Special Advisor to the Director-General

Under the overall authority of the Director-General, the incumbent provides leadership, coordination and guidance on institutional governance, organizational reform and management modernization matters in support of effective institutional functioning across UNESCO. The role involves facilitating coordination among stakeholders, advising on governance frameworks, management reform, and institutional modernization.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate organizational reform and management modernization initiatives across the Organization to support institutional effectiveness, organizational adaptation and reform implementation.
• Develop anticipatory and forward-looking approaches to institutional reform and adaptation to emerging developments affecting the Organization.
• Foster synergies and complementarities across sectors and organizational entities.
• Oversee and coordinate the preparation of institutional and governance-related documentation submitted to the Executive Board and the General Conference.
• Oversee the work of the secretaries of the governing bodies.
• Provide recommendations and guidance on complex institutional matters relating to governance frameworks, management reform, oversight and accountability mechanisms.
• Support institutional effectiveness and organizational modernization, including in the context of the UNESCO80 Reform.
• Contribute, with PAX Sector, to UNESCO’s participation in United Nations system-wide strategic, governance and reform-related processes.
• Engage in inter-agency coordination and reform initiatives aimed at strengthening institutional effectiveness, policy coherence and multilateral cooperation across the UN system.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in international relations, political science, public administration, finance, law, management, or a field relevant to UNESCO’s mandate.
• A minimum of fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible relevant professional experience in international relations, governmental affairs or multilateral cooperation, including engagement with senior officials and decision-makers, of which including at least seven (7) years acquired at the international level.
• Experience working with intergovernmental processes, including negotiations and consensus-building.
• Experience in organizational reform, institutional development, public-sector modernization or governance processes.
• Experience engaging with issues related to UNESCO’s areas of competence and their relevance to global policy debates.
• Experience representing an institution in multilateral or inter-agency settings.
• Knowledge of, and commitment to, the Organization’s mandate, vision, strategic direction and priorities.
• Strong managerial and leadership skills, high sense of objectivity, strong analytical capabilities, professional integrity, and diplomacy.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate complex, high-level processes, synthesize diverse inputs and prepare strategic recommendations for senior leadership.
• Excellent analytical, drafting and communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex issues and prepare high-quality strategic notes, briefs and talking points under tight deadlines.
• Strong political judgment, with the ability to engage effectively with Member States, senior officials and diverse institutional stakeholders.
• Capacity to facilitate coordination across organizational units and promote coherent approaches to policy, reform and decision-making processes.
• Good understanding of UN and UNESCO governance, methods of work and multilateral decision-making dynamics.
• Ability to anticipate developments, propose strategic options and support organizational transformation efforts with discretion and sound judgment.
• Proven ability to manage sensitive information and handle competing priorities and time-critical assignments in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to manage relationships at all levels of the Organization.
• Excellent knowledge and drafting skills in one of the working languages of the Organization (English or French).
• Experience within the United Nations system and/or in a specialized institution or other international organ (desirable).
• Experience with UNESCO’s statutory bodies, normative instruments or intergovernmental committees (desirable).
• Experience in conducting complex negotiations diplomatically and tactfully (desirable).
• Experience in the field of administration and human resources (desirable).
• Working knowledge of the second language (English or French) (desirable).
• Knowledge of other official languages of UNESCO (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) (desirable).

Skills

• International Relations
• Multilateral Cooperation
• Intergovernmental Negotiations
• Consensus Building
• Organizational Reform
• Institutional Development
• Public-Sector Modernization
• Governance Processes
• Policy Analysis
• Strategic Recommendations
• High-level Coordination
• Drafting Strategic Notes
• Political Judgment
• UN Governance
• Multilateral Decision-Making
• Organizational Transformation
• Information Management
• Time Management
• Interpersonal Relations
• English Drafting

Languages

English, French