Jordan: Director of UNRWA Affairs, D-1 (Amman) and D-1 and D-2 (Roster) (Beirut, Damascus, Gaza, West Bank)

Vacancy Announcement
Director of UNRWA Affairs, D-1 (Amman)
and D-1 and D-2 (Roster)
(Beirut, Damascus, Gaza, West Bank)
Note: This announcement is intended to fill the post of Director of UNRWA Affairs, Amman D-1, and to establish a Roster of candidates for Director of UNRWA Affairs in other duty stations, at D-1 and D2 level
Deadline for Applications
11 March 2020
(12 February 2020 for internal applicants)
Duration
2 years, with the possibility of further extension
Duty Station(s)
Amman (Vacant)
Beirut / West Bank / Gaza / Damascus (Roster)
Vacancy Announcement Number
20-FO-JO-05
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 senior female professionals wishing to make a change.
UNRWA’s strategic objectives
The mission of UNRWA is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development under the difficult circumstances in which they live. In line with this mission, the Agency works towards five strategic outcomes: (a) Palestine refugee rights under international law are protected and promoted; (b) Palestine refugee health is protected and disease burden is reduced; (c) school-age children complete quality, equitable and inclusive basic education; (d) Palestine refugee capabilities are strengthened for increased livelihood opportunities; and (e)
Palestine refugees are able to meet their basic human needs of food, shelter and environmental health. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states, regional bodies, business foundations and individual contributions.
Do you want to make a lasting difference?
If you are looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference for one of the most vulnerable communities in the world, UNRWA would like to hear from you. Under the overall supervision of the Commissioner-General, the Director of UNRWA Affairs, acts as UNRWA’s representative in one of its areas of operation where he/she is assigned. S/he will plan, manage and control all aspects of UNRWA’s activities in a field of operations characterized by a large and complex refugee population; difficult, sensitive, and volatile political situations; a large complement of staff in dispersed centres of operations, quasi-government social programmes; complex inter-relationships with governmental and non-governmental organizations and moderate to difficult security situations, especially where refugees are involved in conflict situations.
The Director of UNRWA Affairs administers and directs its programmes including education, health, relief and social services, infrastructure and camp improvement and microfinance (as applicable) rendered for a population of Palestine refugees in Syria, Lebanon, The West Bank, Gaza and Jordan. In the area of operations, the Agency employs a significant number of Palestine refugee staff. He/she is also responsible for the operations functions including finance, procurement and logistics, general administration and public information and/or other functions. S/he will be required to abide by the roles and responsibilities as set out in the United Nations Security Management System Framework of Accountability and the UNRWA Framework of Accountability. He/she will be responsible for fulfilling his/her duties as provided by the United Nations Security and Management System and the UNRWA Security and Risk Management System.
The main responsibilities include:
 Working to directly influence the protection and care of Palestine refugees and support for UNRWA locally, regionally and globally:
o 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;
o 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 sometimes 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 where applicable 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 (where applicable);
 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 $100,800 for D-1 and 111,502 for D-2 net tax free with post adjustment of (Jordan 43.9%, West Bank and Gaza 56.5%, Lebanon 44.6% and Syria 31.2%, all are 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 benefits available to staff working in Gaza:
 Hardship allowance
 Non-family service allowance
 Rest and recuperation leave (currently every 8 weeks)
 Family visit travel
Additional benefits available to staff working in Syria:
 Danger pay
 Family visit travel
 Hardship allowance
 Rest and recuperation leave (currently every 8 weeks)
 Non-family service allowance
To qualify for this position, you will need:
Education
Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in political science, social science, public or business administration, or international relations supplemented by studies in any support field such as procurement and logistics, finance, general administration, etc.; a first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree;
Work
experience
At least 15 years of progressively responsible and relevant professional and managerial experience, of which at least ten 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 of relevant international experience at international level outside one’s 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:
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.
 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;
Who we are
For 70 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/
 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 short-listed applicants 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 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.

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 short-listed applicants 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.