The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) seeks a committed and motivated person with considerable knowledge and experience to carry forward QUNO’s work on Peace and Disarmament in the QUNO Geneva office. The candidate should be in close sympathy with Quaker values and approaches. They will join our team, currently including a Director, Representative on Human Impacts of Climate Change, Associate Representative on Sustainable and Just Economic Systems, two Programme Assistants, Office Manager, Finance Manager, Fundraising Officer, and Communications Coordinator (based out of QUNO New York). We are also recruiting for a Representative in Human Rights and Refugees.

Background to QUNO and the Peace and Disarmament Programme

Established over 75 years ago, QUNO consists of two offices, New York and Geneva, providing Quaker witness at the United Nations. Working from a belief in the inherent worth of every individual, QUNO Geneva seeks to bring Quaker peace and justice concerns to international processes in the areas of peace and disarmament, human rights and refugees, the human impacts of climate change, and sustainable and just economic systems.

Our style of work is focused on “quiet diplomacy”: providing intellectual and physical space for dialogue, listening and learning including through off-the-record, informal, small-group conversations among diplomats, UN staff, NGOs, experts and others. Through the Friends World Committee for Consultation, Quakers enjoy general consultative status at the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council and observer status in several other international bodies. This allows us to engage publicly with relevant UN and other multilateral processes.

The Peace and Disarmament Programme is rooted in a long history of Quaker work on peace, social justice and non-violent approaches to conflict. We understand peace as more than the absence of overt violence or destructive conflict; sustainable peace is fundamentally linked with human rights, social and economic justice, and political participation. We currently strive to promote disarmament by highlighting how weapons and the defence industry lead to human rights violations and greatly increase the likelihood of destructive conflict. Our endeavours challenge militaristic and securitised approaches to today’s existential challenges and seek a shift towards a vision of common security. We are actively seeking to improve anti-racist and participatory approaches in our own work throughout the organisation.

Some of the Programme’s work can be found on our website, see https://quno.org/areas-of- work/peace-disarmament

The Peace and Disarmament Programme is rooted in a deep history of Quaker work on justice, equality and peace. The Programme has a long and strong track record of:

• contributing to the development of international law (examples include: the Arms Trade Treaty, Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention)
• engaging with UN reform
• convening diplomats, UN staff, NGOs and people directly affected by conflict to share ideas and catalyse change (including helping establish the Geneva Peace Building Platform)
• deepening understanding of specific issues (for example Natural Resources: Conflict and Cooperation, the role of human rights in sustaining peace)
• building a broad network of civil society partners to inform and support engagement and strengthen collaboration.

Job Purpose

Leading the Peace and Disarmament Programme, you will maintain QUNO’s long-term Quaker presence at the United Nations. This includes identifying and responding to current or evolving threats to sustainable peace; helping make international agreements and processes more effective in practice; human rights-based approaches; engaging in cross-programme work; and deepening existing work on arms control and corporate responsibility, alongside the sustaining peace and peacebuilding areas of the programme’s work.

At this time of threat to the UN system all programmes at QUNO are exploring how to better support and strengthen UN processes that centre human dignity and foster peace, justice and sustainability.

As a senior staff member and part of a small team, you will help ensure the effective and efficient management of the organisation as well as leading the Peace and Disarmament Programme.

Key Responsibilities

Representation

Programme Leadership

-  Develop Peace and Disarmament Programme strategy, identifying opportunities and priorities for a unique Quaker presence. Implement the programme, reporting on impact at regular intervals to our governance board and donors as required.

-  Build constructive and collaborative working relationships with colleagues at QUNO New York, exploring ways to mutually reinforce work across the two offices that supports the UN’s role for peace globally.

-  Apply a human rights based approach to current and new areas of work within the programme.

-  Facilitate informal and off-the-record discussions on issues and processes relevant to the Peace and Disarmament Programme.

-  Contribute insights from the Peace and Disarmament Programme perspective to processes for shared analysis on threats and opportunities in relation to UN reform and multilateralism.

-  Develop communications and publications as relevant to the programme.

-  Contribute to fundraising for the programme, identifying potential donors, building relationships, writing grant applications and reporting to donors.

Administration and Operations

Fundraising and Outreach

Staff Supervision, Development and Support

-  Collaborate with other staff, in particular the Director and other Representatives, to ensure the smooth running of the organization, taking on delegated functions and deputizing where appropriate.

-  Contribute to the oversight and delivery of the annual Quaker UN Summer School. This is led by Programme Assistants with the supervision and support of senior staff.

- Support and take part in QUNO fundraising and communications activities: inform stakeholders about QUNO’s work at the UN through presentations, QUNO website and social media; contribute to the annual QUNO Review; and participate in fundraising and outreach activities.

-  When funding allows, recruit, line manage and mentor a Peace and Disarmament Programme Assistant to support the programme (this is a one year training post).

-  Model inclusive, non-violent and collaborative approaches in interactions within QUNO.

