Org. Setting and Reporting

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 5.8 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. 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 Senior Conflict Resolution Officer reports to the Ombudsman.

Responsibilities

1. Provides impartial, independent, informal, and confidential conflict resolution services to staff of the Agency to address workplace conflicts, including, but not limited to, mediation, facilitated dialogues, and shuttle diplomacy. Analyzes workplace conflicts, identifies root causes, and proposes alternatives for resolution. 2. Conducts mediations, including those concerning cases referred to the Office by the UNRWA Dispute Tribunal; facilitates dialogues, and conducts other informal conflict resolution interventions tailored to the specific needs of the individuals involved. 3. Explores options with staff to resolve their workplace conflicts taking into account the rights and obligations existing between UNRWA and its staff as appropriate. 4. Conducts informal and independent fact-finding; as required, to examine and understand issues brought to the attention of the Office. 5. Identifies and analyzes policies, procedures, and practices that cause or contribute to workplace tension or conflict at UNRWA. 6. Identifies and analyzes trends and systemic issues relating to workplace conflict, to foster a respectful and harmonious workplace at UNRWA. 7. