Org. Setting and Reporting
The temporary position is located within the United Nations Support Office in Haiti (UNSOH). Pursuant to Security Council resolution 2793 (2025), UNSOH has been mandated to provide support; primarily to the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), the Haitian National Police (HNP), and the Haitian Armed Forces in the context of any joint operations with the GSF. Additionally, UNSOH is tasked with delivering technical assistance to the Organization of American States (OAS). The Protocol Assistant is based in UNSOH, Santo Domingo office and is reporting to the Chief Operation and Resources Management (CORM).
Responsibilities
Within delegated authority, under the overall supervision of the Chief, Operations and Resource Management (CORM)/Head of Office, the Protocol Assistant will be responsible for the following duties: Assist in arranging meetings between UNSOH officials and local authorities, as well as with protocol duties in support of Leadership and other Senior Officials, and prepares official request documents, processes, and follows up on multi-level visas of the Dominican Republic for UNSOH personnel, Gang Suppression Force (GSF) personnel, VIPs, Official visitors, and delegations.
Ensure, in support to the Office of the CORM/Head of Office and in collaboration with components of UNSOH — including the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and Gang Suppression Force (GSF) — and their front offices, liaison with the Dominican Republic government, other relevant governments, and the diplomatic community regarding appointments and meetings. Communicate with the State Protocol of the Dominican Republic during official events and ceremonies attended by the ASG and/or the Senior Leadership of UNSOH and/or other UN and international clients receiving support from UNSOH.
Help facilitate the organization of trips of the ASG and other senior mission staff, in particular access to the VIP lounge at Las Américas International Airport (AILA), immigration formalities, and visas. Identify and visit in advance venues of activities and meetings to make appropriate arrangements. Prepare seat arrangements for ceremonies/meetings/conferences hosted by the ASG and/or other Senior Leadership of UNSOH as required. Supports logistical requirements for ceremonies and protocol tasks as required.
Work in collaboration with Mission Support, in particular with Transport, Aviation and MovCon sections; and supports the rotation and repatriation (both incoming and departing) of Gang Suppression Force (GSF) uniformed and police personnel from troop- and police-contributing countries, including visa issuance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic.
Information Management and Communication: Manages incoming/outgoing code cables and performs Mail and Pouch tasks related to official documents (incoming and outgoing) processed through the CORM, maintains a database of all document transactions, and supports the Office of the CORM with maintaining and updating the filing of administrative information archives.
Maintains and provides to those concerned an up-to-date mailing list and contact information pertaining to the composition of the host country Government and the Diplomatic Missions accredited to the host country (Principals and Deputies), regional organizations, as well as UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes. Performs other duties as required.
Competencies
PROFESSIONALISM: 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. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work. 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.
Education
High school diploma or equivalent is required.
Work Experience
A minimum of eight years’ experience in protocol, public information, diplomacy, conflict resolution, coordination, administration, travel assistance, information management and/or related field is required. Experience supporting, planning or coordinating high level visits of a senior public official is required Experience working in a United Nations common system field operation (inclusive of peacekeeping, political missions and UN agencies, funds, and programmes) - or similar international organization or non-governmental organization- in a conflict or post-conflict setting is desirable. Experience in organizing events/meetings in an international setting is desirable Experience developing and/or maintaining databases, or Sharepoint, monitoring archiving files is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English and Spanish are required. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).
Required 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 a written assessment and/or an interview.
Special Notice
This temporary job opening is available for three months and is being advertised for advance planning purposes pending formal approval of the relevant funding and staffing structures. An appointment may be terminated, or post level adjusted in accordance with the Staff Rules for such reasons as abolition of post or reduction of staff or committee funding approvals, for example in the event that the funding for the post is not approved or the mandate of the mission is not extended. The selected candidate will be expected to temporarily deploy for three months.
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. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance 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. Please note that pursuant to the Staff selection system policy (ST/AI/2025/2):
(1) Applicants for positions in the Field Service category cannot be of the nationality of the country where the position is located, and
(2) Applicants for positions in the Professional and higher categories in a mission, field operation, or resident coordinator’s office cannot be of the nationality of the country where the position is located. For currently serving staff of a United Nations Common System organization, only the UN-recognized nationality will be considered for the purposes of these restrictions.
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.