UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY
FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST
UNRWA
CONSULTANCY - TERMS OF REFERENCE
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 30,000 staff. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
Translation Consultant, HQ Amman
Background to the UNRWA Educational Programme
UNRWA operates 711 elementary and preparatory schools in its five fields of operation, including eight secondary schools in Lebanon, providing free basic education for some 526,000 Palestine refugee children for children from grade 1 to grade 9 or 10 depending on the field.
Since its establishment, and consistent with UN practice in refugee situations globally, UNRWA uses the curriculum of the host country. This ensures Palestine refugees can integrate into host secondary and tertiary educational systems and more broadly participate in the social and economic life of the host country. As an independent UN Agency providing humanitarian and development assistance, UNRWA has no mandate to alter any host government curriculum or textbooks which are a matter of national sovereignty. Nevertheless, UNRWA regularly reviews all newly issued textbooks by hosts and is committed to ensuring that what is being taught in UNRWA schools adheres to UN values and principles. This robust system of review of host countries’ textbooks is instrumental to ensure that UNRWA can continue with its policy of zero tolerance to all forms of racism and discrimination.
Nonetheless, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing importance of remote learning, UNRWA has developed certain materials to support the learning of half a million Palestine refugee children. The criteria that must be taken into consideration during UNRWA review of textbooks – namely, age-appropriateness; gender; and compatibility with UN values including the humanitarian principles – are also applied to these materials. As of February 2021, all remote learning materials are created at the field level, then subject to a first review at the field review, a second review by the Headquarters Department of Education team, and a third review by the Executive Office to ensure compliance with the humanitarian principles.
As such, UNRWA is looking to hire a Translation Consultant to aid with the review held at the Executive Office of the materials provided by the Agency on the Digital Learning Platform. **
Scope of work
§ The Translation Consultant will work with the two other Translation Consultants in the Executive Office, and will be trained by them.
§ The consultant will report to the Senior Humanitarian Principles Coordinator and will work closely with the Reporting Officer.
§ Following suitable training and onboarding, they will work to review and approve all materials directly on the Digital Learning Platform.
§ They will also provide translations into English of certain materials for senior management.
§ They will also collaborate with the two other consultants on producing weekly reports on materials produced on the Digital Learning Platform.
§ They will also provide any administrative support and/or translation support for reporting as necessary to the Senior Humanitarian Principles Coordinator and the Reporting Officer.
Minimum Qualifications and Experience
The consultant should have qualifications and experiences in the following areas:
§ A university degree from an accredited educational institution in translation, Middle Eastern Studies, Arabic literature, education, or any other related field,
§ At least 2 years of progressively responsible experience in translation, curriculum, education, or a related field at an international level,
§ For international applicants 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.
§ Excellent command of spoken and written English.
§ Excellent command of spoken and written Arabic (including Modern Standard Arabic, excellent command of Levantine dialect desirable).
Desirable qualifications
§ Familiarity with the Agency’s five fields of operation and/or the Middle East at large;
§ Experience in designing curricula;
§ Knowledge of the humanitarian principles and humanitarian response;
§ Experience of a UN Agency.
Competencies
§ Excellent attention to detail
§ Ability to work under pressure juggling multiple projects at once
§ Collaborative nature and excellent attitude
Conditions of Service
§ The consultancy contract will be for 3 months in a continuous period, with possible extension depending on funding.
§ Monthly remuneration for this consultancy is $3,125
§ The consultant will be paid monthly.
§ It is highly probable that the consultancy will need to be conducted in full on a remote basis.
§ The consultant would be expected to work full time (Sunday to Thursday) between 8am and 4pm Jordan time.
Application process
Applicants should submit a cover letter and CV or UN Personal History Form demonstrating clearly the knowledge and experience required to meet the consultancy requirements via consultancy@unrwa.org indicating the title of this consultancy “Translation Consultant - Executive Office” in the subject line of the message. The deadline for the submission of applications is 10 October 2021.
UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from both women and men. UNRWA encourages applications from qualified women. Only those applicants shortlisted for interview will be contacted. UNRWA is a non-smoking environment.
26.09.2021
How to apply:
Application process
Applicants should submit a cover letter and CV or UN Personal History Form demonstrating clearly the knowledge and experience required to meet the consultancy requirements via consultancy@unrwa.org indicating the title of this consultancy “Translation Consultant - Executive Office” in the subject line of the message. The deadline for the submission of applications is 10 October 2021.