Liaison Officer

This position is located in the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia (UNVMC) to serve in the city of Apartadó, department of Antioquia.
The P4 Liaison Officer will act as head of the sub-regional office of Apartadó. As such he will directly support and report to the Head of the Regional Office (HoO) in Quibdó, Department of Chocó. Under the authority of the HoO, he/she will also coordinate the activities of the local teams under their area of responsibility, ensuring they articulate their action in order to implement the Mission's mandate.
This position will play a key role within the Office regarding the verification of the security guarantees, the political, social, and economic reintegration of former FARC-EP combatants, and the verification of restorative sentences imposed by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace. Under the authority of the HoO, the P4 Liaison Officer will coordinate the activities of the sub-regional team in its area of responsibility, ensuring the implementation of the Mission’s mandate.
The P4 Liaison Officer will review and ensure timely production of the reports and inputs required by Mission HQ.

**Responsibilities**:
Within the limits of delegated authority, the Liaison Officer will be responsible for performing the following duties:

- Provides information and analysis for the Mission, on issues associated with the Colombia peace process and a Final Peace Agreement;
- Assesses implications and makes recommendations to senior management on possible policies, strategies and other measures to address issues of concern and to advance mandated objectives;
- Consults and cooperates with partners to develop strategies and plans of action to address peace related challenges, in pursuit of shared objectives;
- Supports preparations for official meetings, events and visits, including through the provision of Secretariat services and by drafting talking points and speeches for senior UN officials;
- Participates in fact-finding and other missions;
- Provides support to the work of the substantive component of the Mission and contributes to a shared understanding of the Mission environment, mandate and operations amongst Mission actors, and relevant national and international stakeholders;
- Fosters effective working relations with the UN Common System colleagues and counterparts, Government representatives, civil society actors, military and law enforcement actors, academic and research institutions, and other national and international partners on information-sharing, policy and coordination matters;
- Responsible for integrating a gender sensitive approach, as well as ethnicity and child protection in all functions;
- Supervises, monitors and encourages the work of officers under his/her responsibility in undertaking the full range of their duties. Contributes to overall mission monitoring and planning as required;
- Deputizes for the Head of Office and supports the Head of Office in his/her management function;
- Interacts closely with Mission personnel at national and regional Headquarters in preparing summary and analytical documents, including situation reports, background notes, talking points, options papers, code cables and input for reports of the Secretary-General, and other sensitive and confidential official communications to UNHQ;
- Carries out other duties as assigned.

Competencies

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 audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational 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 impact on others and on the Organization; 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.

Education
An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in social sciences, political science, international relations, public administration, anthropology, law, economics or related area is required.

A first-level university degree in combination with two add