Associate Programme Officer

Organizational Context

The Executive Office of the Secretary-General (EOSG) guides the UN family in aligning with the SG's vision and policies, ensuring high standards of efficiency, competence, integrity, and gender balance. Units operate with a matrix team approach, supporting senior officials and fostering integration. This Associate Programme Officer role is within the EOSG's Rule of Law Unit, reporting to its Chief via the Deputy Chief.

Job Purpose

The Associate Programme Officer supports the Executive Office of the Secretary-General's (EOSG) Rule of Law Unit, contributing to the Secretary-General's vision, priorities, and policies. The role's primary purpose is to assist senior leadership by providing comprehensive information, analysis, and policy advice on a broad spectrum of rule of law and human rights themes. These include international courts, transitional justice, anti-corruption, civic space, and security sector reform. The officer ensures quality control of critical documents for the Secretary-General and EOSG leadership, such as reports, speeches, and communications. Furthermore, the role involves contributing to key decision-making fora and actively supporting the implementation of the Secretary-General's agenda and initiatives on rule of law and human rights, like the New Vision for the Rule of Law. This position is instrumental in facilitating informed decision-making, advancing the UN's mandate, and ensuring the cohesive alignment of the United Nations family with the SG's strategic objectives.

Responsibilities

The Associate Programme Officer is responsible for providing comprehensive information, analysis, and policy advice to senior leadership on diverse rule of law and human rights themes. This encompasses areas such as international courts, accountability mechanisms, transitional justice, displaced persons, anti-corruption, civic space, mis/disinformation, drugs and crime, trafficking, corrections, policing, law of the sea, prevention of genocide, responsibility to protect, counterterrorism, prevention of violent extremism, sexual violence in conflict, and security sector reform. A key duty involves ensuring quality control of documents, including background notes, reports, letters, and speeches for the Secretary-General and EOSG senior leadership. The officer contributes to key decision-making fora by preparing for the Senior Management Group, Executive, and Deputies Committees on country and thematic files. Additionally, the role supports the implementation of the Secretary-General's agenda and initiatives on rule of law and human rights, such as the New Vision for the Rule of Law and the Call to Action for Human Rights. This includes assisting in policy development through the review and analysis of issues, trends, and research activities. The officer also prepares various written outputs like meeting notes, remarks, speeches, and background papers, provides substantive support to high-level meetings, and assists with records management, including the official declassification of confidential records.

Work Experience

A minimum of two years of progressively responsible experience in rule of law and human rights programmes is required. This must include direct support to senior officials, high-level coordination mechanisms, working with civil society, and clearing thematic reports. Experience with records management, including official declassification of confidential records, is also required. Experience with the United Nations or another international organization, particularly on system-wide initiatives and policy development, is desirable.

Skills

Professionalism: Knowledge of rule of law/human rights concepts, issue identification and analysis, data collection, independent research, analytical skills, judgment, planning, managing priorities, and integrating gender perspectives. Communication: Clear and effective written and oral communication, active listening, appropriate responses, clarifying questions, tailoring language, and transparent information sharing. Teamwork: Collaborative work, valuing colleagues' input, willingness to learn, prioritizing team goals, supporting group decisions, and sharing accountability. Accountability: Taking ownership, honoring commitments, delivering outputs on time and to quality standards, compliance with rules, and taking responsibility for outcomes.

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