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:  

 

External Relations and Projects Officer

 

Vacancy Announcement Number	17-HQ-JR-05
Grade	P-3
Deadline for Applications	6 March  2017 (27 February 2017 for internal applicants)
Duty Station	Jerusalem

 

 

 

Under the direction of the Chief, Donor Relations Division (CDRD), the External Relations and Projects Officer participates in developing and maintaining effective relations with key traditional and new donors and monitors the implementation of an Agency-wide portfolio of projects funded by these donor countries and institutions. In accordance with the established Agency policy and procedures, the incumbent will:

 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

 

External Relations and Fundraising

·       Manage relationships with key donors, and organize and participate in missions and meetings with donor countries, as necessary; provide a consistently high level of customer service to local donor representatives and their officials in capitals;

·       Gather market research on target countries to assess their fundraising potential for UNRWA; actively pursue innovative avenues of cooperation for funding opportunities; develop country strategy papers and associated work plans and work in close coordination with senior management to implement these plans;

·       When requested, prepare briefing documents for senior management including the Commissioner-General, the Deputy Commissioner-General and other relevant members of the Executive Office, the Director of External Relations and Communications, and the Representative Offices in New York, Washington and Brussels;

·       Ensure the dissemination of accurate information regarding the Agency’s functions among government officials, media, civil society, and the public;  analyze, review and edit project progress reports and draft correspondence for the purpose of fundraising and advocacy;

·       Contribute to the promotion and implementation of the Agency’s Resource Mobilization Strategy with results-oriented concrete actions; support senior managers in policy-level bilateral discussions with Member State civil servants or at the political level; organize and participate in donor field trips in the five fields of operations;

·       Contribute to the development and strategic use of outreach materials for the purpose of fundraising;

·       Negotiate bilateral agreements, Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and project proposals with donors on behalf of the Agency; coordinate with donors on requests regarding extension or modification of projects.

 

Projects Administration

·       Guide DRD’s Project Office and provide relevant information to ensure proper monitoring of the implementation of an Agency-wide portfolio of projects funded by various donor countries;

·       In coordination with implementing Departments and DRD projects unit, analyze, review and edit project proposals and progress reports;

·       Liaise between Field Offices, HQ Programme Departments, and donors for the preparation of proposals; draft correspondence relating to submission of reports, use of savings and interest and other related issues;

·       Liaise with the Finance Department and the Programme Directors to verify information and allow clearance of proposals for submission to donors;

·       Provide guidance to Field Offices and Headquarters Programme Departments to enhance the quality of proposals and report writing;

·       Work with Finance Department, Field Offices and HQ Programme Departments to ensure timely submission of progress and final reports;

·       Ensure proactive coordination with concerned Departments, Field Offices and Representatives Offices on contributions, donor-funded projects and external relations activities and ensure timely follow-up;

·       Support C/DRD with other tasks of international coordination,                             including helping in reviewing documents for the Division,                                     representing the Division in internal coordination meetings, and                              other related tasks.

 

 

 

Professional Knowledge and Experience

·       University degree in political science, international relations, business or public administration, law, economics, development or humanitarian studies or a related discipline;

·       A minimum of 6 years of relevant experience which would include experience in fundraising, donor relations, political analysis, international cooperation, and/or project management in the context of the UN, governments or international non–governmental organizations, including two years of international experience outside one’s home country;

·       Excellent command of spoken and written English.

 

Competencies

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

·       Willingness and ability to handle details;

·       Demonstrated skills in team work; demonstrated skills in working with others and ability to handle sensitive issues;

·       Demonstrated track record of initiative;

·       Knowledge of project cycle management and logical framework analysis;

·       Flexibility and willingness to learn new skills through knowledge of modern office procedures;

·       Ability to interact effectively and with discretion with colleagues and external partners of differing levels of seniority and different professional and cultural backgrounds;

·       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;

·       Ability to follow-up on issues actively; find creative solutions to problems and negotiate with and influence others;

·       Experience in handling member states relations or in resource mobilization for humanitarian and development projects from governmental and other institutional sources;

·       Understanding of the design, preparation, and review of proposals and reports;

·       Understanding of budgetary requirements and planning;

·       Excellent computer skills;

·       Understanding of the culture and complexity of the Middle East context and UNRWA's mandate.

 

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.

 

Desirable Qualifications

·       Experience in the management of international cooperation projects;

·       Proficiency in another UN language would be an asset;

·       Experience of UNRWA and the wider UN system;

·       Advanced university degree in political science, international relations,                business or public administration, law, economics, development or                       humanitarian studies or a related discipline.

 

Additional Information

The incumbent should be able to travel in the Agency's areas of operation in the

 Middle East as well as to other locations.

 

Conditions of Service 

UNRWA offers an attractive compensation package including annual salary starting at $58,583 net tax free with post adjustment of 51.0% (subject to change without notice). Other benefits, subject to eligibility, include education grant, 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 UNRWA Personal History Form. Please note that UNRWA only accepts degrees from accredited educational institutions. Only applications received through http://jobs.unrwa.org will be considered. Due to the large number of applications received for UNRWA vacancies, only short-listed applicants 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: 7 February 2017/ HB