United Nations – UN-SecretariatJunior Professional Officer Program (JPO) Chiffre Nr. 2026-2-28TERMS OF REFERENCEI. General InformationTitle: JPO in Political AffairsSector of: Political AffairsOrganization/Office: United Nation / Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs andPeace Operations (DPPA-DPO) / Eastern Africa Division / Office of the Special Envoy for theHorn of Africa (OSE-Horn of Africa)Country and Duty Station: Addis Ababa, EthiopiaDuration of assignment: 2 years with possibility of extension for another year. Theextension of appointment is subject to yearly review concerning priorities, availability offunds, and satisfactory performancePlease note that for participants of the JPO-Programme two years work experience aremandatory! Relevant work experience can be counted. In order to assess the eligibility ofthe candidates, we review the relevant experience acquired after obtaining the first universitydegree (usually bachelor’s degree).II. SupervisionTitle of Supervisor:Principal Political Affairs OfficerContent and methodology of supervision:Establishment of a Work Plan: During the first month of the assignment, the JuniorProfessional Officer (JPO) will work jointly with his/her direct supervisor to finalize an agreedupon work plan. The final work plan will be discussed and mutually agreed to by the JPO andhis/her supervisor.Evaluation: The United Nations Performance Evaluation System (e-performance) will serveas a primary platform to evaluate the JPO’s performance.Under the overall supervision of the Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, and the day-to-daysupervision of the Principal Political Affairs Officer, the JPO monitors and assesses politicaldevelopments in the Horn of Africa, defined for this purpose to comprise the eight membersof the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD). He /she will contribute to thework of the Office of the Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa (OSE-Horn of Africa) inproviding early warning and developing policy options for conflict prevention/resolution andpost-conflict peacebuilding. He/she will assist in preparing briefings, analytical notes, draftcorrespondence and minutes of meetings; assist in drafting reports of the Secretary-Generalto the Security Council and the General Assembly on countries/political missions under thepurview of the OSE-HoA. He/she will participate in fact-finding, preventive diplomacy and/orpeacemaking missions, as appropriate. Supervision of the incumbent will be undertakenthrough continued discussion of assignments/projects and a review of results withsuggestions for improvement by the Principal Political Affairs Officer.III. Duties, Responsibilities and Output ExpectationsUnder the guidance of the Principal Political Affairs Officer, the JPO will:• Identify and analyze political developments in the Horn of Africa aimed at generatingearly warning and policy options for conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peace-building;• Assist in preparing background material, briefings and analytical notes, talking points,code cables, confidential official communications and other correspondence for theSpecial Envoy;• Provide sound recommendations and technical advice to address issues of concern andadvance OSE-Horn of Africa priorities in the region, including the provision of a “goodoffices” function and strategic policy advice;• Support the UN’s advocacy efforts to ensure that political processes are inclusive,transparent and their results are sustainable;• Provide substantive and practical support to the OSE-Horn of Africa field presence.Participate in fact-finding, preventive diplomacy and/or other missions, as appropriate;• Support coordination with mediation, elections and constitutional experts in the UNsystem to ensure timely advice to OSE-Horn of Africa;• Perform any other duties as assigned by Principal Political Affairs Officer or OSE-Horn ofAfrica Leadership.IV. Qualifications and ExperienceEducation:Master’s degree in social sciences, political science, international relations, internationaleconomics, law, public administration, development studies or another related field.Work experience:Minimum two years of relevant work experience in economic and social development,programme management, humanitarian affairs, political affairs or a related field is required.Experience in supporting the office of a senior official is an asset. Experience working in apost-conflict environment is desirable.Languages:English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For thispost, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Excellent drafting skills in Englishis required. A working knowledge of Arabic is desirable.UN competencies:Professionalism – Substantial and diverse experience in all facets of the job and working witha variety of stakeholders; Strong analytical and writing skills combined with good judgment;Proven ability to review and edit the work of others; Diplomacy and tact; Shows pride in workand in achievements; Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter;Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achievingresults; Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence whenfaced with difficult problems or challenges; Remains calm in stressful situations; Takesresponsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation ofwomen and men in all areas of work.Planning and Organizing - Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies;Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; Allocatesappropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; Foresees risks and allows forcontingencies when planning; Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; Uses timeefficiently.Client orientation – Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” andseeks to see things from clients’ point of view; Establishes and maintains productivepartnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; Identifies clients’ needs andmatches them to appropriate solutions; Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside theclients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; Keeps clients informed ofprogress or setbacks in projects; Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.Teamwork - Ability to interact and to establish and maintain effective working relationshipswith a team in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.Workforce DiversityThe United Nations believes that an inclusive culture attracts the best talent and encouragesall qualified applicants, regardless of gender, disability, sexual orientation, cultural orreligious backgrounds, to apply.V. Learning ElementsOn completion of the assignment, the JPO will have an:• Increased understanding of the United Nations system, the workings of a UN field missionand multilateral politics;• Ability to monitor progress in implementing peace agreements and the political situationin conflict and post-conflict situations; identify and monitor threats to peace andsecurity; protection of civilian populations; and an ability to analyze problems and toformulate remedial action;• Improved research, drafting and coordination skills, and;• Ability to identify issues and provide sound advice to senior officials.• Improved research, drafting, and coordination skills;• Increased understanding of multi-stakeholder processes and high-level engagement;• Ability to assess the impact and implications of regional political and securitydevelopments;• Improved ability to support substantively and practically high-level meetings,conferences and events;• proposals;• In-depth understanding of mediation, negotiation and conflict resolution efforts.VI. Background InformationThe Office of the Special Envoy was established in July 2011 through an exchange of lettersbetween the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council. At its creation, itwas the Office for the Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan mandated to support theestablishment and maintenance of good and peaceful neighbourly relations between Sudanand South Sudan through a good offices role, on behalf of the Secretary-General.In October 2018, the mandate of the Office was expanded to cover the entire Horn of Africaregion, comprising the eight IGAD members: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, SouthSudan, Sudan and Uganda. The expanded mandate includes:i. supporting and assisting IGAD, the African Union (AU) and other relevantorganizations in consolidating recent gains in peace and security in the Horn ofAfrica region and enhancing sub-regional capacities to address cross-border andcross-cutting issues;ii. carrying out good offices roles and special assignments on behalf of the Secretary-General, in cooperation with IGAD and other regional and sub-regionalorganizations as appropriate, and enhancing sub-regional capacities for conflictprevention and mediation;iii. continuing to contribute to good and peaceful neighborly relations between Sudanand South Sudan, including by supporting the work of the African Union High-levelImplementation Panel (AUHIP); andiv. continuing to support peace and stability with Sudan and South Sudan, including byengaging on the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement to End the Conflict inSouth Sudan (R-ARCSS).Bitte senden Sie Ihre JPO-Bewerbung direkt an das BüroFührungskräfte zu Internationalen Organisationen (BFIO) unterAngabe der Chiffre Nr. 2026-2-28 auf dem Bewerbungsbogen
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