Ethics Specialist

In accordance with Secretary-General's Bulletins ST/SGB/2005/22 and ST/SGB/2007/11, the United Nations Ethics Office's functions include:

(a) Providing confidential advice and guidance to staff on ethical issues, including administering an ethics helpline;

(b) Administering the Organization's financial disclosure programme;

(c) Administering the Organization's protection against retaliation policy;

(d) Developing standards, training and education on ethics issues, in coordination with the Office of Human Resources Management and other offices, and conducting ethics outreach;

(e) Supporting ethics standard-setting and promoting policy coherence within the Secretariat and among the Organization's funds and programmes.

The Ethics Specialist will report to the Director of the Ethics Office through the Ethics Advisor.

Under the overall guidance of the Director and direct supervision of the Ethics Advisor, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

1. Provision of ethics advice: 

a. Provide confidential ethics advice and guidance to management and individual personnel on ethical issues, including but not limited to workplace issues, conflicts of interests, gifts and honors, and outside employment and activities; supports the Case Management System by recording and analyzing trends, analysing root causes of ethical dilemmas for personnel and recommending measures to improve the system.

b. Provide timely and confidential ethics advice and guidance to UNOPS personnel about existing approval mechanisms for restricted activities (such as accepting gifts or participating in outside activities), review and suggest amendments to relevant policies and procedures.

c. Prepare advisory memos on issues relating to ethics and integrity.

d. Ensure provision of consistent ethics advice through interactions with other Ethics Office staff.

Conduct relevant research, including policy research, and provide policy advice, draft ad-hoc reports, position notes and presentations.

e. Assists in management of relevant confidential files and information; 

f. Conducts research on organizational, managerial and/or legal matters, consulting and liaising with relevant offices as required.

2. Implementation of Ethics Training and Outreach Activities:

a. Develop engagement, communication and outreach materials for the Ethics Office; 

b. Contribute to the development and delivery of ethics trainings, materials and activities, engage in communications and advocacy to highlight UNOPS’ commitment to a culture of ethics; 

c. Develop and improve outreach and awareness material on the Office through its website and other online communications; 

d. Contribute to fostering coherence of the ethics function within the UN system, in working towards a common ethics framework and policies within the Ethics Panel of the United Nations (EPUN) and as appropriate the Ethics Network of Multilateral Organizations (ENMO). 

3. Implementation of UNOPS’ Protection against Retaliation Policy (PaR policy, (OI.Ethics.2022.01, "Protection against Retaliation")):

a. Advises personnel on UNOPS’ PaR policy and internal grievance mechanisms; 

b. Conducts preliminary review of PaR requests - including speaking with complainants and other relevant staff and examining submitted documents - and assist in preparing prima facie case findings; 

c. Engages with UN's internal justice system bodies on retaliation cases, upon request;

d. Reviews retaliation investigation reports to assist in making determinations on whether retaliation occurred as alleged;

e. Assists the Director of the Office in formulating recommendations when there is a finding of retaliation, consulting on potential remedies and the resolution process; 

f. Assists the Director of the Office in employing creative solutions to prevent retaliation and contributes to reducing instances of formal complaints;

g. Maintains strict confidentiality in communications with complainants and assists in management of relevant files and information. 

4. Administration of the UN's Financial Disclosure Programme (FDP): 

a. Assist in administering FDP in line with applicable rules and established procedures;

b. Provide guidance to staff members and the external reviewers on the provisions and application of the Financial Disclosure Policy and all matters related to FDP;

c. Monitor participation levels and prepare regular relevant statistics and ad-hoc reports on FDP performance;

d. Assist in regularly reviewing the implementation of the financial disclosure policy and making recommendations, as appropriate and necessary;

e. Develop position papers and information materials concerning the financial disclosure programme and related matters;

5. Performs other duties and tasks upon request and as directed by the Director of the UNOPS Ethics Office.

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) preferably in law, public administration, human resources management, investigations, or related areas. 
• A first level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience

• Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in the areas of law, corporate compliance, organizational ethics, staff misconduct and investigation, employee relations or other related fields in a governmental or public sector organization is required. 
• Experience in conducting research and analysis of issues and provision of written advice in a large international organization is desirable. Experience in communications, training and awareness raising is desirable.

Languages

• Fluency in English is required. Fluency in Spanish and/or French is highly desirable. 

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.