Resident Coordinator (Panama)

Organizational Context

The Resident Coordinator (RC) system, established by the General Assembly, ensures the coordination of UN development system entities at the country level. The RC is the highest-ranking UN representative, leading UN Country Teams to ensure accountability for the Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework and coordinate UN support for the 2030 Agenda. The role reports to the Secretary-General and the host government, focusing on sustainable development and poverty eradication.

Job Purpose

The Resident Coordinator (RC) serves as the highest-ranking representative of the United Nations Development System (UNDS) at the country level, reporting directly to the Secretary-General. The RC leads UN Country Teams, ensuring accountability for the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework and coordinating UN support for the country's implementation of the 2030 Agenda. This involves representing the UN at the highest state levels, fostering engagement with diverse national and international partners, and advocating for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The role ensures system-wide coherence, leverages UN assets, and promotes the UN's normative agenda, human rights, gender equality, and the principle of leaving no one behind. The RC also oversees security coordination when designated and manages the Resident Coordinator's Office, contributing to peace, resilience, and sustainable development.

Responsibilities

The Resident Coordinator (RC) represents the UN at the highest state levels, fostering engagement with government, civil society, and partners to advance the 2030 Agenda and SDGs. As leader of the UN Country Team (UNCT), the RC coordinates operational development activities and system-wide responses, overseeing the development, monitoring, and implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. Responsibilities include coordinating UN system support, mitigating risks to SDG achievement, and advocating for UNCT agencies. The RC leads context analysis, promotes UN Charter values, human rights, and gender equality, and builds strategic partnerships. They leverage UN system expertise to address national needs, ensure coherence, and manage country financing instruments. The role also involves pursuing the UN's normative agenda, fostering collaboration, facilitating access to resources, leading strategic communication, coordinating security when designated, promoting staff development, managing matrixed reporting, advancing common business operations, and coordinating humanitarian responses or integration with peacekeeping missions in relevant contexts. Oversight of the Resident Coordinator's Office is also a key responsibility.

Work Experience

A minimum of 15 years of substantive leadership experience at the international level is required, including at least five years in development, human rights, rule of law, peace-building, or humanitarian work at the country level outside one's own country. Previous Resident Coordinator experience, humanitarian program management, disaster/emergency response coordination, strong political acumen, and experience engaging with diverse stakeholders (government, civil society, etc.) are desirable.

Skills

Leadership, coordination, strategic partnerships, advocacy, human rights, gender equality, sustainable development, security coordination, staff management, financial oversight, communication, analysis, negotiation, conflict resolution, innovation, inter-agency collaboration.

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