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Service Contract, National Officer (NOC) Natural Sciences

JOB DETAILS

Type of contract : Service Contract

Level :  SC10

Hiring Unit : Natural Sciences Sector (SC)

Duty Station : Santiago

Work location : On site

Duration of contract : 12 months

Hiring open to : External candidates

Application deadline (Midnight UTC−4 Time) : 31/08/2026

 

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

Under the overall authority of the Assistant Director-General for Sciences and the direct supervision of the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Santiago, the incumbent will support the implementation of UNESCO's programmes and activities in Sciences. The focus will be primarily to position UNESCO’s science mandate in Chile and on the regional agenda in ecological earth sciences, water sciences, science policy, capacity building, local and indigenous knowledge systems, and disaster risk reduction within the Santiago Regional Office. The incumbent will also assist the implementation of UNESCO’s broader sciences mandate.

The incumbent will support member states within the regional coverage in implementing Regional and National Development Plans and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks (UNSDCFs), contributing to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As part of the interdisciplinary team at UNESCO Santiago, the incumbent will collaborate with relevant stakeholders and receive technical guidance from the SC Programme Divisions at UNESCO Headquarters and Science Programme Specialists in other Regional offices in Latin America and the Caribbean.

MAIN TASKS AND SERVICES

  • Assist in the design, planning, implementation and monitoring of the programme and activities related to UNESCO's Sciences Sector funded under Regular and Extra Budgetary resources; and build human and institutional capacities for the region's different Science programme activities.
  • Monitor implementation of UNESCO's programme activities to advance and apply sciences in the member states within the region.
  • Maintain close contacts with the concerned regional/national/local authorities and contribute to developing national science policies. The incumbent will maintain and ensure relations with relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations in this context.
  • Support developing and implementing science-related programmes and activities in partnership with the Member States within the UNESCO Santiago Region.
  • Interacts with Programme Specialists within UNESCO, donors, NGOs, the National Commissions and UNCTs, Natural Sciences related Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, tertiary education as well as research and development (R&D) institutions in the region regularly for programme, project and joint administrative matters.
  • Identify, design and implement extrabudgetary projects to reinforce the Office's Regular Programme activities and contribute to resource mobilisation in support of interdisciplinary programme activities in Sciences to implement national, regional and global strategies for sustainable development in the UNESCO Santiago Office mobilising funding for global initiatives from HQs.
  • Assist in joint programming and Delivery as One exercise within the framework of the UN Reform such as Common Country Assessment (CCA), the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks (UNSDCFs), and Regional OIBC.
  • Contribute in the preparation of inputs for the Programme and Budget documents (C/5) and related work plans and contribute to the Director-General's report on organisational activities (C/3) and the Medium-Term Strategy document (C/4).

DURATION OF THE CONTRACT

Duration of the contract: 12 months, to be extended subject to performance results and availability of funds 

Only candidates with Chilean nationality and/or permission to work in Chile will be considered.

Modality: Full time and in person.

COMPETENCIES - Core (C) & Managerial (M)

  • Communication (C)
  • Accountability (C)
  • Innovation (C)
  • Knowlegde sharing and continuous improvement (C)
  • Planning and organizing (C)
  • Results focus (C)
  • Teamwork (C)

     

    For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

 

  • Advanced University degree (Master's or equivalent)  in Natural Science or related field  (Environment, Ecology, Hydrology, Earth Sciences and Basic Sciences) and Engineering.

 

WORK EXPERIENCE

 

  • A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in project and programme implementation.
  • A minimum of four years (4) of progressively responsible and relevant professional experience in the field of Natural Science, of which preferably two years acquired at international level.
  • Experience in planning, designing, managing, implementing and evaluating programmes and projects relevant to UNESCO’s mandate.
  • Experience in fund-raising and other resource mobilisation mechanisms and building strategic partnerships.

