Political Officer

Main purpose of job:

The UK Mission to the United Nations in New York (UKMIS) has an exciting opportunity for a driven person to join the Political Section as a Political Officer. This opportunity is a rewarding role which supports and further develops the UK’s place at the forefront of international diplomacy in order to make a real difference globally.

This position will also provide support, in the same functional capacity, to the General Assembly and Human Rights team for the first 6 months of their employment before moving to the Political section. The Line Manager for the first 6 months will be the First Secretary of GAHR team, after it will revert to First Secretary Political team.

The purpose of the job is to support the successful delivery of the UKMIS business plan objectives in the UN Security Council, including cross-cutting issues across Political Section, and potentially on policy files in the Europe Asia and Strategic Threats Team. The exact content of the job will depend on business need, previous incumbents have for example led on business management and operations, liaised with Private Office on the Security Council Programme of Work, led on country-specific file, and provided administrative support on admin and visits.

The ideal candidate will be a team player with a proven ability to deliver at pace and with strong attention to detail.

Roles and responsibilities:

The successful candidate should be prepared to work flexibly across a range of tasks. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, those outlined below:

• Support delivery across the team’s operations as needed, including leading or supporting on high-level visits and events – including on logistics/operational aspects when needed and associated tasks and briefing and advising UK Mission senior officials.
• Support to UN General Assembly and Security Council cross-cutting business, for example, previous incumbents have provided support on elections of non-permanent members and allocation of subsidiary bodies including reporting to relevant teams in London.
• UK Mission focal point on a number of policy areas, potentially thematic and geographic files. This will include: coordinating UK positions with relevant departments in London; representing the UK at external meetings, including to negotiate resolutions and statements; and providing advice, briefing and other policy support to Ambassadors and other UK officials at the UK Mission (including the HEO/C4 manager)
• After 6 Months: Support the PC/DPC in ensuring effective systems are in place for managing our business and operations including to ensure effective UK Mission representation in the Security Council. This might also include support for UNSC presidency management.
• After 6 Months: Provide policy cover and support as needed to other members of the team and wider Mission on across a wide range of UN Security Council business. Over time, the role may evolve to support a wider number of policy areas and support to policy development.

There is considerable scope for personal development in the range of responsibilities outlined.

Essential on arrival:

• A Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field or at least two years previous work experience relevant to the role.
• Excellent analytical, organisational and communication skills;
• The ability to prioritise and deliver results on multiple areas of work;
• A keen interest in developing their skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.

Desirable:

• Comprehensive understanding of the United Nations system.
• Knowledge of the British Government, especially the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office