Snr EXT RELS & PRJS OFR (Arab Countries)

Org. Setting and Reporting

The Senior External Relations and Projects Officer (Arab Countries) reports directly to the Director of Partnerships and to the Director, External Relations Department (through the Director of Partnerships).

The incumbent participates in developing and maintaining effective relations with Arab donor governments and other funding organizations and monitoring the implementation of an Agency-wide portfolio of projects funded by these donor countries and institutions.

Responsibilities

Contributes to the development and implementation of the region’s strategy on external relations and fundraising; manages relationships with key Arab donors; provides a consistently high level of responsiveness and service to key donors; actively pursues innovative avenues of cooperation for funding opportunities by public and private donors in the Middle East and Gulf region; provides counsel to the Director of Partnerships, Director, External Relations and senior management;

Negotiates bilateral agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with donors on behalf of the Agency; negotiates and drafts project proposals in coordination with field offices; analyzes, reviews and edits project proposals and progress reports; drafts correspondence for the purpose of fund-raising and advocacy; produces briefing materials and talking points for senior management including the Commissioner-General, Deputy Commissioner-General, Directors, and the Representative Offices in New York, EU, Washington, and Geneva and other Senior Officials;

Promotes and implements the Agency’s Resource Mobilization Strategy with results-oriented concrete actions; organizes and participates in senior level missions to donor capitals; participates in major meetings and conferences including the hosts and donors meeting and policy-level bilateral discussions with senior government civil servants or at the political level; organizes and participates in donor field trips in the five fields of operations including high level delegations from capitals;

Contributes to the development and strategic use of outreach materials and media for the purpose of increased public awareness and fund-raising; drafts donor brochures in conjunction with official visits to capitals; oversees the preparation of visibility plans;

Makes significant contributions to various fund-raising documents including appeals and Department’s reports and policy documents;

Ensures proactive coordination with concerned Departments, Field Offices and Representative Offices on contributions, donor–funded projects and external relations activities and ensures timely follow-up.

Competencies

Professionalism:
Shows pride in work and in achievements. Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

Creativity:
Actively seeks to improve programmes or services. Offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs. Promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas. Takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks "outside the box." Takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things. Is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.

Building trust:
Provides an environment in which others can talk and act without fear of repercussion. Manages in a deliberate and predictable way. Operates with transparency; has no hidden agenda. Places confidence in colleagues, staff members and clients. Gives proper credit to others. Follows through on agreed upon actions. Treats sensitive or confidential information appropriately.

Communication:
Speaks and writes clearly and effectively. Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately. Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication. Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience. Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Judgement/decision making:
Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly. Gathers relevant information before making a decision. Considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them. Takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization. Proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information. Checks assumptions against facts. Determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision. Makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in political science, international relations, public administration, law or economics or a related discipline.

Work Experience

At least eight years of progressively responsible and relevant experience in donor relations and fundraising working for a national/international organization or development agency.

A proven track record in fund-raising within the Middle East.

A minimum of two continuous years of relevant international experience outside UNRWA, and outside the country(s) of which the candidate is a national or holds citizenship, a passport or a national identity number.

Knowledge of UNRWA and of the wider UN system (desirable).

Languages

Excellent command of written and spoken English and Arabic.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

- This JO is re-advertised. Candidates who applied to the previous Job Opening would need to re-apply

- Type of Contract and duration: 2 years, with the possibility of further extension.

- The incumbent is required to travel regularly inside and outside the Agency's area of operations.

Equivalency:
-A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

- 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.

- Applicants have to complete the Personal History Profile (PHP) in inspira in order to be considered. The PHP should be completed with full relevant work experience as per the requirements in the Job Opening, in order to be considered.

- 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/

United Nations Considerations

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.