Political Affairs Officer – Sudan

About the role

The Office of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan (OPESG-Sudan) leads the Secretary-General's good offices and political engagement on Sudan, working with Sudanese parties and regional and international stakeholders to end the conflict and restore a credible, inclusive and Sudanese-owned political process. The Political Affairs Officer is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and reports to the Principal Political Affairs Officer, who is Head of Office.

Key responsibilities

• Gather, select and analyse information on Sudan from communications and publications, including the press.
• Keep up to date on political events affecting Sudan and the mandate of the Personal Envoy, and share inputs with senior officials.
• Monitor national and regional political developments and advise field missions and UN agencies on the ground.
• Maintain contacts with other UN sectors, international organizations and governments on coordination and policy matters.
• Select, classify and store information in computerized databases, and arrange and take part in fact-finding missions.
• Take part in conferences, seminars and academic fora, and prepare meetings of senior leadership with notes, background papers, talking points and speeches.
• Analyse data to identify trends and patterns, producing graphs, charts, tables and reports.

Required profile

• Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in political science, international relations, social science, economics, law, public administration or a related field; a first-level degree plus two years of qualifying experience may be accepted.
• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in political science, international relations, law, disarmament, security, development management, conflict resolution or a related area.
• Minimum of two years of field experience in a UN peace operation or similar international organization, and experience in a conflict or post-conflict setting.
• Minimum of three years of experience in political outreach, facilitation, analysis, advice and reporting.
• Desirable: experience supporting good offices or mediation, experience in Sudan, experience in Africa, and data analytics experience.
• English at UN Level III reading, writing, listening and speaking; French is the other working language of the Secretariat.