Chief of Section, Public Information, P5

The Chief of Section leads the United Nations Publications Section within the Outreach Division, managing the acquisition, product development, and sales of UN publications in digital and print formats. The role involves policy guidance, programmatic leadership, budget and staff management, and promoting UN publications internationally.

Responsibilities

• Provides policy guidance to the Division Director on strategy development and management of the sale of UN publications and contributes to publishing policies as a member of the UN Publications Board.
• Plans and oversees acquisition, product development, and sales of UN publications in digital and print formats across the Section’s platforms.
• Coordinates with author departments across the UN Secretariat to identify and develop high quality products with strong market potential.
• Manages, supervises, and carries out the work programme of the Section, providing programmatic and substantive leadership across UN Publications and UN Bookshops.
• Prepares reports for intergovernmental bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions and the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly.
• Promotes wider dissemination of UN publications through marketing, licensing, and distribution arrangements.
• Contributes to reporting on budget/programme performance and income-generating activities related to the sale of publications.
• Prepares inputs for the Division’s work programme, determining priorities and allocating resources.
• Carries out programmatic/administrative tasks including budget preparation, performance monitoring, reporting, results-based budgeting inputs, staff performance evaluation, vendor supervision, and recruitment.
• Manages, guides, develops, and trains staff under supervision, fostering teamwork and communication.
• Participates in international, regional or national book fairs and conferences to promote UN publications and develops strategic partnerships in the publishing industry.
• Performs other duties as required.

Requirements

• An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business or public administration, marketing, communications, publishing, or related area.
• A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in book publishing (electronic publishing, product development, international sales & marketing) is required.
• Experience managing digital platforms is required.
• Experience in programme management (financial, administrative & human resources) and project implementation is required.
• Experience managing retail or commercial business operations (e.g., a bookshop or comparable retail enterprise) is desirable.
• Experience managing diverse teams in an international environment is desirable.
• English is required at UN Level III proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
• French is desirable at UN Level I proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

Skills

• Book Publishing
• Electronic Publishing
• Product Development
• International Sales
• Marketing
• Digital Platform Management
• Programme Management
• Finance Management
• Administrative Management
• Human Resources Management
• Project Implementation
• Retail Business Management
• Team Management
• Policy Guidance
• Budget Management
• Staff Management

Languages

English, French