occupied Palestinian territory: Director of UNRWA Operations, D-2 West Bank

Vacancy Announcement
Director of UNRWA Operations, D-2
West Bank
Deadline for Applications
6 October 2018
(22 September 2018 for internal applicants)
Duration
2 years, with the possibility of further extension
Vacancy Announcement Number
18-FO-WB-45
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 women.
UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities.
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 professionals wishing to make a change.
Palestine refugees in the West Bank
The West Bank is home to nearly 800,000 registered refugees, around a quarter of whom live in 19 camps. Protection concerns, restricted economic opportunities and increased poverty have increased the need for, and reliance upon, humanitarian assistance. Against this backdrop, UNRWA’s 4500 staff in the West Bank, the vast majority refugees themselves, deliver education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance to support the refugee community until there is a just and durable solution to their plight.
Do you want to make a lasting difference?
If you are passionate about making a lasting difference for Palestine refugees, in this role you will act as UNRWA’s representative in the West Bank and administer and direct programmes and operations including education, health, and emergency relief and social services to Palestine refugees. You will also be responsible for the organizational support functions including finance, procurement and logistics, general administration and public information in addition to microfinance, and infrastructure and camp improvement. You will be supported by two deputies responsible for the immediate supervision of the core programmes and organizational support functions.
You will also lead UNRWA’s responsibility for addressing the needs of Palestine refugees in the West Bank whose limited rights, restricted movement and an Occupation contribute to their marginalized existence. You will plan, manage and direct all aspects of UNRWA’s activities throughout the West Bank and East Jerusalem characterized by a large and complex refugee population which can be affected by regional political and security volatility and resultant insecurity affecting the refugee population and the Agency’s operational environment at large.
The main responsibilities include:
 Working to directly influence the protection and care of Palestine refugees and support for UNRWA locally, regionally and globally:
I. Performing vital advocacy, public communication and resource mobilization functions, sourcing and providing, as appropriate, current information on the conditions affecting Palestine refugees and promoting support for UNRWA and Palestine refugees with host and donor governments;
II. Playing a critical role in building an effective partnership with local authorities, diplomatic missions community leaders, UN agencies and NGOs, ensuring that programme design and delivery enables the continuation of services in a difficult and frequently hazardous operating environment; advocating with government representatives, community leaders and the broader public for the Agency’s programme, highlighting its critical importance, quality and value of its work;
 Leading UNRWA delivery of public and community services in education, health, relief and social services, infrastructure and microfinance (where applicable), ensuring consistency and quality in programmes; overseeing the development and delivery of programme and emergency operations, ensuring that refugee needs are met as far as possible and that the services delivered meet Agency and international standards;
 Leading, motivating and supervising a team of programme and operations managers and specialists, building an effective integrated service delivery capacity which is adapted to the needs of the refugee community and to the particular demands of a volatile environment;
 Serving as the principal advisor to the Commissioner-General on policies, programme design, state of operations, the determination of UNRWA priorities and resource needs in the assigned field and on the security and political context;
 Being responsible for ensuring accountability and rigor in financial and budget management and the maintenance of internal controls and set procedures;
 As part of the Senior Management Team, contributing to determining the strategic direction of UNRWA and to accomplishing its mission; advocating for the needs of refugees within the overall programme priorities of the Agency.
Conditions of service
UNRWA offers an attractive compensation package including annual salary starting at $108,189 net tax free with post adjustment of 53.3% (subject to change without notice). All UNRWA duty stations (with the exception of Gaza and Syria) are family duty stations. Other benefits, subject to eligibility, include:
 Dependency allowances
 Rental subsidy
 Education grant for children
 Home leave travel
 6 weeks (30 working days) annual leave
 Pension fund entitlements under the
UN Joint Staff Pension Fund
 International health insurance; optional
life insurance
 Disability protection
Additional information
The incumbent will be required to reside in her/his duty station and may be required to travel frequently throughout the Agency's operations in the Middle East.
To qualify for this position, you will need:
Education
Advanced university degree (Master degree or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in political science, social science, public or business administration, or international relations; a first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying
Who we are
For over 65 years, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) has been working on the ground in five fields of operations in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip providing direct assistance and protection for some 5 million Palestine refugees in the Middle East. UNRWA is mandated by the UN General Assembly to provide this assistance and its mission is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development until there is a just and lasting solution for their plight. UNRWA restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who have been uprooted by conflict with services encompassing education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance.
For more details on UNRWA, please visit: https://www.unrwa.org/
experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree;
Work
experience
At least 15 years of progressively responsible professional and managerial experience of which at least 10 years should have been in a senior position in a large governmental or international agency dealing with similar programmes to UNRWA’s, including a minimum of two years’ international experience, outside your home country;
Language(s)
Excellent command of written and spoken English.
Desirable qualifications:
 Knowledge of activities of UNRWA operations and services;
 Knowledge of Middle East geo-political realities and its socio-culture implications;
 Knowledge of other UN languages in particular Arabic and/or French is desirable for dealing with host government/authority officials and refugee population representatives, and with delegations from donor countries. Knowledge of other languages is an asset.
You will also need to demonstrate the following competencies:
 Professionalism: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised; mastery of subject matter; conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations;
 Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; exhibits interest in having two-way communication; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed;
 Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; provides oversight and takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable;
 Leadership: Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; provides leadership and demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing;
 Building Trust: Operates with transparency; places confidences in colleagues, staff members and clients; follows through on agreed upon actions; treats sensitive or confidential information appropriately;
 Managing Performance: Makes sure that responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback; gives staff autonomy in important areas of their work and holds them accountable for achieving results related to their area of responsibility; rewards achievements;
 Decision-making: Gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers the positive and negative impacts thereof on the Organization and makes tough decisions when necessary.
For guidance on how to prepare for competency-based interviews:
https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=AYI
How to apply
To start the application process, applicants are required to register at http://jobs.unrwa.org by creating a personal profile and completing UNRWA Personal History Form. Only applications received through http://jobs.unrwa.org will be considered. Due to the large number of applications received for UNRWA vacancies, only applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted. The United Nations does not charge fees at any stage of the recruitment process. The United Nations does not concern itself with information related to bank accounts.
General information
UNRWA staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, neutrality and impartiality at all times. 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. UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment.
The retirement age for staff entering or re-entering service in the UN Common System after 1 January 1990 is 62 and 65 after 1 January 2014. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete a term of appointment will normally be considered.
The Agency reserves the right not to make an appointment, to make an appointment at a lower grade, or to make an appointment with a modified job description.
Date of issue: 9 September 2018/CX

To start the application process, applicants are required to register at http://jobs.unrwa.org by creating a personal profile and completing UNRWA Personal History Form. Only applications received through http://jobs.unrwa.org will be considered. Due to the large number of applications received for UNRWA vacancies, only applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted. The United Nations does not charge fees at any stage of the recruitment process. The United Nations does not concern itself with information related to bank accounts.