Background
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Strengthening accountability and tackling corruption are essential pre-requisites for Iraq's long-term stability, economic recovery, and development. Both Iraqi and regional Kurdish governments have recently initiated steps to drive an ambitious anticorruption agenda. However, significant gaps remain in legislative and strategic framework, investigation and adjudication, integrity of institutions fighting corruption. Iraq adopted in May 2021 the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, but implementation measures are needed. UNDP in Iraq launched a project in May 2021 to support public partners at federal and the Kurdistan Regional Government to improve their capacity and legal framework to combat corruption and conduct commercial litigation.

The project titled “support to justice initiatives curbing corruption and promoting commercial dispute resolution” (hereinafter, Anti-Corruption & Arbitration Initiatives, ACAI) is funded by the European Union for a period of four years. The project works closely with the Prime Minister Office in Baghdad and supports directly the Commission of Integrity (CoI), the Higher Judicial Council (HJC) and the Legal and Integrity Committees of the Council of Representatives. In Erbil, the project follows a similar mechanism of collaboration. Further, the project works with key civil society and investigative media organizations.

The project has the following specific outcomes: (1) Improved Legislative and Strategic Framework for Anti- Corruption Reforms; (2) The justice sector, lawyers and CoI are better equipped to process corruption offences due to (2.1) improved technical skills relevant for corruption investigation, prosecution, adjudication and (2.2) improved integrity rules of the justice sector; (3) Improved capacity, legal and institutional frameworks to conduct commercial dispute resolution; (4) Create a climate of support in Parliament for anti-corruption reforms; (5) Increased transparency and public accountability.
Duties and Responsibilities
Scope of Work

Under the supervision of the Project Manager, the Senior Investigation and Adjudication Specialist will design training material and deliver training on investigation and adjudication of corruption offenses to CoI investigators, investigative judges, prosecutors and judges. Further, the Specialist will develop standard operating procedure (SOPs) for emerging investigation challenges, and design and deliver training on new SOPs. Specifically, the Specialist will undertake the following:

    • Design, develop and determine the appropriate mechanisms of delivery of capacity programmes to enhance the capacity of justice professionals as proposed by the project and agreed with the Judicial Councils; Ensure training programmes are designed and delivered in the most sustainable manner notably through existing institutional arrangements within federal and regional Judicial Councils; ensure that newly proposed curricular material is prioritized and its is use in actual training is fully funded;
    • Lead on and deliver training for on investigation and adjudication of corruption offenses to CoI investigators and public officials dealing with investigation, investigative judges, prosecutors and judges as per project implementation plan;
    • Identify the needs for additional national and international training experts on specificialized areas of investigations including but not limited to financial document analysis and forensic accounting and audits, public sector procurement and contracting, multi-disciplinary task force investigations, cooperation and information sharing in investigations including with FIUs, investigation of transnational crimes, documenting unknown funds/unexplained accumulation of wealth
    • Analyze Iraqi and Kurdish standard operating procedures (SOP) for investigation in line with international legal instruments and best practice and propose new SOPs to address emerging challenges of investigations; Closely work with the Mentoring Specialist and the Legislation Specialist to identify emerging areas and address specific investigation challenges by developing new SOPs including but not limited to case selection and prioritization of important cases of corruption, categorization of corruption investigations as minor or complex, reaching out to police investigators or forensics, victim, witness, experts and whistle blower protection measures and use of multidisciplinary task forces when appropriate etc; design and deliver training after SOPs are enacted to ensure timely;
    • Ensure learning, capture knowledge and lessons learned for UNDP and Iraqi; ensure that learning from trial monitoring programme feed into training workshops for judges and investigators;

Institutional Arrangement

The Specialist shall report directly to the Project Manager, Anti-Corruption & Arbitration Initiatives (ACAI), to whom all tasks should be delivered within agreed timelines. The Specialist will closely work with a team a Specialists and management support.

Competencies

Core

  • Achieve Results: LEVEL 4: Prioritize team workflow, mobilize resources, drive scalable results/strategic impact
  • Think Innovatively: LEVEL 4: Easily navigate complexity, encourage/enable radical innovation, has foresight
  • Learn Continuously: LEVEL 4: Create systems and processes that enable learning and development for all
  • Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 4: Proactively initiate/lead organizational change, champion new systems/processes
  • Act with Determination: LEVEL 4: Able to make difficult decisions in challenging situations, inspire confidence
  • Engage and Partner: LEVEL 4: Construct strategic multi-partner alliances in high stake situations, foster co- creation
  • Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 4: Create ethical culture, identify/address barriers to inclusion

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

  • 2030 Agenda: Peace Rule of Law, Security and Human Rights: Development of Institutions in Justice Sector
  • 2030 Agenda Peace: Governance: Transparency and Anti-Corruption
  • 2030 Agenda Peace: Governance: Constitution/ Legislative drafting
  • 2030 Agenda Peace: Governance: SDG 16
  • Audit & Investigation – Investigation: Investigation management and investigative techniques: The ability to manage an investigation, choose avenues of inquiry and apply different techniques during an investigation, including investigative interviewing; seizure of documentary and electronic evidence; identification, collection, review and analysis of all types of evidence, including project, procurement and commercial business documentation and electronic communications; forensic analysis; verification site visits; open source research
  • Audit & Investigation – Investigation: Critical creative and foresight applied to audit and investigation: Possess essential critical thinking and foresight capacity to analyse facts to form a judgment.
Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements

  • A master’s degree in law, criminology or other relevant discipline

Min. years of relevant work experience

  • A minimum of 7 years of experience as an investigator, prosecutor or judge, of which, minimum 4 years of experience on training justice professionals in the anti-corruption sector.

Required skills

  • High analytical skills oriented towards problem-solving
  • Ability to engage in substantive legal and technical discussion with public officials

Required Language(s)

  • Fluency in English and Arabic is required.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

  • Skilled legal analyst with track record of published legal studies
  • Knowledge of Iraqi judiciary
  • Experience or knowledge of anticorruption in Iraq
  • Experience and knowledge of the Middle-East is a strong advantage.
Disclaimer
Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment. 
UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.
Applicant information about UNDP rosters
Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
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