occupied Palestinian territory: Senior Team Leader, Protection and Neutrality

UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY

FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST

UNRWA

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions. UNRWA seeks the services of a seasoned and innovative professional, highly motivated to provide skilled leadership in the position of:

Senior Team Leader, Protection and Neutrality

Vacancy Announcement Number

17-FO-WB-10

Grade

P-5

Deadline for Applications

09 April 2017

(26 March 2017 for internal applicants)

Duty Station

West Bank

UNRWA encourages applications from qualified women and welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities.

The Senior Team Leader, Protection and Neutrality is the principal professional adviser to the Field Office Director on all programmatic, operational and advocacy aspects of protection and neutrality in the Field and is responsible for leading, coordinating and supporting the development and implementation of strategies, policies, principles and practices of protection and neutrality in West Bank Field Office with a view to integrating them into its programmes and operations. S/he is accountable for leading the Protection and Neutrality Unit and for the senior supervision of staff performance. The Senior Team Leader, Protection and Neutrality reports directly to the Director of UNRWA Operations, West Bank who is responsible for the overall management of the Protection and Neutrality Unit. In accordance with the established Agency policy and procedures, the incumbent will:

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

· Act as the principal professional advisor to the Director in administering all the programmatic, operational and advocacy aspects of protection and neutrality in the Field; lead the development and implementation of the Agency’s strategies and frameworks related to neutrality, access and protection which are primarily achieved through supervision of the Protection and Neutrality Unit including monitoring and reporting on the protection issues of Palestine refugees and neutrality concerns affecting the Agency at large;

· Lead the Protection and Neutrality Programme through coordinating and supporting the development and implementation of field based strategies, policies, principles and practices of protection and neutrality in West Bank Field Office; supervise the staff and oversee the performance of the Protection and Neutrality Unit; plan and control the execution of all operations described in the programme work-plan and establish long-term operational objectives under the supervision of the Director of UNRWA Operations, West Bank;

· Lead the outreach, awareness raising and private advocacy with the Israeli Security Forces, including the Israeli Civil Authority in the West Bank and the Division Commander and Brigade Commanders who implement operations in the West Bank; implement advocacy and awareness with other interlocutors around the work of UNRWA highlighting the protection concerns and needs of the Palestine refugee community in accordance with international law; coordinate all aspects of international law with the Department of Legal Affairs and the Field Legal Office;

· Identify Field specific neutrality and protection concerns, with a specific emphasis on the refugee camps and other emblematic communities, and ensure that both are factored into planning and programme delivery in consultation with other programmes; this includes programmatic and advocacy approaches as per UNRWA protection policy and framework related to gender/GBV, child protection and disabilities; coordinate responses to developing protection and neutrality trends in the field with the Chief, Protection Division and Neutrality Coordinator in HQ Amman to ensure the field response is aligned with the Agency policy and approach;

· Have overall responsibility for resource allocation and is accountable for ensuring resource expenditure, procurement, logistics, human resources and administration for the team are aligned with the regulatory framework of UNRWA.

Professional Knowledge and Experience

· Advanced university degree from an accredited educational institution in law, political sciences or related field;

· At least ten years of relevant and supervisory experience in international organizations, preferably in the humanitarian sector with a focus on protection and humanitarian principles, including two years of experience at international level outside one’s home country;

· Excellent command of written and spoken English.

Competencies

· Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of humanitarian protection and neutrality policies and approaches;

· Excellent interpersonal skills, mature, independent, disciplined, loyal, self-confident and self-assured;

· Excellent communication, negotiation skills and demonstrated ability to handle sensitive situations diplomatically;

· Decisive but flexible, able to assess and analyse situations quickly, objectively and prudently and plan and organize accordingly;

· Strong leadership skills and ability to build an enabling work environment, coordinate team work and motivate team members;

· Proven Political awareness and judgement while remaining impartial and discreet at all times;

· Demonstrated knowledge of and exposure to a range of human rights issues to include approaches and techniques to address sensitive problems.

Desirable Qualifications

· Experience in applying knowledge of public international law, particularly of international refugee law, international humanitarian law and international human rights law;

· Practical experience in ways of implementing operational neutrality and protection principles within a human development framework;

· Knowledge and understanding of the Palestine refugees situation in the political context of the Middle East with a particular emphasis on the West Bank;

· Previous coordination experience with relevant UN agencies, NGOs, civil society and legislative bodies;

· Working knowledge of Arabic and Hebrew.

Equivalency

When the minimum requirements are not fully met, the Director of Human Resources may exceptionally substitute part of the unmet requirements with a combination of relevant academic qualification, additional professional training and progressive relevant work experience. Note: Work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination.

Additional Information

The incumbent will be required to reside in her/his duty station and may travel occasionally to other areas of the Agency's operations in the Middle East.

Conditions of Service

UNRWA offers an attractive compensation package including annual salary starting at $84,721 net tax free with post adjustment of 51.0% (subject to change without notice). Other benefits, subject to eligibility, include education grant, dependency allowance, home leave, pension fund, health insurance, 6 weeks of annual leave and other allowances such as dependent spouse, single parent or child allowance as applicable. All UNRWA duty stations (with the exception of Gaza and Syria) are family duty stations. Initial contract is for one year**,** with the possibility of further extensions subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory performance and the continuing need for the post.

How to Apply

To start the application process, applicants are required to register at http://jobs.unrwa.org by creating a personal profile and completing UNRWAPersonal History Form. Please note that UNRWA only accepts degrees from accredited educational institutions. Only applications received throughhttp://jobs.unrwa.orgwill be considered. Due to the large number of applications received for UNRWA vacancies, only applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted.

The United Nations does not charge fees at any stage of the recruitment process (application, testing, interviewing, etc). The United Nations does not concern itself with information related to bank accounts.

General Information

UNRWA is a United Nations organization whose staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, neutrality and impartiality. This includes respect for and commitment to human rights, diversity, and non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. UNRWA staff are expected to uphold these values at all times, both at work and outside. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment.

The statutory retirement age for staff entering or re-entering service in the UN Common System after 1 January 1990 is 62 and 65 after 1 January 2014. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete a term of appointment will normally be considered.

The Agency reserves the right not to make an appointment, to make an appointment at a lower grade, or to make an appointment with a modified job description.

On appointment, all individuals will be asked to sign a self-attestation, confirming that they have not committed, been convicted of, or prosecuted for, any criminal offence and that they have not been involved, by act or omission, in the commission of any violation of international human rights law or international humanitarian law.

Date of issue: 13 March 2017 / HB

To start the application process, applicants are required to register at http://jobs.unrwa.org by creating a personal profile and completing UNRWAPersonal History Form. Please note that UNRWA only accepts degrees from accredited educational institutions. Only applications received throughhttp://jobs.unrwa.orgwill be considered. Due to the large number of applications received for UNRWA vacancies, only applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted.

The United Nations does not charge fees at any stage of the recruitment process (application, testing, interviewing, etc). The United Nations does not concern itself with information related to bank accounts.