CHIEF, SALARIES AND ALLOWANCES DIVISION

United Nations

Job details

  • ONSITE
  • UNKNOWN
  • NEW YORK
  • Verified 2026-09-26
  • Source: United Nations public UN Careers board

Original job description

Org. Setting and Reporting This position is located in the secretariat of the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), an independent expert body established by the General Assembly with the mandate to regulate and coordinate conditions of service of staff of the organizations of the United Nations common system. Under the general direction of the Executive Secretary of the Commission, the incumbent directs the Salaries and Allowances Division responsible for the determination and review of salaries, allowances and related conditions of service of staff in the Professional and higher categories and in the General Service and other locally-recruited categories in the organizations of the United Nations common system. Reporting to the Executive Secretary, the Chief of Division maintains close contact with stakeholders and partners and directs the development of policies in the areas under his/her responsibility, to ensure that they are relevant to the needs of common system organizations and Member States, and ensures that work assigned to the Division by the Commission is carried out in an expeditious and professional manner. The incumbent also exercises delegated authority for matters under the Division’s purview and represents the secretariat at the Commission and General Assembly meetings and in inter-agency fora on these matters. Responsibilities Within delegated authority, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties: • Directs the work programme of the Salaries and Allowances Division; establishing priorities and work plans and allocating its human resources across the policy workstreams assigned by the Commission; exercises delegated authority for the technical positions and methodological determinations issued by the Division; manages staff performance through the encouragement of professional growth and a results-oriented environment; approves the Division's technical outputs prior to their submission to the Commission; • Leads the development of policy positions and technical studies on all aspects of remuneration of the internationally-recruited staff in the Professional and higher categories as well as the General Service and other locally recruited categories, including budgetary impact of possible changes,; • Assists the Commission in developing and reviewing methodologies for determination and/or comparison of various remuneration elements and their application, including salary scales, dependency allowances, the education grant, pensionable remuneration, separation payments and other related allowances and benefits; and engages directly with the Commission, Member States and the Commission’s stakeholders on matters under the Division’s purview • Formulates policy recommendations in the relevant functional areas and provides authoritative advice to the Commission and the General Assembly on matters falling within the Division’s competence, including matters where the positions of participating organizations and staff federations diverge; • Lead the development and review of the local salary survey methodology for staff in the General Service and other locally-recruited categories in particular duty stations and directs the programme of such surveys in Headquarters duty stations; • Manages the day-to-day operational work in connection with the establishment and adjustment of travel per diem rates and other allowances, applicable in common system organizations wordwide; • Maintains on-going liaison on the above matters with the organizations of the common system as well as with other divisions of the secretariat; • Advises the Commission on the position of the common system relative to the comparator civil service and on the cost and policy implications of proposed changes to the remuneration package; Competencies Professionalism: Demonstrated expertise in developing compensation policies and systems and encouraging successful change management environments. Ability to analyze complex and sensitive data and information and report on it. Knowledge of the United Nations common system compensation framework and of the principles governing the determination of conditions of service. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. 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. Planning and organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required, foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow. Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support. Anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions. Drives for change and improvement; does not accept the status quo. Shows the courage to take unpopular stands. 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 impacts of decisions prior to making them. Takes decisions with an eye to the 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 or Doctorate degree, or equivalent) in human resources administration, business management, economics or related fields is required. A first-level degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in the specified fields of studies with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Job - Specific Qualification Not available. Work Experience A minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible experience, including team leadership, in the development, review or administration of international or national compensation policies is required. Experience in drafting substantive reports, policy papers or other conceptual or technical documents on compensation matters is required. Knowledge of the UN salary system and compensation framework, preferably with practical experience at a responsible level in salary and allowances administration is desirable Experience with the United Nations common system salary and compensation framework is desirable. Experience in conducting or overseeing local salary surveys or reviews is desirable. Knowledge of the compensation of the United States federal civil service, as the comparator service of the common system, is desirable. Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. French is desirable. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details). Required Languages LanguageReadingWritingListeningSpeakingEnglishUN Level IIIUN Level IIIUN Level IIIUN Level III Desirable Languages LanguageReadingWritingListeningSpeakingFrenchUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level II Assessment Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview. Special Notice The appointment against this position is limited to the International Civil Service Commission. Staff of the ICSC secretariat are appointed under article 20 of the statute of the International Civil Service Commission. Appointment to this position is subject to consultation with the Chairman of the Commission and with the relevant inter-agency machinery. Candidates who are staff members of an organization of the United Nations common system will normally be seconded to the ICSC secretariat for the duration of their service. Letters of appointment issued in respect of this position are limited to service with the ICSC secretariat. United Nations Considerations According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. All external candidates recruited in accordance with section ‎2.2 (a) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment without limitation and all external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2. (c) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment limited to the entity are subject to an initial probationary period of one year under a fixed-term appointment. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date. No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

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