Director – P05

In accordance with paragraph f. of Article 44 of the General Standards, the official languages of the Organization are English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.  No candidate for a position in the General Secretariat subject to the competition requirement shall be contracted until he/she has been administered language proficiency exams by the DHR in at least two of the official languages. Nevertheless:

(i) Any candidate, including a staff member, whose native language is one of those four languages shall only be required to demonstrate proficiency on an exam in one of the others; and

(ii) Persons applying for G-1 and G-2 positions at Headquarters and G-3 driver/clerk positions in those Offices of the General Secretariat in the Member States where the language requirement unduly restricts the recruitment of otherwise qualified staff shall be exempt from this language proficiency requirement for as long as they occupy those positions. Subsequently, in order to be eligible to compete for a higher-level position, any staff member who has benefited from this exemption must demonstrate proficiency in a second official language of the Organization; and

(iii) A person selected as the best candidate may receive a fixed-term contract, which will be considered to have lapsed in case the person does not pass the required language examination in a second official language within the 36 months following the appointment.
(iv) During all steps of the recruitment and selection process, a candidate for a position in the General Secretariat shall demonstrate proficiency in at least one official language of the Organization.

(v) During all steps of the recruitment and selection process, the application of language requirements shall be guided by the principles of merit, equitable geographic representation, proportionality, and non-discrimination. The lack of proficiency in a second language should not be grounds for elimination during the recruitment and selection process.

(vi) Persons applying for positions in the Offices of the General Secretariat in the Member States shall demonstrate proficiency in the official language(s) of the Member State.

(vii) When the native language of the candidate is not one of the four official languages of the Organization, the candidate shall be required to sit a proficiency examination administered by the DHR in at least two of the official languages.

The salary for this position corresponds to Grade P05, Step 1, in accordance with Staff Rule 103.3 Initial Salary:
(a) A staff member on initial appointment shall be placed in the first step of the grade of post, without exemption.
(b) This rule does not apply to a staff member who is already employed by the General Secretariat and is selected, promoted, demoted, reassigned, or otherwise transferred to a different post. In such cases, salary shall be determined in accordance with the applicable provisions of these Staff Rules.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

This is a functional lead, authority-in-the-field type position designed to make critical impact in the Organization and is assigned all or part of the following responsibilities. (NOTE: these responsibilities and expected results are standardized, and are not necessarily performed by all staff members sharing this job title):

1.    Advise the Secretary and, as required, the Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General, on all subjects pertaining to the operation of the Department, establishing and/or recommending work plans and operational policies and procedures in furtherance of an optimal utilization of technical, human and financial resources and their implementation, as well as the focalization of partnerships for development actions and cooperation in line with the OAS mandate, priorities and objectives.

2.    Plan the strategic development and structuring of activities, programs and projects at headquarters and country level; identify and define support services needs; development needs; implementation of best practices; evaluate and negotiate projects with service providers, suppliers and consultants.

3.    Delegate the appropriate responsibility, accountability, and decision-making authority; make sure that roles, responsibilities, and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judge the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task ad match task to skills; encourage risk-taking and support creativity and initiative; monitor progress against milestones and deadlines.

4.    Supervise the preparation and promotion of initiatives aimed at the mobilization of financial and technical resources from Member States, Permanent Observer countries, other regional and international organizations and institutions.

5.    Establish and promote concepts and instruments of horizontal cooperation through the design and implementation of projects among Member States, and ensuring proactive collaboration between the area of work, other OAS Departments, Member States and executing agencies; identifying and solving problems based on experience and lesson learned.

6.    Direct and ensure the systematic collection and dissemination of information on technical, political, electoral, developmental and/or other cooperation programs and projects, with emphasis on successful experiences and results, promoting effective exchange of experience and knowledge among governments, regional and international institutions, agencies and other involved and/or prospective partners, including recommending, proposing policies and procedures to the Secretary and deciding on implementation, and participating in regional and international technical meetings on subjects and issues in the area of competence of the Department; and, as required, representing the GS/OAS at meetings and conferences.  

7.    Lead and manage departmental professional and support staff, guiding, advising and motivating them, providing performance feedback to ensure proactive contribution and participation in departmental activities, reviewing candidatures and recommending appropriate candidates for selection.

8.    Identify and recommend innovative approach to the implementation of revised and/or new policies and procedures to the Secretary, taking into consideration best practices.

9.    Represent the OAS at regional and international meetings and consultative groups on subjects and issues in the area of competence.

10.    Actively engage in the Performance Evaluation System: Provide leadership, guidance, coaching, and motivation to staff by regularly discussing performance and providing feedback; solve interpersonal conflicts; actively support the development and career aspirations of staff; evaluate performance fairly. Also, staff member should establish work expectations with the direct supervisor by defining individual annual objectives.

11.    Perform other related duties as assigned, including replacing and backstopping for others. 

QUALIFICATIONS: 

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:
 
Essential: First University Degree (Bachelor’s) in Business Administration or related field and 15 years of relevant experience at national and international levels, including leadership experience OR Advanced University Degree (Master’s) and 10 years of relevant experience OR Doctorate and 6 years of relevant experience. Managerial experience is required

Desirable: Experience or knowledge of the OAS mandate and priorities as related to the area of work and/or the dynamics of the Inter-American agenda and system.

COMPUTER SKILLS: Ability to effectively work using Microsoft Office (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and other applications such as Oracle, Visio, Access, Share Point) and software applicable to the area of work.

LANGUAGES:
Essential – Proficient in at least two of the following languages: English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish (read, write and communicate). The selected candidate must satisfy the applicable language-proficiency examination requirements under Article 44(f) of the General Standards, including passing the required DHR-administered examination in a second official language within the applicable timeframe. The lack of proficiency in a second language should not be grounds for elimination during the recruitment and selection process.  

DESIRABLE – Working knowledge of other two OAS official languages.

PERSONAL COMPETENCIES: Demonstrated communication skills (verbal and written); tact, discretion and diplomacy; sound presentation skills.

The GS/OAS embraces equality, diversity and inclusion. Accordingly, in accordance with its rules and regulations, the GS/OAS is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and achieving a diverse staff. In selecting candidates, it will take into account equitable geographic representation, as well as gender equity and equality.

Please note that the mandatory retirement age for staff members at the General Secretariat of the OAS is 65 years.