Associate Political Affairs Officer

About the role

The United Nations Operations and Crisis Centre (UNOCC) is seeking an Associate Political Affairs Officer to join its Watch Room team in New York. Reporting to the Head of the UNOCC Watch Room, the officer will support global situational awareness, crisis management and political analysis across peacekeeping and peace‑building missions.

Key responsibilities

• Monitor political‑security, humanitarian, human‑rights and related developments in peacekeeping, peace‑building and special political missions.
• Collect and interpret information from open‑source media, field mission reports and member‑state inputs.
• Track security situations in assigned areas and act as the primary Headquarters contact for fast‑changing political and operational updates.
• Draft, compile and edit daily situational‑awareness reports and contribute to crisis‑response procedures.
• Prepare briefings, presentations and visual reports, including maps using cartographic and information systems.
• Research and write special reports on political or operational issues as required.
• Respond to information requests from senior managers and facilitate communication between Headquarters, field presences and permanent missions.
• Participate in 24/7 Watch Room staffing, including duty officer shifts during silent hours, weekends and holidays.
• Perform any additional duties assigned by the Head of the Watch Room.

Required profile

• Strong research and analytical abilities with capacity to synthesize information from diverse sources.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, especially for concise reporting under time pressure.
• Ability to work collaboratively with field teams, UN missions and external partners.
• Professionalism and discretion when handling sensitive political and security information.
• Flexibility to work rotating shifts and respond to emergencies.

Required skills

• Open‑source information gathering and analysis.
• Cartographic and information‑system mapping.
• Report writing and briefing preparation.
• Use of visual presentation tools.