Required Values, Approaches, Skills and Experience

You will be the right person for the job if you have the following:

Essential Values and Approaches

• You are in close sympathy with Quaker values and testimonies.
• You are familiar with consultative decision-making processes, and are able to adapt to changing situations and priorities.
• You have a commitment to the principles and practices of QUNO with regard to equal opportunities, fairness of treatment, dignity, work-life balance and the elimination of all forms of discrimination in the workplace, including in relation to issues of race, class, nationality, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, and disabilities.
• You are available to attend evening and weekend meetings and to travel internationally, working overtime as needed.
• You reflect peacebuilding approaches in your work both internally and externally.

Essential Knowledge and Experience

• You have demonstrated knowledge and experience in relation to international peacebuilding and arms control or disarmament, within or in reference to UN processes and activities.
• You have experience working with communities affected by violent conflict.
• You hold a graduate degree or the equivalent experience in a related field (e.g. international affairs, international law, politics, peacebuilding and conflict resolution, public policy and diplomacy).
• You bring at least 8 years of relevant experience, including several years of progressive responsibility covering development of programme strategy, as well as implementation and reporting, preferably in the non-profit sector.
• You have an academic or working background or both in one or more of the current priority areas of focus (disarmament and arms control, UN approaches to sustaining peace, peacebuilding).
• You have experience in fundraising, ideally including identifying potential donors, building relationships and writing grant applications.

Essential Skills

You demonstrate the ability to work independently and take initiative, while embracing new challenges as learning opportunities, including ability to organize your time, give attention to detail and carry out careful planning and follow-up.

• You are skilled in mentoring junior staff or trainees; including the ability to create a supportive learning environment and help maintain motivation.
• You possess strong interpersonal skills enabling you to work productively as a member of a small, highly motivated team.
• You have demonstrated facilitation skills, creating spaces of trust for open dialogue.
• You are fluent in written and spoken English (the primary working language at QUNO) and possess excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• You have demonstrated ability to work and communicate respectfully with people of diverse backgrounds and who hold different perspectives.

Conditions of Service

Salary: Salary currently under review, last advertised at CHF 95,000. QUNO provides employer’s contribution to social security, pension and accident insurance. The employee is responsible for and required by law to have health insurance.

Duration: Once the standard three-month probation period envisioned under Swiss law has been completed, this position is of indefinite duration subject to funding and organisational priorities. The contract would provide for three months’ notice on either side.

Holidays: 27 days per annum, in addition to Geneva public holidays and the period the QUNO office is closed between Christmas and New Year. The timing of vacations is to be agreed in advance with the Director.

Working hours: QUNO follows Swiss practice of a 40-hour work week. Office hours are normally 09:00 to 18:00 with a one-hour lunch break. Time worked over and above that, agreed in advance, is compensated by time off in lieu, and should be taken within one month at times agreed in consultation with the Director.

• Understanding of the concerns and insights of the Religious Society of Friends world-wide.
• Knowledge of other UN languages, in particular French.
• Experience working collaboratively in a small team.
• Previous experience serving in a senior management team.

Location: The post is based in Quaker House, Geneva, Switzerland. The post holder will be expected to be resident in or relocate to Geneva or the surrounding area. Significant international travel may be required.

Travel costs at the start and end of the appointment: If the appointee is not currently living in Geneva, the costs of an economy ticket from the appointee’s home base and a modest relocation allowance will be paid by QUNO.

Applications

QUNO is committed to equality in policy and practice. Qualified persons are encouraged to apply regardless of their religious affiliation, national origin, race, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.

Appointment to this post requires the candidate to be legally eligible for employment in Switzerland https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/overview-arbeit.html. For a highly qualified candidate, who does not presently have that eligibility, QUNO would consider applying for a work permit, in which case an employment offer would be conditional on government approval.

Closing Date: Monday 3 November 13:00 CET

Initial interviews: Anticipated in the week beginning 17 November

Second round interviews: Anticipated for week beginning 8 December

Applications should be made in English by email to: qunojob2@quno.ch with the subject line: Peace and Disarmament Representative.

Please attach the following, including your name in the title for each document:

1. Your curriculum vitae (max. 2 pages)
2. A cover letter (max. 2 Pages), including:

• • your assessment of how your qualifications and experience fit this role
  • your motivation for working on these issues within a Quaker organisation

Please include within these:

• Your nationality and eligibility to be employed in Switzerland
• If you are a member or attender of a Quaker meeting
• The earliest date on which you could start fullt ime in Geneva
• The names and contact details of three referees, including, if possible, your most recent employer (indicating whether we should ask you before contacting them) and, if possible, one referee who is a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers). Please say how each person knows you.

3. Something you have written of relevance to the position (max. 6 pages, can be an extract from a longer piece of writing)

Applications without these attachments cannot be considered.

Ability to build strong human connections is essential to this role. We therefore encourage you not to rely on generative AI in preparing your application.

All applications will be treated in confidence.