Senior Investigator

UNRWA, the largest United Nations operation in the Middle East with over 25,000 staff and complementary personnel working across five areas of operation, is looking for highly committed personnel wishing to make a change. If you are looking for a challenging and rewarding opportunity to help safeguard the integrity of UNRWA's operations through high-quality investigations and independent oversight, while supporting the Agency's mission to serve one of the world's most vulnerable communities, UNRWA would like to hear from you. The incumbent reports to the Chief, Investigations Division, P5. The incumbent will be required to travel in the Agency’s area of operations.

Performs the following independently or as a team member, under general guidance and supervision: 1.1. Undertakes or coordinates as appropriate, investigations of potential violations of Agency rules, regulations, policies, procedures and standards including sexual exploitation and abuse, fraud and corruption, breaches of neutrality, and other misconduct throughout the Agency, applying and ensuring objectivity, impartiality and fairness throughout investigative processes in accordance with generally recognized international investigative standards and Agency guidelines; 1.2. Reviews and assesses complaints and allegations, formulates investigation plans, reviews and analyses all information to determine its relevance and reliability; conducts interviews of staff and other involved parties, records interviews, obtains and analyses potential documentary and electronic evidence; conducts investigative research and determines the appropriate presentation of investigative results; 1.3. Prepares reports and ad hoc briefs pertaining to investigations. Reports outcomes of investigations to Chief, Investigations Division; 1.4. Prepares recommendations for corrective action and improved controls and effectiveness or efficiency of UNRWA systems and operations; 1.5. Coordinates with local officials, governments, and outside organizations and obtains internal support such as interpreters to facilitate investigative work. 2. Provides advice on best-practice with respect to investigations. 3. Supports investigations carried out by Field Offices and HQ Departments or other offices including participating in Field Office Intake Committees, advising Field Office Directors on Terms of Reference and related plans for investigations; provides guidance on the conduct of such investigations in accordance with generally recognized international investigative standards and Agency guidelines. 4. Provides support in the preparation of work plans and the establishment of priorities for the investigation function in the Agency including the prioritization of investigative work in consultation with their supervisor; monitors and supports the work of investigative teams to ensure that outputs meet the required quality standards and are delivered according to schedule. 5. Develops and participates in the development of the Agency’s policy and procedural framework, best practices and lessons learned from investigative work; ensures that lessons learned from investigations are incorporated into the Agency policy and procedures and are shared with HQ Departments; assists in the development and implementation of investigator training. 6. Works and coordinates closely with the other control and monitoring functions as appropriate; and assesses the potential for fraud and corruption in operational activities and makes any necessary recommendations. 7. When the post is located in a Field duty station, periodically provides the Field Director with statistical updates on the number and nature of investigations, while ensuring that case-related details and investigative independence are preserved.

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. - Planning and Organizing - Applying Technical Expertise - Planning and Organizing - Adapting and Responding to Change - Delivering Results -Creating and Maintaining Impact and Partnership

Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution, in law or any other related field.

A Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) or any formal investigation training. license is required.

A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible relevant experience applying internationally recognized investigation techniques in criminal or administrative inquiries. Unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, at least two continuous years of relevant international experience outside UNRWA and outside the country(s) of citizenship is required. Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) or any formal investigation training is required. Indicate your current involvement in any outside activities, as it is required. 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 I

UN Level I

UN Level I

UN Level I

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

Type of Contract and duration: 1 year, with the possibility of further extension. 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. All university degrees must also be stated, where applicable. UNRWA personnel must ensure adding their contract type and grade level. Given the large pool of applicants, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further assessment. Providing incorrect or misleading information on an application form will result in the immediate disqualification of the candidate. Advertisements published in English will only accept applications in English, other language submissions will not be considered. UNRWA is committed to achieving gender balance in its workforce. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. 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, when the need arises. Equivalency: A first level university degree in combination with additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. NB: work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination. The Agency disqualifies applicants whose name appears on the UN Sanctions List or a UN database of staff separated for reason of misconduct or of staff who separated while a misconduct process was pending. UNRWA shares investigation and misconduct information with other UN Agencies, and past and prospective employers about staff members who have been separated for misconduct, or who have separated while an investigation and/or disciplinary process for misconduct is underway; and those individuals may be prohibited from employment with the United Nations. 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 which they 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.