Main purpose of job:

The British Government’s Mission to the United Nations in New York has an exciting opportunity for a dynamic, agile and enterprising person to join the General Assembly and Human Rights Team as the Senior Policy Advisor on human rights (gender).
Gender is one of the most contested topics in the UN. The jobholder can expect to advance the UK’s agenda in this challenging environment on a range of high-profile outcomes. You will be expected to represent the UK in UN forums and negotiate effective outcomes in the Third Committee, Commission on the Status of Women and elsewhere. And contribute to the team’s broader efforts promote the British Government’s policy and engagement on human rights at the UN.

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 to better maintain wellness through a work/life balance approach that encompasses hybrid working, including some remote working and flexible hours, where possible. In this role, you would be working in a diverse international environment working with UK diplomats and other country-based staff, armed forces personnel, UK government officials based in the UK and across the UK overseas network, foreign diplomats and UN officials.

The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate their abilities in working with others, delivering results at pace, communicating and influencing, strategic awareness and problem solving and judgement. There may be scope for the portfolio to grow as the jobholder gains experience in the role. You will work in a fast-paced and changing environment and must be willing to support other team members and priorities, including outside your portfolio, as needed.

Roles and responsibilities:

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

• Acting as senior policy advisoer and UK Mission focal point on a diverse portfolio of human rights issues, with a particular focus on gender.
• Working independently to lead negotiations on high-profile resolutions and other products in the General Assembly, Third Committee and other UN forums, including the Commission on the Status of Women, building a range of contacts with key counterparts in other UN Missions.
• Representing the UK at UN meetings and special events, providing advice, briefing and other policy support to Ambassadors and other senior UK Mission officials in New York, and delivering impactful inward visits from UK senior officials and Ministers.
• Developing effective relationships with a range of gender counterparts in London (FCO, Cabinet Office, DFID) and the UK Mission to the UN in Geneva on UN- and UK-related gender policy, and a range of other stakeholders including in the UN and civil society.
• Promoting inclusion and LGBT equality.
• Providing policy cover and support as needed to other members of the team and wider Mission on human rights and related issues.
• Working with other colleagues in UKMIS who cover gender (including leads on Women, Peace and Security, UN-Women and Girls Education) to ensure a coordinated approach.

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

Working patterns:

This role is 40 hours a week. It does not require set working hours each day, but is customer facing and therefore requires some core hours and regular contact with colleagues in different time zones. It may require some out of hours work during peak periods.

Language requirements:

Language: English

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 or A visa holders with EAD cards*. If you hold a visa other than an A visa you are not currently eligible to work at our office. Please refer to our website for information on exceptions to this policy at www.gov.uk/government/world/usa. All selected candidates are subject to background checks and will require a security clearance prior to starting work. *A visas are acceptable at the Embassy and Consulates. The UK Mission to the UN (UKMIS) accepts G visas, and British Defense Staff (BDS) outposts accept A or NATO visas.

Desirable:

• Knowledge and experience of human rights, gender and the UN system;
• Experience of work in public service;
• Familiarity with the UK Government;
• Delivering change programmes, for example on resource, personnel or management issues;
• A passion for improving human rights around the world.

Learning and development opportunities:

The Mission is committed to all employee’s ongoing learning and development needs. We offer a comprehensive platform for personalised learning for everything from soft skill development (communicating with impact, handling difficult conversations, time management) to more technical or professional skills necessary to complete your job (software training, formal qualifications etc.)

Other:

The UK Government operating in the US offers a substantial benefits package including generous leave, a choice of medical insurance, 401(k) matching up to 7%, extensive learning opportunities and a great work/life balance. Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary, eg some non-local national staff and some spouses or partners of UK diplomatic staff, will have their salaries abated by an equivalent amount. Internal candidates must inform their supervisor before they apply to a different position. Only successful candidates will be contacted. Please no phone calls. Due to the high volume of resumes we receive, we cannot guarantee consideration of your application if the submission instructions are not properly followed. The British Embassy is committed to a policy of equal opportunities and to creating a diverse working environment, free from discrimination, where everyone is included and treated fairly, based on merit alone. We are an equal opportunity employer, making all employment decisions without regard to race, gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, citizenship, disability, age, sexual orientation, political affiliation or any other criterion protected by law.