Assistant Field Public Information Officer

UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY

FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST – UNRWA

UNRWA is the United Nations agency responsible for the protection, care and human development of a population of some 4.6 million Palestine refugees living in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and the Syrian Arab Republic. The Agency is committed to assisting Palestine refugees in maintaining a decent standard of living, acquiring appropriate knowledge and skills, enjoying the fullest possible extent of human rights, and leading a long and healthy life. UNRWA is by far the largest UN operation in the Middle East with over 29,000 staff. Most of the staff members are refugees themselves, working directly to benefit their communities – as teachers, doctors, nurses or social workers.

Assistant Field Public Information Officer

Location

Lebanon Field Office

Type of Appointment

Fixed Term – three years

Deadline for Application

28 September 2017

Vacancy Announcement Number

66/2017

Grade

15

Department/Division

Office of the Field Director / Public Information Office

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

In accordance with Agency policy and procedures, the incumbent:

(A)

Translates documents from Arabic to English and vice versa, as required;

(B)

Maintains regular contact with the local and international media representatives to promote better understanding and coverage of the Agency's work, and to encourage the media to use UNRWA as a source of information on registered Palestine refugees;

(C)

Provides ideas for coverage of Field activities; researches material and drafts text in Arabic and English for Headquarters public information material, including for the Agency's English and Arabic website and UNRWA official Facebook and Twitter accounts; supports internal communication by working on the Arabic staff portal (Field and Agency-wide) and assisting with content management;

•(D)

Provides office support and operational assistance to Field PIO in advising the Field Office Director;

(E)

Monitors daily press and prepares daily/weekly press summaries and monthly reports; supports the Field PIO in communication to refugees and community outreach; assists in the implementation of the Agency-wide annual Communications Plan/Strategy;

(F)

Briefs and escorts donors and VIPs to the Field and supports donor visibility requirements; interprets when required;

(G)

Deputizes for Field PIO in his/her absence;

(H)

Performs other duties as may be assigned.

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PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES

(A)•• Academic and Professional

i)    University degree in journalism, communications, public relations or related discipline.

(B)•• Experience

Five years experience in public information and public relations, including experience in writing publications in Arabic and English and in handling media inquiries.

(C)•• Language

•••••• Excellent knowledge of written and spoken Arabic and English.

Competencies

(i)           Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others in a team environment and with people of diverse backgrounds, cultures and nationalities;

(ii)          Ability to translate and interpret accurately from and into Arabic and English;

(iii)         Strong communication skills;

(iv)        Ability to use a variety of computer software including MS Office, Page Maker, Corel Draw and internet.

(v)         High degree of organizational and political awareness in the Middle East;

(vi)        Ability to draft and edit written materials and to articulate ideas in a clear and concise style in Arabic and English;

(vii)       Ability to exercise a high degree of professional discretion.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

(A)           Knowledge of Agency operations;

(B)           Knowledge of contemporary issues of the Middle East;

(C)           Working knowledge of any other language;

(D)             Possession of a valid driving licence.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

(i)      The incumbent may be required to travel frequently throughout the Agency's area of operations;

(ii)     The job is performed frequently beyond regular working hours.

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

Salary: Monthly basic salary L.L. 2,334,637 - PLUS 21.20% SOA (Special Occupational Allowance)

Contract Duration: Fixed term – three years.

Holidays: 30 days annual leave

Dependency allowance: Dependent spouse: L.L 60,000 per month•••• Dependent child: L.L 33,000 per month

Pension:• Provident Fund contribution

EQUIVALENCY

Candidates with an equivalent combination of relevant academic qualifications, professional training and progressive work experience may also be considered.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

The Recruitment process is based on the Agency's strategy to obtain the best qualified and suitable employees through a competitive recruitment process. After the deadline for receiving applications, all applications will be reviewed by the Human Resources Office and the Hiring Department.  Only Short-listed candidates who fully meet the required criteria shall be contacted and undergo technical/practical tests and the candidates with the highest passing scores will then be invited to interview (see "Technical and Practical Tests Required" below). An absence from tests or interviews will be considered automatically as a withdrawal from the recruitment process. The final recommendation for selection is based on the test results, interview assessment, Agency priorities and needs and the candidates' profiles. For all posts, the weight allocated for the technical/practical tests (listed below) is 60% and for the interview is 40%.  ملاحظة: سيتم الاتصال فقط بالمتقدمين الذين يستوفون الشروط المطلوبة للوظيفة.. During and after the completion of the recruitment process, candidate's request for review will be considered and looked into within 48 hours from the formal notification by UNRWA.

