Org. Setting and Reporting

The position is located in the Office of the Under-Secretary-General (OUSG), Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). The incumbent reports, through the Chief of Office, to the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. The Office of the Under-Secretary-General provides support and advice to the Under-Secretary-General and, as appropriate, to the Assistant Secretaries-General on the planning, coordination, management and assessment of the programme of work of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Further information on DESA is available on the following website: https://www.un.org/en/desa.

Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the Chief of Office, the Special Assistant will be responsible for the following duties: - Prepare policy notes and strategic proposals aimed at devising departmental positions on major development issues, in areas of social, economic and sustainable development, with particular emphasis on international cooperation. - Advise the Under-Secretary-General on programme and policy issues falling under the purview of the Department; monitor new or emerging development issues of concern to the United Nations intergovernmental processes, in areas of social, economic and sustainable development. - Oversee the flow of correspondence addressed to and originating from the Under-Secretary-General. - Ensure effective preparations, support for and follow-up to meetings of the Under-Secretary-General with senior representatives of Member States, senior officials of the UN system and representatives of the civil society, and in this regard, coordinate and consult with Directors and other senior staff of DESA divisions and offices, and other offices of the UN secretariat, as necessary. - Assist the Under-Secretary-General in coordinating substantive preparations for the relevant discussions of the General Assembly and Economic and Social Council and for the support of ECOSOC functional commissions, committees and expert bodies and other major activities which require leadership or oversight of the Head of the Department. - Serve as DESA’s key liaison person with officials at all levels inside and outside the organization; liaise on behalf of the Under-Secretary-General with delegations to the intergovernmental bodies and establish collaborative partnerships. Be an active member of the team of the Office of the Under-Secretary-General and perform other duties in support to senior management processes, as required.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM - Knowledge of economic, social, and sustainable development. - Knowledge of the UN system, its programmes and on economic and social affairs and development. - Ability to apply analytical skills in economic, social and sustainable development issues. - Knowledge of the mandates, operations and priorities of development-focused intergovernmental processes and mechanisms at the international level, including their dynamics, linkages and interdependencies. - Shows pride in work and 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. COMMUNICATION - Speaks and writes clearly and effectively. - Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately. - Asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication. - Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience. - Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. 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 decisions, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position. - Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. LEADERSHIP - Serves as a role model that other people want to follow - Empowers others to translate vision into results. - Is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives. - Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support. - Anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions. - Drives for change and improvement; does not accept the status quo. - Shows the courage to take unpopular stands. - 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. JUDGEMENT/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

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in social development, economics, political science, public administration, communications, international relations or related fields 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.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in international relations, socioeconomic research and analysis, policy formulation, application of socioeconomic principles in development programmes or related areas is required. Experience in the areas of economic, social and sustainable development at the international and national level is required. Experience supporting senior officials in an intergovernmental or diplomatic setting is required.

Languages

Language	Reading	Writing	Listening	Speaking
English	UN Level III	UN Level III	UN Level III	UN Level III

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This position is temporarily available from 9 October 2026 until 31 August 2027, with the possibility of extension. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment.

While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post.
Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.
This temporary job opening may be limited to “internal candidates,” who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15.
Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.
The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.
Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as "retirement." Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. All external candidates recruited in accordance with section ‎2.2 (a) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment without limitation and all external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2. (c) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment limited to the entity are subject to an initial probationary period of one year under a fixed-term appointment. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

Special Assistant to the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs