Team Leader, Technical Protection and Neutrality

Vacancy Announcement

Team Leader, Technical Protection and Neutrality, P-4

West Bank

Deadline for Applications

2 September 2017

(19 August 2017 for internal applicants)

Duration

1 year, with the possibility of further extension, subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory performance and continuing need.

Vacancy Announcement Number

17-FO-WB-42

UNRWA encourages applications from qualified women and welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities.

UNRWA, the largest United Nations operation in the Middle East with over 30,000 staff working across five areas of operation, is looking for professionals like you.

Protection for every Palestine refugee

Over 5 million registered Palestine refugees are covered under UNRWA’s protection mandate: to provide protection activities that aim to respond to the protection needs of Palestine refugees amidst increasing conflict and displacement in the region. For a wide range of reasons, Palestine refugees do not enjoy basic human rights, and the vulnerability of women and children to violence and abuse is also increasing. In recent years, UNRWA has significantly strengthened its capacity to provide protection to Palestine refugees through various initiatives. We apply a holistic approach to protection: an ‘internal’ dimension, focusing on realizing the rights of Palestine refugees in and through the Agency’s service delivery programmes, and an ‘external’ dimension involving engagement with relevant duty bearers to ensure respect for Palestine refugee rights.

In the West Bank, where approximately 800,000 Palestine refugees live, protection challenges include violence in refugee camps, detentions, restrictions on access and movement, displacement and property destructions. Children are particularly exposed to high levels of violence; UNRWA monitors closely protection concerns of Bedouin communities, engages in community mobilization to support resilience and self-protection, vulnerability-focused programing and the protection of children and youth, and works closely within the UN country team.

Do you want to make a lasting difference? 

If you are passionate about ensuring protection for Palestine refugees in the West Bank including East Jerusalem, this role will give you the opportunity to provide technical guidance and support to Field level neutrality and protection activities and ensure that these reflect the Field and Agency’s priorities, policies and frameworks.

The main responsibilities include:

•   Acting as the technical focal point on all neutrality, access and protection issues within the West Bank Field; under the direct supervision of the Senior Team Leader Protection and Neutrality, developing and monitoring the implementation of a field based neutrality, access and protection strategies and work plans for UNRWA operations; providing technical guidance and support to the team and other programme staff;

•   In coordination with the Team Leader – Operational Protection and Neutrality, setting priorities for the Operations Support Officers (OSOs) and accompanying them on Field trips to ensure technical guidance is followed on the gathering of information around protection, neutrality and access for use in advocacy and programmatic interventions;

•   Overseeing the documentation and analysis of access, neutrality and protection incidents, patterns and trends; preparing periodic reports on protection issues for advocacy purposes and submission to various interlocutors, including recommendations to intervene at the country level with the appropriate authorities and coordinating protection messaging for private and public advocacy;

•   Coordinating the humanitarian access, neutrality and protection approaches and strategies at the Field level ensuring that all three pillars are factored into the planning and programme delivery of UNRWA regular programmes; this includes leading the mainstreaming of gender, child protection and disability into UNRWA’s programmes at the field level as well as overseeing the effective functioning of the case management and referrals system; chairing relevant working groups at the field level related to protection mainstreaming and international protection and contributing to building the capacity of Field staff through training and technical support;

•   In collaboration with UN agencies, NGOs, civil society and other stakeholders, generating information, data and documentation on protection issues in the Field in order to develop local protection advocacy initiatives and strategies to raise awareness of protection issues affecting Palestine refugees; ensuring that information and analysis about protection issues in the Field are passed to the UN Protection Cluster at West Bank level;

•   Providing input to a communications strategy on protection in conjunction with the Public Information Office; providing technical guidance, advice and dissemination on issues related to humanitarian protection to UNRWA staff.

Conditions of service 

UNRWA offers an attractive compensation package including annual salary starting at $70,647 net tax free with post adjustment of 53.6% (subject to change without notice). All UNRWA duty stations (with the exception of Gaza and Syria) are family duty stations. Other benefits, subject to eligibility, include:

•  Dependency allowances

•  Rental subsidy

•  Education grant for children

•  Home leave travel

•  6 weeks (30 working days) annual leave

•  Pension fund entitlements under the

    UN Joint Staff Pension Fund

•  International health insurance; optional

    life insurance

•  Disability protection

To qualify for this position, you will need:

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in law, social or political science, international relations or related fields, with a focus on international human rights, international humanitarian law and/ or refugee law; a first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Work

experience

A minimum eight years of professional experience at the international or national level in the area of formulating policies on protection or promotion of human rights, children’s rights, refugee rights and/ or rights under international humanitarian law and related areas, including at least two years of international experience outside your home country; Experience with designing measures to prevent, mitigate and respond to violations and abuses of child rights and refugee rights.

Language(s)

Excellent command of spoken and written English.

Desirable qualifications:

Ability to speak Arabic and/or Hebrew. 

You will also need to demonstrate the following competencies:

•         Excellent leadership skills;

•         Good analytical and research skills;

•         Demonstrable knowledge and experience of humanitarian protection approaches from a technical perspective;

•         Excellent communication (spoken, written and presentational) skills;

•         Ability to establish priorities and to plan work assignments;

•         Proven interpersonal skills and ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment.

For guidance on how to prepare for competency-based interviews:

      https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=AYI

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. Only applications received through http://jobs.unrwa.org will 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. The United Nations does not concern itself with information related to bank accounts.

General information

UNRWA staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, neutrality and impartiality at all times. 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. UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment.

The 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.

Date of issue: 6 August 2017/CM