GENERAL INFORMATION

UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications equally from men and women. It is Agency Policy to give full consideration to qualified disabled candidates whose disability does not impact their ability to perform the duties and responsibilities of the post.

Referring to PD A/2/REV.4 – 3.1.2. para. (b), which states that staff members, with indefinite appointment who are applying for this post, may return to their original posts, or to similar posts, if those posts will exist and are vacant. This reassignment shall be made at the staff members' former grade level. However, the step level will be adjusted to account for the number of years in the fixed-term post. Otherwise, their status will be governed by the relevant provisions of Personnel Directive A/9 on Redundancy.

As a member of the United Nations system, UNRWA maintains a close relatives' policy.• In this regard, if a candidate has a close relative (mother, father, brother, sister, son or daughter) who is already employed by the Agency, he/she can only be employed if the Agency is unable to find another suitable candidate.

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 working environment.

الأونروا هي منظمة تابعة للأمم المتحدة، وهي منظمة تفترض من موظفيها الالتزام بأعلى معايير الاستقامة والحياد والنزاهة. ويشمل ذلك احترام مبادئ حقوق الإنسان واحترام التنوع وتبني الوسائل غير العنيفة في حل كافة أشكال النزاعات.  المتوقع من موظفي الأونروا أن يقوموا بدعم هذه القيم في كافة الأوقات، سواء في أماكن العمل أم خارجه. إن أولئك الأشخاص الذين يتمتعون بالالتزام الكامل وغير المشروط بهذه القيم هم فقط الذين ينبغي أن يتقدموا بطلباتهم للعمل لدى الأونروا. الأنروا هي بيئه عمل لا يسمح فيها بالتدخين.

Where there are two or more equally qualified candidates, selection preference will normally be given to internal candidates, Palestine Refugees and candidates of the under-represented gender. The Agency maintains the discretion to fill future vacancies for this position from the roster without re-advertising the vacancy.

As an Area post, preference will be given to local candidates already based in the duty station of the post.

TECHNICAL & PRACTICAL TESTS REQUIRED

Short-listed candidates will sit for one test:

Computer based technical test (100%)

The top 5 scoring candidates in the computer based technical test given that none have scored less than 50 % in the test, will be invited for an interview.•

HOW TO APPLY

If you have the skills and experience required above, and want to make an active and lasting contribution to improving the lives of Palestine refugees, then register on http://jobs.unrwa.org by creating a personal profile and completing the UNRWA Personal History Form; it is the responsibility of the candidates (internal and external) to make sure that their Personal History Form is duly completed with the needed information before they apply as amendments to the Form will not be accepted after the deadline of the vacancy announcement. Only applications received through this website will be considered and the system will not allow applications after the deadline. Please note that UNRWA only accepts degrees from accredited educational institutions. Candidates may also be invited to take a technical exam in order further evaluate their qualifications for the post. Due to a high volume of applications received, only short-listed applicants will be contacted –"سيتم الإتصال فقط بالأشخاص الذين تنطبق عليهم متطلبات الوظيفة". The United Nations does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. The United Nations does not concern itself with information on bank accounts. .For further information in how to apply for a post, please visit the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JreyKoXXKEA&feature=youtu.be

For any queries please send an email to: recruitmentquestions@unrwa.org. Please apply as requested above, do not send your CV To this email address, all cvs sent to this email address will be automatically ignored. يرجى تقديم الطلبات حسب التعليمات اعلاها وعدم ارسال السيرة الذاتية الى هذا البريد الالكتروني, سيتم تجاهل السير الذاتية التي ترسل الى هذا العنوان تلقائيا. or contact the recruitment unit on 009611830403.

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Date of issue: 15 September 2017