Senior Protection Officer (International Protection and Protection Advocacy) [Temporary]

Org. Setting and Reporting

UNRWA, the largest United Nations operation in the Middle East with over 30,000 staff working across five areas of operation, is looking for highly committed personnel wishing to make a change.

If you are looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference for one of the most vulnerable communities in the world, UNRWA would like to hear from you.

The Senior Protection Officer (International Protection and Protection Advocacy) reports to the Chief Protection Division.

Responsibilities

- Coordinates development of Agency analysis and positions on emerging protection issues affecting Palestine refugees across fields to inform prevention, response, and other programming.
- Provides technical support including monitoring and reporting expertise to the field protection staff on the documentation of protection incidents related to alleged violations of international law and other evidence-based research for strategic protection advocacy; as part of strengthening accountability, advises and participates in demarches with relevant authorities and stakeholders to address documented concerns.
- Coordinates and develops agency-wide or cross-field advocacy strategy and thematic protection advocacy products and briefing materials for stakeholders including Member States, regional organizations (e.g., European Union, League of Arab States), UN agencies and civil society actors / NGOs.
- Supports the strategy design and develops tools for conducting regular protection risk assessment and profiles for UNRWA field operations in conjunction with field and programme teams and ensures that this is an integral part of programmes, operations, and advocacy.
- Oversees the co-ordination of individual international protection case response in cooperation with the Department of Legal Affairs and the Department of Relief and Social Services; acts as a key resource person for UNRWA-UNHCR Working Group.
- Provides strategic guidance to the Agency’s engagement - led by the Department of Legal Affairs (DLA) - with the International Human Rights System (IHRS) mechanisms.
- In coordination with other Protection Division staff, provides advisory services to Headquarter Departments and Field Offices on protection threats affecting Palestine refugees, including inter-sectional dimensions of vulnerability and gender, age, disability and diversity considerations.
- Provides input from a protection perspective into communications and public information campaigns, events, and materials (press statements, briefing documents, etc.).
- Establishes partnerships with external protection actors (UN agencies, NGOs, etc.) on international protection and represents UNRWA in Protection Cluster and other coordination fora at the regional level as required.

Competencies

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. Default managerial competencies may apply.

- Engaging and Nurturing
- Creating and Maintaining Impact and Partnership
- Deciding and Initiating Action
- Planning and Organizing
- Persuading and Influencing

For guidance on how to prepare for competency-based interviews: https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=AYI

Education

Advanced university degree from an accredited institution in international law, social or political science, international relations or another relevant field.

Work Experience

A minimum of eight years of progressively responsible relevant professional experience including in positions of operational responsibility in human rights, humanitarian, refugee law and protection at field level (required).

A minimum of 2 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 (required).

Familiarity with the work of non-UN organizations working in protection-related fields (desirable).

Knowledge and understanding of the Palestine refugee situation and the political context of the Middle East (desirable).

Languages

Excellent command of spoken and written English.

Working knowledge of Arabic is desirable.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

Type of Contract and Duration: Project funded until 31 December 2022 with the possibility of further extension subject to availability of funds, need and performance.

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.

A roster may be created from the selection exercise, and successful candidates may become eligible for a temporary appointment to the same post or a similar post.

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.
NB: Work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination.

UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities.

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.