occupied Palestinian territory: Legal Officer

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 is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 30,000 staff. For its international team, UNRWA is seeking to employ a qualified:

Legal Officer

Vacancy Announcement Number

15-FO-WB-58

Grade

P-3

Deadline for Applications

23 January 2016

(30 December 2015 for internal applicants)

Duty Station

Jerusalem

Under the direct supervision of the Head, Field Legal Office, West Bank, the Legal Officer, as part of the team is responsible for providing legal counsel to the Director of UNRWA Operations, West Bank. In accordance with the established Agency policy and procedures, the incumbent will:

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

· Assist in providing legal counsel, through the Head, Field Legal Office, West Bank to the Director of UNRWA Operations, West Bank on legal matters, including:

• The emergency situation prevailing in the West Bank Field, including access and protection related concerns;
• The privileges and immunities of the United Nations;
• UNRWA’s relations with governmental authorities;
• The formation of contracts and leases;
• The legal aspects of the Agency’s involvement in the development of the local social and economic infrastructure in the West Bank Field;
• The personnel procedures and related administrative law matters which may give rise to staff (including emergency employee) claims and appeals;
• Preparing legal opinions and correspondence on such matters after consultation, where appropriate, with the Department of Legal Affairs at UNRWA, HQ.

· Assist in the conducting of day-to-day level liaison with the local governmental authorities to safeguard and facilitate the Agency’s operations in light of the prevailing situation of emergency in the West Bank Field, including following up the implementation of the Agency’s requests to the relevant authorities and drawing the attention of senior Agency officials to potential problems or disputes with the relevant authorities; establish and maintain contact with local lawyers with a view to resolving Field related potential disputes and claims involving the Agency; study claims made against the Agency, and make recommendations to the Director of UNRWA Operations and to Headquarters as to their disposal;

· Draft and assist in the negotiation of conditions of contract and other documentations of a legal nature for the purchase and sale of goods and services, the construction and maintenance of buildings, the use of land, and the provision of other services by the Agency in the West Bank Field, including for emergency related matters;

· Assist in checking and verifying reports from Agency staff concerning violations of the Agency’s privileges and immunities and draft communications as appropriate to the relevant authorities concerning such violations;

· Advise on the implementation of, and takes necessary steps to safeguard the provision by the Agency of humanitarian assistance to the Palestine refugees, in particular in the context of current emergency;

· Assist in seeking access to Agency staff in detention, including emergency contractors, ascertaining the conditions under which such staff are being detained, and provide staff with appropriate legal and other assistance in accordance with Agency policy; assist in interviewing staff after their release from detention, and advise the Head Field Legal Office upon their applications for reinstatement and reemployment in accordance with established Agency policy, rules and regulations.

Professional Knowledge and Experience

· A university degree from an accredited educational institution in law, with specialisation in either of the following branches of law: international, administrative/public, employment or commercial law;

· Licensure to practice law in any jurisdiction;

· At least six years’ of progressively responsible legal experience, in a national or international organization, including at least two years at the international level, outside one’s home country; Candidates will be judged on their overall familiarity and professional experience with international law, human rights law, contracts and commercial law, administrative law, employment law and criminal and civil procedure;

· Excellent command of written and spoken English.

Competencies

· Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others in team environment;

· A high level of written communication skills and practical writing experience in a legal context, including ability to present information and data in a clear and instructive manner, combined with superior skills in legal writing and expression in form of drafting legal opinions, papers and positions;

· Strong analytical and evaluative skills combined with good judgment, including ability to apply legal knowledge and practice to strategic policy and operational objectives;

· Highly developed negotiation skills, with ability to positively influence others to reach mutually benefiting understanding;

Desirable Qualifications

· Advanced degree from an accredited educational institution in law;

· Professional related-work experience in Palestine is strongly preferred;

· Knowledge of contemporary problems of Palestine and Palestine refugees ;

· Familiarity with the UN Common System and practices;

· Working knowledge of Arabic and Hebrew.

Additional information

· Possession of a valid driving license;

· The incumbent will be required to travel occasionally throughout the Agency’s area of operations in the Middle East.

Equivalency

When the minimum requirements are not fully met, the Human Resources Department may substitute part of the unmet requirements under UNRWA’s equivalency determination guidelines with a combination of relevant academic qualification, additional professional training and/or progressive relevant work experience. Note: Work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered sufficient for an equivalency determination.

Conditions of Service

UNRWA offers an attractive compensation package including annual salary starting at $60,813 net tax free with dependants or $56,766 single, plus post adjustment of 55.8% subject to change without notice). Other benefits, subject to eligibility, include education grant, dependency allowance, home leave, pension fund, health insurance and 6 weeks annual leave. 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, 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 encourages applications from qualified women.

UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities.

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.

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.