Legal Officer (Dispute Tribunal)

UNRWA, the largest United Nations operation in the Middle East with over 30,000 staff working across five areas of operation, is looking for highly committed personnel wishing to make a change. If you are looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference for one of the most vulnerable communities in the world, UNRWA would like to hear from you. Legal Officer reports to the Senior Legal Officer (Dispute Tribunal).

- Analyses party submissions, identifies critical factual and legal issues, and drafts Judgments, Orders and briefing notes as requested. - Provides substantive, technical and administrative support to the Registrar and Judge of the UNRWA Dispute Tribunal in the discharge of their functions in accordance with the Statute, Rules of Procedure, and any Practice Directions of the Tribunal. - Reviews submissions to the Tribunal to ensure that they meet procedural requirements and identify cases that are amenable to informal resolution to be brought to the attention of the Judge for possible referral to the Ombudsman. - Provides legal and ad hoc advice on diverse substantive and procedural questions and emerging issues, as required. - Conducts legal research and provides detailed analysis of cases and jurisprudence. - Assists in the management of large, consolidated cases, including reviewing cases for procedural and substantive issues, categorizing cases, devising case management strategies and advising on next steps. - Assists in tracking data and preparing reports on the work of the Tribunal. - Assists the Registrar and Senior Legal Officer in the supervision and guidance of the legal consultants, as required.

UN Core Values of Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for Diversity, and Core Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by default. - Analyzing - Applying Technical Expertise - Planning and Organizing - Deciding and Initiating Action - Persuading and Influencing

Advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in law or related field. A first-level university degree together with admission to practice law in a recognized jurisdiction and an additional two years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Not available.

At least five years of relevant work experience as a lawyer in the United Nations, other international organizations, government service, the commercial/private sector, or NGO is required. Extensive experience in legal drafting and analyzing jurisprudence in English is required. Unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, at least one continuous year of relevant international experience outside UNRWA and outside the country(s) of citizenship. Experience in litigation, including drafting judicial submissions or issuances is desirable. Experience in administrative or employment law, including disciplinary and neutrality matters is desirable. Experience interpreting and applying the UN and/or UNRWA regulatory framework and the jurisprudence of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal is desirable. Experience working in or before an administrative dispute tribunal of an international organization is desirable. Experience working on large, complex cases, such as class actions or cases with voluminous evidentiary records is desirable. Working knowledge of Arabic is desirable. Applicant is required to disclose current involvement in any outside activities, including but not limited to employment, independent contractor/freelance consultant, board member (corporate, academic, etc), expert group, lobby, public speaking/writing (article, book, blog, social media etc), teaching, conferences, training, press statement, voluntary work, political activity, fundraising/donation for non- UNRWA entity, running for public office, role in political party or orgs, owning business, work for gov./NGO/private company/charity, UNRWA partner/vendor, full/part-time, paid or not. A "yes" answer doesn't necessarily lead to exclusion from future work at UNRWA, yet misrepresentation in providing accurate/complete info can lead to disqualification/termination of appointment, if hired.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. Arabic is desirable. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult

https://languages.un.org

for details).

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Required Languages

Language

Reading

Writing

Listening

Speaking

English

UN Level III

UN Level III

UN Level III

UN Level III

Desirable Languages

Language

Reading

Writing

Listening

Speaking

Arabic

UN Level II

UN Level II

UN Level II

UN Level II

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Type of Contract and duration: This is a UN Regular Budget post Fixed Term for one year extendable subject to need, funds availability and performance. Only applications that have been fully completed in UNRWA's online e-recruitment system inspira will be considered and no late applications will be accepted. The Personal History Profile (PHP) should be completed with full work experience under the experience tabs as per the requirements in the Job Opening. UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities. A roster may be created from the selection exercise, and successful candidates may become eligible for appointment to the same post or a similar post. NB: work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states, regional bodies, business foundations and individual contributions. The mission of UNRWA is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development under the difficult circumstances in whichthey live. For more details on UNRWA, please visit: https://www.unrwa.org

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA and to assignment by him or her. UNRWA is committed to achieving gender parity at all levels of staffing under the current UN-wide gender agenda and strongly encourages applications from qualified applicants from under-represented groups. At UNRWA, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. UNRWA is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. UNRWA Considerations UNRWA staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of efficiency, competence, neutrality, impartiality and integrity. This includes respect for and commitment to human rights, diversity and non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. Candidates will not be considered for employment with UNRWA if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. The Agency may disqualify applicants who have separated for reason of misconduct, who left a UN Agency while misconduct processes were pending, or who appear on the UN Sanctions List. UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment. Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

THE UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST (UNRWA) DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE OR REQUEST MONEY FROM CANDIDATES AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT AND ONBOARDING PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING, ONBOARDING). UNRWA DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.