Principal Functions
Under the direct supervision of the Director of Inspectorate (DOI), the main responsibilities of the Head of the Operations and Planning Branch (HOPB) are:
General:
- Demonstrate the core values of the OPCW in the execution of your duties;
- Maintain confidentiality in accordance with the Manual of Confidentiality Procedure (MCP);
- Act with due regard to health and safety (H&S) by taking all reasonable steps to prevent, reduce and eliminate harm, injury or illness in the work environment.
Support the operational implementation of the world-wide Verification Regime of the OPCW by:
- Planning, organising and managing the worldwide inspection activities and non-routine missions (NRMs), consistent with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), Decision of Policy Making Organs and the Verification Regime determined by the Verification Division;
- Having command and control of all missions as from the planning phase till the reporting phase;
- Leading and managing the Branch that consists of four functional groups: a 24/7 centre of operations, a logistics section, a financial-administrative section, and a mission planning co-ordination section;
- Ensuring a timely and accurate preparation, implementation and control of the annual budget for the Branch, according to the Result Based Management (RBM) principles and addressing recommendations for the decision-making process;
- Managing relationships with Verification Division and other relevant Technical Secretariat (TS) divisions, to ensure the effectiveness of the inspection and NRMs planning process;
- Providing expert advice and guidance to other branches and divisions within the Secretariat in relation to missions;
- Briefing on the conduction of inspection activities for the Director-General (DG) and relevant Divisional Directors;
- Developing and implementing new policies and structural improvements on 24/7 support for worldwide inspection activities;
- Supporting the command-and-control system within the Inspectorate Division for Investigations of Alleged Use of Chemical Weapons (IAU) and Challenge Inspections (CI).
Liaise with Member States National Authorities, Permanent Representatives to the OPCW, United Nations (UN) disarmament organisations, government departments, and companies on operational policy and development by:
- Initiating discussions, in coordination with Senior Management, National Authorities, delegations, outside bodies on operational policies and programs,, to pre-empt or solve operational concerns;
- Organising and chair meetings with the experts/representatives of State Parties on operational inspection related issues;
- Maintaining Convention mandated inspection-related data and distributing to all Member States.
Recommends and implements policies for the management of Inspector resources / time / activities by:
- Recommending and implementing policies on the effective and efficient use of Inspector Resources in Office of the Director of the Inspectorate Division (DOI) and the Inspectorate Management Team (IMT);
- Recommending and procuring new or replacement items of inspection equipment to enhance the productivity and effectiveness of Inspection the Teams;
- Other duties as required by the Office of the Director of the Inspectorate Division (DOI).
Knowledge and Experience
Education
Essential
An advanced university degree in a STEM subject (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), in international relations, in military science, in public administration or in any other close related area from a recognised institution in addition to proven relevant working experience (minimum 10 years). A First level University degree in combination with relevant qualifying working experience (minimum 12 years) may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
Experience
Essential
- A minimum of 10 years of cumulative related experience in operations management under field conditions.This includes communications, complex logistical issues, and project management.
- A thorough knowledge of Operation/Command Control management and practices.
- Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive and confidential issues in a diplomatic and effective manner at the highest standards.
- A proven track record of successfully leading and managing multi-disciplinary teams.
- Leadership experience gained in a managerial, government, scientific or technical area.
- Ability to communicate effectively to a diverse professional audience (both verbal and written).
- A proven experience in Resource Management.
Desirable
- Substantial experience in a “command and control structure” interacting at the Senior Management or similar levels. Military operations experience is an asset;
- Substantial experience supporting inspection or military activities in the area of treaty verification and CBRN defence is highly desirable;
- Demonstrable experience of high-level negotiation in technical, public administration, military or diplomatic environments.
- Experience in implementing Knowledge Management projects and activities, more particularly those related to transfer and retention of knowledge, including mentoring of staff.
- Experience in developing national or international policy related to the chemical industry or chemical security.
Skills and Abilities (key competencies)
- Planning and organisational skills, including the ability to establish priorities, delegate as required, and ensure timely delivery of results.
- Vision and leadership: serve as a role model, empower others to translate vision into results, proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives, establish and maintain relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support, guide and motivate a team to deliver the expected objectives and goals, enhance the effectiveness of a team.
- Empowerment and trust building: inspire others toward a common vision and foster trust and ethical behaviour, manages in a deliberate and predictable way, place confidence in colleagues by delegating task and responsibilities to staff members and encourage participation and leadership, encourage others to set challenging goals, follow through on agreed upon actions, build a trustful environment within one’s team and operate through transparent processes while at the same time ensuring information security.
- Effective communication: communicate with impact (clear and direct where appropriate), speak and write clearly and effectively, listen to others, demonstrate openness in sharing information and in keeping people informed in respect of the sensitivity/confidentiality of the work, demonstrate ability to interact effectively at all levels within and outside the Organisation.
- Proactive and goal-oriented: manage projects, develop clear and realistic goals that are consistent with agreed strategies and the vision of the Organization, stay focused on results, monitor and adjust plans and actions as necessary and take quick decisions despite of rapidly changing environmental conditions. Plan and organise complex activities to achieve established goals. Familiar with Results Based Management methodology.
- Adaptability and good situational awareness: manage diverse and multi-cultural teams encouraging an inclusive work environment; travel frequently; able to learn quickly and thoroughly while continually recognizing and adapting to changing conditions; capture and interpret information from the environment and integrate it with previous knowledge to assess, adapt and cope with a situation as required.
- Judgement and decision making: identify key issues quickly, able to adapt / interpret and follow established procedures and guidelines to deal with complex issues or situations; understand and adhere strictly to procedures for dealing with sensitive and confidential / classified information, make changes with comprehensive understanding of consequences/impacts on various stakeholders, find innovative and creative approach to solve problems, propose a course of action or make 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; make tough decisions when necessary.
- Conflict management: handle conflicts sensitively and effectively. Anticipate conflicts, facilitate their resolution by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions.
- Negotiation: able to reach win-win situations, finding and accepting mutual concessions when appropriate, prepare thoroughly, question, listen and trade concessions effectively, show flexibility and patience, think creatively, remain open minded.
- Demonstrate solid computer skills.
Language Requirements
An excellent command of English is essential. A working knowledge of one of the other official languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) is desirable.
