Org. Setting and Reporting
OSAA is mandated with the provision of advisory, advocacy, coordination and monitoring services in support for Africa's development. More information about the Office can be found at www.un.org/osaa. This position is located in the Strategic Management Unit of the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA). Under the overall supervision of the Under-Secretary-General, the Senior Programme Management Officer will lead the strategic coordination and management of the three substantive functions of the Strategic Management Unit (programme planning, monitoring and evaluation; data and analytics; and strategic communications), to ensure the timely and quality delivery of the Unit's institutional outputs, and to align the Unit's contribution with the value chain of knowledge production, advocacy and policy influencing of the Office and of Programme 9 in support of Africa's development. The incumbent will also support the USG in assuring the coherence of Programme 9 (United Nations system support for the African Union's Agenda 2063) across its implementing entities. The incumbent serves as the principal interlocutor between the Unit's functions, the Front Office of the Under-Secretary-General and the Director of the Division for Policy, Monitoring and Advocacy on cross-cutting organizational priorities and deliverables.
Responsibilities
Within delegated authority, the Senior Programme Management Officer will be responsible for the following duties: • Takes the lead to develop, implement and evaluate assigned programmes/projects, etc. in particular related to the integrated workplan of the Strategic Management Unit across its three substantive functions (programme planning, monitoring and evaluation; data and analytics; and strategic communications), including the establishment of common frameworks and guidance and the integration of functional workplans, and the Unit's contribution to the value chain of knowledge production, advocacy and policy influencing of the Office and of Programme 9; directs subordinates in programme/project development, implementation, monitoring and assessment; directs review of relevant documents and reports; identifies priorities, problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; identifies and initiates follow-up actions. • Ensures implementation of gender mainstreaming guidelines by assessing the implications for men and women of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels. • Directs data-based research and programme evaluation and presents information gathered from diverse sources to assess the impact of the Office's programme and knowledge products. • Coordinates policy development regarding programme planning, data management and strategic communications workstreams within the Strategic Management Unit; reviews the assessments of issues and trends, preparation of evaluations or research activities and studies; provides senior advisory support to the Under-Secretary-General on policy, programme and institutional matters, including organizational change and reform initiatives. • Undertakes survey initiatives to assess the impact of the Office's products; guides design of data collection instruments to optimize the efficiency and quality of the communication function and the interaction with the Office's stakeholders and target audiences; reviews, analyzes and interprets responses, identifies problems/issues and prepares conclusions. • Supervises preparation and publication of various written and digital multimedia outputs, e.g. background papers, analysis, substantive sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, press releases, blogs, flyers, etc., and ensures that communication products effectively visualize data and knowledge. • Directs substantive support to consultative and other meetings, conferences, etc., including proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations, supervising the development and implementation of event communication and advocacy plans, etc. • Manages outreach activities; liaises with stakeholders; leads coordination with institutional partners on programme planning, data and communications frameworks; designs and conducts training workshops, seminars, etc., makes presentations on assigned topics/activities. • Leads field missions, including provision of guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties and drafting mission summaries, etc. • Coordinates activities related to budget and funding within the areas of responsibility (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and ensures preparation of related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget, submissions to the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions and to the Committee for Programme and Coordination, inputs on the substantive intergovernmental track including resolution negotiations and Programme Budget Implications, the Integrated Planning, Management and Reporting instrument, and the Strategic Management Application, etc.). • Serves as an effective spokesperson and establishes collaboration and partnerships with key officials at all levels inside and outside the Organization, including counterparts in the entities implementing Programme 9. • Ensures effective utilization, supervision and development of staff; Guides, evaluates and mentors staff • Leads team members' efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting; oversees the Unit's data governance function and code-based analytical infrastructure, ensuring that everyone can discover, access, integrate and share the data they need. • May perform other duties as required.
Competencies
PROFESSIONALISM: Ability to identify key strategic issues, opportunities and risks. Ability to generate and communicate broad and compelling organizational direction. Ability to communicate clearly links between the Organization's strategy and the work unit's goals. Demonstrated ability to provide innovative technical leadership by performing and/or overseeing the planning, development, and management of operations. Demonstrated ability to negotiate and apply good judgment. Able to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. 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. 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. 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. TECHNOLOGICAL AWARENESS: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; 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 staff 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 staff. Encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative. Actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff. Appraises performance fairly. JUDGMENT/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 business administration, management, computational social science, economics, policy analysis, data management, or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with additional two years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Successful completion of degree or non-degree programmes in data analytics, business analytics or data science is desirable.
Job - Specific Qualification
Not available.
Work Experience
A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in project or programme management, administration or a related area is required. Experience advising a head of entity or equivalent senior manager on strategic direction or policy matters is required. Experience in managing teams coordinating strategic planning or organisational change processes within an international or intergovernmental organisation is required. Experience in programme, policy or analytical work relating to Africa's development, including the African Union's Agenda 2063, is required. Experience in data analysis and the quality assurance of data products, using tools such as Microsoft Excel or Power BI, is required. Experience in workplace innovation, applying artificial intelligence tools, including large language models, to policy or analytical work is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. French is desirable. 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).
Required Languages
LanguageReadingWritingListeningSpeakingEnglishUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level II
Desirable Languages
LanguageReadingWritingListeningSpeakingFrenchUN Level IUN Level IUN Level IUN Level I
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
Special Notice
Appointment against this post is open for an initial period of one year and may be subject to extension subject to legislative body funding availability. 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. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Applicants who have reached the mandatory age of separation are not eligible to apply for job openings to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. Individual contractors and consultants (Non-Staff Personnel) who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for professional and higher temporary or fixed-term positions and their applications will not be considered. Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat must meet the applicable geographical or lateral move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy, taking into account that selection to the post may itself constitute a qualifying move, in accordance with the relevant administrative issuances. Staff members are encouraged to ensure that all qualifying geographical or lateral moves are accurately reflected in their applicant profile. Please refer to ST/AI/2025/2 on the Staff selection system for more details.
