGs, and multilateralism.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive UN engagement and influencing plan to secure support from UN Member States and key stakeholders for World Vision’s advocacy priorities.
• Identify strategic opportunities and entry points to advance the Partnership’s global advocacy and external engagement objectives.
• Represent World Vision in high-level UN meetings, forums, and policy discussions to promote the organization’s policy positions and influence outcomes.

 

2. UNICEF Relationship Management (20%)

• Provide strategic leadership in managing the global Tier 1 partnership with UNICEF.
• Maintain and operationalize a stakeholder engagement plan to strengthen collaboration and alignment.
• Drive achievement of income, influence, and impact goals through effective relationship management, intelligence sharing, and performance reporting.

 

3. Partnership Building and Alliance Development (15%)

• Position World Vision as a leading advocacy voice for children and a preferred partner within the UN system.
• Build and sustain strong networks and alliances, ensuring World Vision plays a leading or influential role in advancing shared advocacy goals.
• Represent World Vision in key civil society networks and coalitions, and lead engagement with UN agencies as prioritized by the Partnership.

 

4. Strategic Analysis and Insight (10%)

• Provide strategic insights and analysis on UN systems and processes, including scenario planning and trend forecasting related to the post-2030 Agenda.
• Develop landscape, comparative, meta, and power analyses to inform global advocacy strategies and engagement plans.

 

5. Senior Leadership Support (10%)

• Facilitate UN engagement for World Vision’s senior leaders, including preparation and briefing for key meetings and events.
• Support national and regional offices in engaging with global UN-led processes.
• Convene and coordinate internal networks and stakeholders to align on UN engagement strategies.

 

6. New York Office Leadership (5%)

• Serve as the administrative lead for the New York representative office, ensuring smooth operations and alignment with organizational standards.

 

REQUIRED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Master’s degree or higher in Political Science, International Relations, Economics or a related field. 
• Deep understanding -through formal education or experience -of trends and debates concerning the multilateral system, sustainable development (SDGs), the 2030 Agenda, the UN system, etc.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in advocacy, policy development/analysis/engagement in government and/or multilateral environments.
• Relevant government, UN and/or external engagement experience, working in multi-NGO environment on highly technical issues of inter-governmental and multilateral policy.
• Strong, relevant networks.

 

PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND/OR OTHER QUALIFICATIONS:

• Proven leadership record on advocacy success and ability to conceive and lead the development and implementation of external engagement plans.
• Strong understanding of UN system, structures and processes.
• Understanding and experience connecting national and regional level political processes and UN/global processes.
• Child rights expertise.
• Faith-Based Organizational Experience: Experience working within an ecumenical Christian context, with sensitivity to faith-based values and approaches in advocacy and partnership building.
• Strong relational and communication skills.

 

Language Requirements:

• Excellent fluency in speaking, writing and editing skills in English. Spanish, French are an added advantage.

 

Travel and/or Work Environment Requirements:

• This is a hybrid position, requiring a combination of remote and in-office work. Must be able to work effectively in both standard office environments and remote settings.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 15% of the time.
• May involve extended working hours, particularly during high-level meetings or events.
• Ability to sit for extended periods and work on a computer is essential.
• Requires frequent interaction with diplomats, UN agencies, and civil society representatives.

 

Compensation:

For positions filled in the United States, the typical salary range for this role is USD 90,000 to USD 120,00 annually. Ranges are based on various factors, including the labor market, job type, job level, internal equity and budget. Exact salary offers will be determined by factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, experience and geographic location.

 

Application instructions

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