Lebanon: Consultant – Investigation Expert, Beirut, Lebanon

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.

Consultant – Investigation Expert, Beirut, Lebanon

Description of Duties and Responsibilities

· Undertakes or coordinates as appropriate, investigations of allegations or complaints of misconduct against an UNRWA employee, where the misconduct consists in sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) or any form of violence or abuse against a child beneficiary, applying and ensuring objectivity, impartiality and fairness throughout investigative processes in accordance with generally recognized international investigative standards and Agency guidelines;

· In close coordination with the grievance officer, reviews and assesses complaints and allegations of cases of violence against children; formulates investigation plans, reviews and analyses all information to determine its relevance and reliability, conducts interviews of staff and other involved parties, records interviews, obtains and analyses potential documentary and electronic evidence, conducts investigative research and determines the appropriate presentation of investigative results; Whether children are interviewed as survivors or witnesses ensures that children’s specific needs are respected while protecting them from stigmatization, psychological harm or further violence.

· In coordination with the protection teams, ensures that children involved in investigation processes as survivors of witnesses, are referred to specialised services, as required.

· Prepares reports and ad hoc briefs pertaining to investigations;

· Prepares recommendations for corrective action and improved controls and effectiveness or efficiency of UNRWA systems and operations, in line with UNRWA child protection framework and child safeguarding regulations;

· Provides support and guidance to LFO investigators on investigations regarding violence against children cases and provides advice on best-practice with respect to child-sensitive investigations;

· Delivers information sessions to UNRWA staff and communities on UNRWA’s relevant policies and regulatory framework regarding violence against children;

· Participates in the development of the office’s policy and procedural framework and best practices and other lessons learned from investigative work on violence against children cases; ensures that lessons learned from investigations are incorporated into the Agency policy and procedures;

· Works and coordinates closely with the other control and monitoring functions as appropriate;

· Performs such other duties as may be assigned.

minimum Qualifications and Experience

· A university degree from an accredited educational institution in law or a related field;

· Formal training and/or certification in various law enforcement methodologies/ fraud examination or investigations;

· At least six years of relevant experience applying internationally recognized investigation techniques in criminal or administrative inquiries;

· Fluency in oral and written English.

Competencies

• Professionalism: knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to investigations (e.g. acceptability and protection of evidence); familiarity with the use of various research methodologies and sources, including electronic sources on the internet, intranet and other databases; ability to apply good judgement in the context of assignments given; ability to plan work and manage conflicting priorities;
• Communication: excellent communication skills in both spoken and written English, including ability to draft/edit a variety of written reports and other studies, and ability to articulate ideas in a clear and concise style, with excellent presentation skills;

• Technological awareness: fully proficient computer skills and use of relevant software and other applications involved in criminal and administrative investigations;

• Teamwork: good interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity, including gender balance;

• Proven ability to gather and review evidence; analyze large amounts of information and to provide reports that are factually correct, impartial and objective, concise, complete and logically organized.

Desirable qualifications

· Fluency in oral and written Arabic;

· Good knowledge of the conditions prevailing in the Agency’s area of operations with the ability to appraise and evaluate the implications of economic, political, cultural and historical variables in those regions;

· Working knowledge of UN financial rules, regulations and procedures.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The incumbent will be based in the Lebanon Field Office and may be required to travel in the Agency's area of operations in the Middle East.

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

· The duration of the consultancy is 5 months with an expected start date of February 2019;

· Remuneration for this consultancy is an equivalent of P3 and will depend on the qualifications and experience of the consultant;

· The incumbent will be based in Lebanon Field Office.

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 “Investigation Expert” in the subject line of the message. The deadline for the submission of applications is 13 January 2019.**

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.

31/12/2018

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 “Investigation Expert” in the subject line of the message. The deadline for the submission of applications is 13 January 2019.**

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.