Org. Setting and Reporting

The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services (UNOMS) is headquartered in New York, USA. This position leads the Regional Ombudsman Office in Santiago, one of seven regional branches of UNOMS. UNOMS was established as the informal pillar of the United Nations internal system of administration of justice. Its mandate is to provide staff members and affiliated personnel with access to impartial and neutral services to address work-related concerns. The Santiago Regional Office delivers informal conflict resolution services to UN personnel within its designated area of coverage. The Regional Ombudsman reports directly to the Chief of Service and operates under the overall supervision of the United Nations Ombudsman.

Responsibilities

The Regional Ombudsman is responsible for the following: Lead and manage the Regional Ombudsman Office in Santiago, ensuring the effective delivery of services within the assigned area of coverage. Provide independent, impartial, confidential and informal conflict resolution services to staff members and affiliated personnel on employment-related concerns. Advise staff members and affiliated personnel on available options and avenues for resolution, taking into account the respective rights, obligations and interests of the Organization and its personnel. Facilitate dialogue, conduct mediations, undertake shuttle diplomacy and information-gathering, and provide conflict coaching to support constructive resolution of disputes involving staff members and affiliated personnel. Engage, as an independent and neutral actor, with leadership and other stakeholders in offices within the region to help address work-related concerns raised by staff members and affiliated personnel. Design and deliver outreach initiatives to promote awareness of informal conflict resolution services and conduct skill-building activities to strengthen conflict competence among staff members and affiliated personnel. Identify, analyze and raise awareness of systemic issues, including policies, procedures and practices that may contribute to workplace tension or conflict affecting staff members and affiliated personnel, and provide upward feedback to senior management, as appropriate. Maintain close coordination with the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services at Headquarters, consulting as necessary on sensitive matters and systemic trends. Prepare periodic activity reports, including qualitative and quantitative data on case trends, outreach activities and systemic observations. Supervise regional staff, including performance management, professional development and team leadership. Undertake regular travel, including virtual visits to offices within the region to provide in-person services, outreach and conflict competence training. Contribute to office-wide initiatives, projects and policy development efforts. Perform other related duties as required.

Competencies

Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to outline options on how to navigate the handling of a broad range of work-related concerns; shows knowledge of third-party neutral conflict resolution and mediation principles; demonstrates ability to identify visitors' needs, create a safe and confidential environment, and explore possible options; is able to establish trust and maintain productive partnerships with visitors and stakeholders, respecting the principles of neutrality and confidentiality; is able to negotiate difficult situations taking into account the interests of all sides; shows respect and empathy for individuals; 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. 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. Client orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view. Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect. Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions. Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems. Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects. Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client. 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. 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 or Doctorate degree, or equivalent) in in public administration, dispute resolution, human resources management, human relations, law, management, organizational development, counseling or related fields is required. A first-level degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in the specified fields of studies with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Job - Specific Qualification

A combination of mediation training, conflict coaching training and ombudsman training is required

Work Experience

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience, including at least five years at the international level in dispute resolution, human resources management, law, or related field is required. Experience providing informal conflict resolution services in the workplace is desirable. Experience working with conflict resolution in the region is desirable. Experience working in the United Nations or other similar international organization is desirable.

Languages

Language	Reading	Writing	Listening	Speaking
English	UN Level III	UN Level III	UN Level III	UN Level III
Spanish	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 a competency-based interview.

Special Notice

Appointment against this position is for an initial period of one year. The appointment and renewal thereof are subject to the availability of the post or funds, budgetary approval or extension of the mandate. 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. 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. 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. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or under-represented in the UN Secretariat as of 31 March 2026, are strongly encouraged to apply: Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, China (People's Republic of), Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Grenada, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu.

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.