Liaison Officer (Zagreb), P-3

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 01 Dec 2009

ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

DUTY STATION: The Hague

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 09-ADM-ICTFY-422639-R-THE HAGUE

The appointment is limited to ICTY. Extension of the appointment is subject to extension of the mandate and/or the availability of the funds. As the international tribunals are not integrated in the secretariat, UN Staff Members serve on assignment or secondment from their parent department/office if selected. ICTY is a smoke free environment.

Remuneration

Depending on professional background, experience and family situation, a competitive compensation and benefits package is offered.

More Info

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Responsibilities

This position is located in The Communication Services of the Registry. The incumbent would be assigned to Zagreb, Croatia. A primary responsibility of the incumbent is to assist national jurisdictions to improve their capacity to prosecute serious violations of international humanitarian law. He / she is expected to act as the Registry’s principal representative in the mission area in assisting in the transfer of Tribunal expertise, skills and materials in strengthening both the partnership between the ICTY and the national jurisdictions, as well as the ability of the national authorities to adjudicate war crimes cases. The incumbent will play a key coordinating and liaison role between the Tribunal and national legal bodies, relevant international agencies and other organizations. The officer will be required to conceptualize, plan and implement training programmes and other necessary support to the local judiciary. Additionally, the incumbent will be responsible for monitoring the treatment of war crimes cases by national authorities, as well as the more general political, legislative and media situation in the region. He/she will be expected to lead all aspects of the Registry’s public relations and media endeavours in the mission area, promoting the work of the ICTY among different communities and assisting with the promotion of the Tribunal’s completion strategy in the public realm. He/she will act as a Registry spokesperson and main public point of contact for the information about the Tribunal in the mission area, speaking at public events on behalf of the organisation. The incumbent will be required to coordinate the design and implementation of information campaigns aimed at highlighting the Tribunal’s mandate, achievements and relevance to professional and social communities in the region, such as government officials, politicians, legal professionals, journalists, non governmental organizations, victim associations, as well as universities, schools and the general public. The aim of these campaigns is also to counter misperceptions and misinformation which undermine the Tribunal. Other duties include establishing and maintaining lines of communication and working relationships with individuals and networks of people in fields such as media, law, NGO’s etc, drafting materials for both internal and external use, assisting and preparing briefings for Tribunal officials, translating written materials from English into Croatian and vice versa. The successful candidate should display a keen awareness and understanding of the ICTY mandate, jurisprudence, activities, accomplishments, etc., as well as a solid understanding of the legal, media and political landscapes in the former Yugoslavia.

Competencies

• Professionalism - Theoretical background and good understanding of the underlying legal issues in connection with the transfer of evidence and cases from the Tribunal to the local judicial authorities, e.g a good understanding of both the Tribunal’s legal framework as well as the local legislation relevant to war crimes cases. Theoretical background and good understanding of approaches, tools and methodologies of training of legal professionals and transfer of judicial know-how. Theoretical background and good understanding of approaches, tools and methodologies related to planning, executing and monitoring public communications campaigns, e.g. campaign management, market research, message targeting, impact evaluation, etc.; good communications research and analytical skills; understanding of internal policies and activities and related current events, topics and issues. 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. 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. • Planning & Organisation - Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently. • 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. • Teamwork - Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organisational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. • Judgement/decision making - Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organisation; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Advanced university degree preferably in law or in public relations, journalism or other related field. A first level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Work Experience

Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience at the international level in law, public relations, communications, journalism or related fields.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the Tribunal. For this post fluency in English is required. Fluency in Croatian is a major asset.

Other Skills

The United Nations shall place 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. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, TRAINING OR ANY OTHER FEES). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS.

PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

How to apply

All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the vacancy announcement. Because applications submitted by United Nations (UN) staff members are considered first, provided the eligibility requirements set out in ST/AI/2006/3 are met and the application is submitted in a timely fashion, staff members should apply within 15-day or 30-day mark.

Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please go to “My UN” page and check the status of your application by clicking on “View Application History”, and resubmit the application, if necessary.

To start the application process, applicants are required to register by opening a "My UN" account. Go to Login, and Register as a User. Fill in the form and choose a User Name and Password.

After opening the account, applicants may apply for vacancies using the Personal History Profile (PHP) provided. Once the PHP has been completed for a particular vacancy, it can be saved and used for future applications. The PHP may be up-dated, when necessary, for future applications.

In completing the PHP, please note that all fields marked with an asterisk must be completed.

UN staff members must submit scanned copies of their two latest Performance Appraisal System (PAS) reports at the time of application to the appropriate Human Resources Office (HRO)/Personnel Office (PO) to the email address below, clearly indicating the vacancy announcement number. In case you have no access to the digitizing equipment, please submit hard copies of the two latest PAS reposts to the relevant HRO/PO via fax.

Fax: 31- (0)70-512 8843

Please see the Frequently Asked Questions, if you encounter problems when applying.