Chief Conference Services Unit

Vacancy Notice

VACANCY NOTICE NO: 2345

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: 15 March 2025

Vacancy Notice Cancelled

Chief Conference Services Unit

Grade: P5

Duty Station:
Geneva, Switzerland

Commencement of Duty:
To be determined

Nature of Appointment:
Fixed-term - 2 years

Conference and Facilities (CNF) Division, Governance Services Department. WMO is committed to achieving diversity and a balanced workforce. Applications are welcome from qualified women and men, including those with disabilities. The statutory retirement age after 1 January 2014 is 65. Pursuant to WMO Standing Instructions, the minimum age to be eligible for consideration is 18, and the maximum age must enable the candidate to serve for at least the term of the contract before reaching mandatory age of separation.

• Responsible for efficient management of internal and external activities of the Conference Services Section, including management of WMO conference services, CNF in‑house teams, interpreting services provided by external providers, quality assurance through regular evaluation of our clients' needs, and updating WMO policies and activities.
• Provide strategic input on conference services aiming for professionalism and excellence.
• Supervise the management of the WMO Conference Centre: develop strategies and policies for its operations and supervise the organization of its activities, including renting of facilities to external clients, if possible.
• Manage and supervise staff supporting the technical departments in the submission of travel and meeting requests.
• Supervise the organization of interpreting services requested by WMO departments in the official WMO languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish).
• Draft and update relevant chapters of the WMO Standing Instructions.
• Supervise the planning, preparation and organization of CNF services for WMO constituent body (CB) and other major meetings and conferences (including IPCC, GEO and GCOS) in Geneva and abroad, including those conducted in conjunction with other IOs (ICAO, UNESCO, ECW, EUMETSAT, etc.). Act as a Conference officer during Regional association and Technical commission meetings of WMO, IPCC plenaries and other major meetings.
• Interact with the Permanent representatives to WMO regarding CB sessions; investigate with potential host countries and seek confirmation of invitations to put forward during the Congress and CB meetings.
• Seek agreement of TC/RAs Presidents on time and place of CB meetings and the agreement of WMO President.
• Responsible for preparing, negotiating and finalizing the host country agreement, in coordination with WMO Legal and Budget Sections and negotiating cost‑effective organization of conferences abroad, including the provision of diplomatic services, financial and human resources; supervise the preparation and dispatch of invitation letters of the Congress, EC, and constituent body sessions; supervise and sign the visa requests.
• Supervise the reception and monitoring of the credentials of delegations participating in WMO CB sessions and IPCC meetings; secure the necessary quorum for the WMO CB meetings by, inter alia, contacting the permanent missions of WMO Members in Geneva or their representatives, when the WMO meetings are held elsewhere.
• Prepare detailed information on required conference arrangements for budgetary estimates and accounting control; coordinate relationships with substantive departments and manage, on behalf of departments and delegations, negotiation and resolution of any problems that may arise in the servicing of meetings.
• Attend, when required, inter‑agency meetings on conference matters.
• Deputize for D/LCC during their absence.
• Carry out other relevant duties as required.

Master's degree or equivalent in communications, political sciences, social sciences, external relations or related area. A first‑level university degree in combination with additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in administration, management,…