View Vacancy – Senior Policy Advisor (Funds and Programmes)

Main purpose of job:

The British Government’s Mission to the United Nations in New York has an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and driven person to join the Humanitarian, Peacebuilding and Development Section as Policy Advisor – specifically leading the UK’s New York engagement with the UNFPA and UN Women.  UKMIS is part of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

The UK Mission to the United Nations offers a unique career enhancing opportunity and is committed to supporting its staff through a variety of benefits including generous leave, insurance packages and a highly competitive 401k programme.  It also promotes a culture of flexibility, which enables people better to maintain wellness through an excellent work/life balance approach that encompasses hybrid working, including working from home and flexible hours, where possible. In this role, you would be working in a diverse international environment with UK diplomats, armed forces personnel and other country-based staff, UK government officials based in the UK and across the UK overseas network, foreign diplomats and UN officials. 

The ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal and written communication skills; a go-getting attitude; strong analytical and organisational abilities; the ability to prioritise and deliver results on multiple areas of work.

Roles and responsibilities:

The successful candidate will join a busy team that manages the UK’s humanitarian, peacebuilding and development work through the UN. You will also have the opportunity to work closely with other teams and policy leads in the UK Mission and in FCDO Headquarters. This role involves working closely with senior government officials and UK ministers’ offices. You will represent the UK at UN meetings and speak on its behalf.
Main roles and responsibilities:

• Drive UK policy priorities with UNFPA and UN Women; build and maintain up-to-date understanding of UK priorities and Member States’ positions, including on gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, conflict related sexual violence and humanitarian action, influencing a wide network of key contacts on these issues amongst Member States, the UN system and NGOs.
• Manage effective relationships between the UK and UNFPA and UN Women, including strategic engagement with UKMIS and HQ seniors, to achieve UK policy objectives.
• Represent the UK and negotiate on its behalf at the triannual UNFPA and UN Women Executive Boards to deliver UK priorities on oversight, accountability, transparency and programme effectiveness.
• Represent the UK on relevant development policy issues in General Assembly and ECOSOC negotiations, ad hoc events and conferences.
• Prepare statements, briefs and reporting on UNFPA and UN Women and related files.
• Support the FCDO HQ Institutional Lead for UNFPA and UN Women to provide effective and efficient programme management of the UK’s annual core contribution to UNFPA and UN Women.
• Work closely with the FCDO Gender Leads to support the delivery of the UK’s women and girls priorities at the UN through strategic engagement with UN Women, including key moments such as the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), QCPR and Beijing +30.
• Work closely with the FCDO Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) team to advance comprehensive SRHR priorities with UNFPA and support women and girls’ empowerment, including at key moments such as the Conference on Population and Development (CPD), QCPR and the Human Rights Council.
• Assist and advise government ministers and officials visiting New York, including support to UKMIS activities and planning for High-Level Week at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in September each year.
• Perform other duties as required and work flexibly, adjusting to changing priorities as needed, including corporate tasks that contribute to the wider UKMIS team.

• Passion for women’s rights, alleviating poverty, preventing conflict and advancing these agendas within a strong and vibrant international system.
• Substantial experience of working in/with the UN Development and/or Humanitarian System.
• Excellent negotiation, influencing and communication skills, including written communications and public speaking, in English.
• Good understanding of the challenges and sensitivities of working with other UN Member States.
• An ability to build rapport with colleagues and wider stakeholders to enable excellent working relationships, with relevant experience to demonstrate this.
• Ability to deliver high quality results on multiple areas of work to tight deadlines, while maintaining strength of judgement, calm and a team-player attitude.
• Reliable, capable under pressure, able to complete multiple tasks and high volume of work on deadline with colleagues and with considerable autonomy.
• Some familiarity with governance functions such as audit and oversight, results-based management, evaluation, or budgets.

Language requirements: 

Language: English

Level of language required: Fluent (excellent spoken and written)

Under US State Department requirements, the UK Government in the US may only employ, as non-diplomatic staff, persons who are US citizens, US Permanent Residents, A, NATO, and L2 visa holders with EAD cards. For L2 visa holders you will be required to independently secure a valid EAD card after receiving an offer of employment and before starting employment.  

You may refer to our website for additional information:  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-the-usa. All selected candidates are subject to background checks and will require a security clearance prior to starting work.