 

 

 

Long Description

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

 

  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (verbally and in writing)
  • Ability to build and maintain working relations with national/local authorities, institutions and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations
  • Ability to maintain effective working relationships in a multicultural environment
  • Proven resource mobilisation skills
  • Discretion and maturity of judgement
  • Good knowledge of standard office software (word processing, spreadsheets, etc.)
  • Good analytical, organisational and project management skills
  • Knowledge of Results-Based Management tools

 

LANGUAGES

 

  • Excellent knowledge of English (spoken and written) and native knowledge of Spanish

 

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

 

  • PhD in Natural Sciences, engineering or a related field

 

WORK EXPERIENCE

 

  • Experience in the organisation and coordination of international workshops, meetings and events.
  • Experience working within government or experience with specialised agencies of the UN system and/or professional NGOs and/or organisations for international technical cooperation.
  • Demonstrated experience in establishing and maintaining professional networks.
  • Experience in promoting South-South cooperation.
  • Experience in working with indigenous communities.
  • Prior work experience in Latin America.

 

Long Description

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

 

  • Knowledge of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
  • Good knowledge and understanding of the UNESCO Sciences Programmes.

 

LANGUAGES

 

  • Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese.

 

 

 

BENEFITS AND ENTITLEMENTS

Leave

Annual leave Annual leave shall be granted at the rate of 2½ days for each completed month of service, which is credited to the individual from the first day of his/her contract. The annual leave entitlement must be taken in full during the contract period, however up to 15 days can be carried forward if the contract is renewed. Compensation shall not be paid for unused leave at the end of the contract; and contracts must not be renewed solely for the purpose of allowing the SC contract holder to take unused annual leave from a previous contract. If UNESCO terminates the contract of an SC holder before its expiry date, and he/she has any unused accrued annual leave, the contract holder shall take such leave before he/she is separated. If exigencies of service do not allow any such leave to be taken before separation, compensation for any untaken annual leave shall exceptionally be paid. In the event of the SC holder’s resignation, any untaken annual leave shall be taken before the separation; under no circumstances shall compensation be paid for untaken accrued annual leave. If termination is the result of the contract-holder’s improper conduct or violation of any term of the contract, the SC may receive financial compensation for any untaken accrued annual leave.

Sick Leave SC holders are entitled to 2 (two) working days of paid sick leave per completed month of service, equivalent to 24 days (including certified and uncertified sick leave) per complete year of service. The total amount of sick leave shall be credited on the first day of their contract. During the first 2 (two) years of contract, up to 24 days of unused sick leave may be carried forward if the contract is extended. To qualify for paid sick leave, absences of more than three consecutive working days taken by SC contract holders must be supported by a medical certificate. Medical certification is also required after three uncertified sick leave days in any 6 month period.

Maternity leave SC contract holders are entitled to 16 weeks maternity leave, subject to provision of a medical certificate from a qualified practitioner which indicates the expected date of confinement. Once the period of maternity leave has started, no SC contract holder shall be separated during the period of maternity leave: the contract must be extended to cover the full period of maternity leave.

Social Security SC contract holders are not eligible for participation in UNESCO’s Medical Benefits Fund or UN Joint Staff Pension Fund, nor are they covered by UNESCO’s Staff Compensation Plan.  The social security arrangements for the SC contract-holder must be clearly set out in the SC contract, whether they are registered in a local scheme or receiving an additional payment for registering in a private medical and/or pension scheme. The arrangements must be drawn to the attention of the individual before the contract is signed. The contract holder must provide the proof of affiliation to local or private social security scheme.

 

Long Description

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information, by the above deadline.

To apply, please visit the UNESCO Careers website. No modifications can be made to the application once submitted. 

The process may include pre-recorded video interviews and/or written assessments, interviews with a Panel, as well as reference checks. In addition, candidates may be requested to provide additional information which may be pertinent to the position’s qualifications.  

Please note that all candidates, whether selected or not, will be informed of the outcome of their application in due course. 

Short-listed candidates may also be added to Talent Pools; subject to their consent (i.e. Data Privacy Statement).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  • UNESCO recalls that paramount consideration in the appointment of personnel shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, technical competence and integrity.
  • UNESCO applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment.
  • lndividuals from minority groups and indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.
  • All applications will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality.
  • The statutory retirement age at UNESCO is 65 years.
  • UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the hiring process.

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