Legal Officer, P-3 (oPt), Jerusalem - Temporary Job Opening

Org .Setting And Reporting
This post focuses on the provision of legal advice and assistance for the Agency's operations
in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), referred to as the Occupied
Palestinian Territories (oPt), on matters relating to general law, including all types of
contracts entered into by the Agency and administrative and employment law; and on
questions of public international law, including the constitutive, legislative and other
instruments governing UNRWA activities and operations, and international human rights,
humanitarian and refugee law. The incumbent will work across both sections of the
Department of Legal Affairs and coordinate with personnel, including with Legal Officers
from Field Offices, in order to provide legal advice specific to the oPt context.
Responsibilities

• Assists in providing legal input into development and implementation of Agency strategy
  and policy, in particular in relation to the Agency's operations in the oPt;
• Provides legal advice and assistance on matters relating to administrative and employment
  law and other relevant issues relating to Agency personnel in the oPt, in particular by drafting
  submissions to the Agency's Dispute Tribunal and/or the UN Appeals Tribunal;
• Drafts, reviews and assists in the negotiation of all types of Agency contractual modalities
  within the oPt, including contracts for procurement of goods and/or services, memoranda of
  understanding with partners and funding agreements for the annual oPt Emergency Appeals;
• Advises on the status, mandate, privileges and immunities and related responsibilities of the
  Agency and its personnel within the oPt;
• Reviews and provides legal input on relevant communications, including press releases and
  official statements, concerning Agency operations in the oPt;
• Assists in engagement with international human rights mechanisms, including with regard to
  protection issues relating to Palestine refugees in the oPt;
• Assists in providing legal advice, training and outreach on the interpretation and application
  of international civil service law, relevant public international law, including the constitutive,
  legislative and other instruments governing UNRWA activities and operations, international
  human rights, humanitarian and refugee law, particularly as it relates to protection of Palestine
  refugees in the oPt, status and mandate of the Agency, privileges and immunities of the
  Agency and its personnel, and humanitarian principles;
• Advises on resolution of contractual and tortious claims against the Agency within the oPt,
  including overseeing, supporting and conducting negotiations, settlement and arbitration;
• Advises on the interpretation and application of the Agency's regulatory framework within
  the oPt, in particular UNRWA Area and International Staff Regulations, Rules and associated
  administrative issuances, Financial Regulations and Organizational Directives;
  Competencies
  UN Core Values of Professionalism, Integrity and Respect for Diversity and Core
  Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by
  default. Default managerial competencies may apply.
• Relating and Networking
• Planning and Organizing
• Analyzing
• Adapting and Responding to Change
• Persuading and Influencing
  For guidance on how to prepare for competency-based interviews: https://careers.un.
  org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=AYI
  Education
• A university degree from an accredited educational institution in law
• An advanced university degree from an accredited educational institution in public
  international law or commercial international law (desirable)
  Work Experience
• At least six years of relevant work experience in law, including one year of professional
  experience as a lawyer in a legal office of an intergovernmental organization or government,
  with emphasis on legal analysis, research and writing.
• 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
• At least one year of professional experience with the UN system and familiarity with its
  practices (desirable)
• Familiarity with the history and contemporary situation of the Occupied Palestinian
  Territories (desirable)
  Languages
• Excellent command of written and spoken English.
• Working knowledge of Arabic or another official language of the United Nations (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: Temporary Appointment for up to 364 Days. Renewal subject
  to funds availability.
  The Legal Officer should be able to travel in the Agency's area of operations in the Middle
  East.
  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.

How to apply:

To start the application process, applicants are required to register at https://careers.un.org/lbw/Home.aspx go to Department and choose UNRWA for UNRWA posts. Only applications received through https://careers.un.org/lbw/Home.aspx will be considered. Due to the large number of applications received, only short-listed applicants will be contacted via e-mail only.

Link to TJO is: https://careers.un.org/lbw/jobdetail.aspx?id=161917&Lang=en-US