Org. Setting and Reporting

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 personnel wishing to make a change.

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.

The Chief, Human Resources Policies, Administrative Law and Planning Division reports to the Director of Human Resources.

Responsibilities

Manages the Human Resources Policies, Administrative Law and Planning Division (HRPALPD); plans and coordinates the Division’s work objectives ensuring that comprehensive objectives and work plans are established and met; identifies and resolves any operational/management issues affecting the quality of services provided by the Division.

Develops human resources (HR) policies, practices, and procedures to meet the evolving Agency needs in the context of strategic planning, goals and objectives and provides proactive and innovative approaches and guidelines on the interpretation and implementation of the Agency’s policies and procedures related to the delivery of human resources services in consultations with stakeholders across the Agency at HQ, field and Executive Management level.

Prepares rules, policy, position papers and proposals representing UNRWA’s views on human resources issues and reforms in all areas of HR including recruitment/staffing, staff development, performance management, grievances and HR legal, HR services, benefits and entitlements and staff wellbeing to ensure contemporary, UN-aligned HR practices across UNRWA; provides advice to Field and HQ management in line with the policies and guidelines ensuring consistent application across the Agency and undertaking applicable reviews of HR practices in Fields and HQ; coordinates with DLA, as required, in consultation with DHR;

Leads and provides guidance on development and implementation of HR Dashboards across the Agency, including the Field Offices. This includes managing the design, creation, implementation, maintenance and support to a variety of moderate to complex HR reports on the Dashboards; and updating HR dashboards to assist HQ and Fields in workforce planning, monitoring, internal/external audits and donor requests for information.;

Oversees the development and implementation of strategic workforce planning, monitoring, and reporting to ensure key staffing needs are identified and realized as per organization business strategy. This includes development and roll out of a workforce planning guideline, and training HQ programs and field offices in capturing talent demands over the short and medium terms. These will form a key input to annual Agency-wide staff budgeting and planning processes.

Leads and directs the work of subordinate staff in relation to appeals and grievances; in close collaboration with DLA contributes to designing, maintaining and updating the administrative and employment law systems for Agency staff;

Represents HRD in inter-agency meetings and inter-agency cooperation projects as assigned by DHR; holds consultations with staff unions, government representative or inter-agency officials or missions as instructed. Acts for the Director during his or her absence, with full responsibility for HRD when designated by DHR;

keeps abreast of wider UN issuances and international best practices and trends by liaising with professional peers, attending meetings and seminars, conducting research and analyzing the impact of such developments and issuances on the Agency’s HR strategies, policies and procedures; reviews and updates the Agency’s Staff Rules and Regulations and policy issuances;

Competencies

UN Core Values of Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for Diversity, and Core Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by default.

– Leading and Supervising
– Relating and Networking
– Formulating Strategies and Concepts
– Planning and Organizing
– Persuading and Influencing
– Managing Complexity and Change
– Innovating and Taking Risks

For guidance on how to prepare for competency-based interviews: https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=AYI

Education

Advanced university degree(Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in in human resources management, public or business administration, law or in a related area such as social or behavioral sciences.

Work Experience

A minimum of 10 years of relevant and progressive/varied human resources experience is required.

A minimum of five years of work experience in the UN system, or in international or governmental institutions at a senior supervisory level is required.

A minimum of four years of professional experience related to human resources regulatory framework design is required.

Unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, a candidate for an international post must have at least 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 is required.

Familiarity with the history of contemporary problems in the Middle East is desirable.

Familiarity with UN Common System practices is desirable.

king knowledge of Arabic and/or another official language is desirable.

Some specialization in administrative law and/or employment law is desirable.

Advanced university degree(Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in in human resources management, public or business administration, law or in a related area such as social or behavioral sciences is required.

Languages

Excellent command of spoken and written English.

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: 2 years, with the possibility of further extension.

Work beyond regular hours will be required as will some travel within UNRWA’s area of operations.

Applicants have to complete the Personal History Profile (PHP) in inspira in order to be considered. The PHP should be completed with full relevant work experience as per the requirements in the Job Opening, in order to be considered.

A roster may be created from the selection exercise, and successful candidates may become eligible for an appointment to the same post or a similar post.

UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities.

Join our eco-friendly organization dedicated to environment sustainability and targeting to be plastic free by 2025.

Equivalency:
A first level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
NB: Work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination.

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.