occupied Palestinian territory: Senior External Relations and Projects 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. For its international team, UNRWA is seeking to employ a qualified:

Senior External Relations and Projects Officer

Vacancy Announcement Number

16-HQ-JR-15

Grade

P-4

Deadline for Applications

2 April 2016

(23 March 2016 for internal applicants)

Duty Station

Jerusalem

Under the direct supervision of the Chief, Donors Relations Division, the Senior External Relations and Projects Officer will be an integral part of the External Relations and Communications team. In accordance with the established Agency policy and procedures, the incumbent will:

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

· Participate in the elaboration of external relations and fund-raising strategies both public and private; participate in the development of resource mobilization and advocacy policy; manage relationships with key donors; provide a consistently high level of responsiveness and service to key donors; actively pursue innovative avenues of cooperation for funding opportunities by public and private donors; provide counsel to the Director of External Relations and Communications, Chief Donor Relations and senior management accordingly;

· Manage the relationships and negotiate bilateral agreements and Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) with major donors on behalf of the Agency; negotiate and draft project proposals with donors in coordination with Field Offices; analyze, review and edit project proposals and progress reports; draft correspondence for the purpose of fund-raising and advocacy; produce briefing materials and talking points for senior management including the Commissioner-General, Deputy Commissioner-General, Director, and the Representative Offices in New York, Washington and Brussels;

· Promote and implement the Agency’s Resource Mobilization Strategy with results-oriented concrete actions; organize and participate in senior level missions to donor capitals as needed; participate in major meetings and conferences including the Hosts and Donors Meeting and policy-level bilateral discussions with senior Government civil servants or at the political level; support the Advisory Commission Secretariat with donor liaison on specific issues ensuring timely follow-up; organize and participate in donor field trips in the five Fields of operations including high level delegations from capitals;

· Ensure timely follow-up and proactive coordination with concerned Departments, Field Offices and Representative Offices on contributions, donor–funded projects and external relations activities; is responsible for donor liaison and Agency coordination in the recruitment of non-regular staff including Junior Professional Officers (JPOs) and other kinds of contributions of personnel from donor governments and private organizations; actively explore opportunities for new sources of non-regular staff.

Professional Knowledge and Experience

· Advanced university degree from an accredited educational institution in political science, international relations, public administration, law or economics or similar field;

· At least eight years of experience working for a national/international organization or development agency in fundraising, public information and/or external relations, of which at least three years at a senior level, including at least two years at international level outside one’s home country;

· Experience in project management/design;

· Excellent command of spoken and written English.

Competencies

· Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity;

· Strong communication skills, ability to handle details and present a persuasive case;

· Proven ability to maintain good professional relations with a variety of interested stakeholders in different settings;

· Ability to develop clear goals, independently plan and prioritize own work, work well under tight deadlines and handle multiple concurrent activities;

· Positive attitude and strong analytical, interpersonal, communication and coordination skills;

· Ability to find creative solutions to problems and negotiate with and influence others;

· Understanding of the culture and political complexity of the area;

· Proficiency in standard Agency computer applications.

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. NB: Work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination.

Desirable Qualifications

· Knowledge of UN system;

· Knowledge of written and spoken Arabic.

Conditions of Service

UNRWA offers an attractive compensation package including annual salary starting at $74,130 net tax free with dependants or $69,032 single, plus post adjustment of 52.6% (subject to change without notice). Other benefits, subject to eligibility, include education grant, dependency allowance, home leave, pension fund, health insurance and 6 weeks of annual leave. All UNRWA duty stations (with the exception of Gaza and Syria) are family duty stations. Initial contract is for two years**,** 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 encourages applications from qualified and experienced 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 human rights, for diversity, and for 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:10 March 2016 / CF

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.