Org. Setting and Reporting
This position is located in the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. The incumbent reports to the Spokesperson. The Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General provides information to the media on the activities of the UN system as a whole through daily briefings, direct responses to media enquiries, press conferences, background briefings and interviews with the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General and other senior officials.
The Office provides advice on media relations to the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General and senior Secretariat officials. The Office also keeps the Secretary-General regularly informed of major breaking news stories around the world. The EOSG, under the guidance of the Secretary-General (SG), work as a team pursuing in a cohesive and coherent manner, the SG’s vision, priorities and policies for his second mandate in office. It seeks alignment of the United Nations family with the SG’s vision, priorities and policies.
It is guided by the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity and of achieving gender and regional balance among staff. All EOSG unit will support the EOSG senior officials, as appropriate, depending on the tasks at hand, regardless of which senior official they formally report to, and will work together through a matrix team approach, as necessary, to ensure EOSG leads by example on integration and cross-pillar work.
Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the Spokesperson and Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:
Responsible for in-depth and daily coverage of a specific region of the world, thematic issue as they relate to the UN's programme of work and specific UN peacekeeping and/or peacebuilding relations; acts as focal point on specific issues, monitoring, and reporting on political, social, economic and humanitarian developments, responding to inquiries, etc.
Monitors any breaking news which might affect the Organization, selects stories for inclusion in the product 'Spokesperson's alert and daily headlines' which is distributed to the Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General and other senior UN advisers;
Drafts notes to be read at the Spokesperson's daily press briefing; rotates responsibility for drafting a daily summary of the noon briefing and posts on website; drafts the product 'Week ahead' - a planning tool used by journalists regarding noteworthy events throughout the UN for the following 7 days;
Establishes and maintains contacts with desk officers in a number of Secretariat departments, United Nations programmes and agencies, in order to gather information on subjects under incumbent's area of responsibility and offers advice on dealing with the media;
Follows Security Council deliberations as they relate to incumbent's specific area of responsibility;
Gives on and off-the-record interviews in English and/or in another language as required;
Anticipates questions and drafts corresponding answers in preparation for any possible press encounters by the Secretary-General;
Availability to travel with the Secretary-General as a Spokesperson and participates in the roster of late duty officer in the Office.
Competencies
PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of the full range of communications approaches, tools, and methodologies essential to planning and executing effective campaign strategies and programmes, e.g. campaign management, media operations, marketing and promotion, audience outreach, message targeting. Ability to rapidly analyze and integrate diverse information from varied sources. Ability to identify public affairs issues, opportunities and risks in an international environment. Ability to diplomatically handle sensitive situations with target audiences and cultivate productive relationships.
Knowledge of relevant internal policies and business activities/issues. Ability to produce a variety of written communications products in a clear, concise style. Ability to deliver oral presentations to various audiences. 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.
Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas 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 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
Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in communications, international relations, journalism or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with additional two (2) years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Work Experience
A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in public information, journalism, or other relevant media relations at the national or the international level is required. Experience in a news environment with a wire service, newspaper or similar media outlet is required. Experience in dealing with the press is desirable. Experience working in an international organization or a national government is desirable. Experience in a UN communications environment is desirable. Experience in political analysis, advice and reporting is desirable. Experience in generating content for social media platforms is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. French and Spanish are desirable. 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
Desirable Languages
Language | Reading | Writing | Listening | Speaking
French | 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 competency-based interview.
Special Notice
This position is temporarily available for 3 months with a possibility of extension subject to availability of funds. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment. Pursuant to section 7.11 of ST/AI/2012/2/Rev.1, candidates recruited through the young professionals programme who have not served for a minimum of two years in the position of their initial assignment are not eligible to apply to this position.
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. 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 disability. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disability may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. 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.
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.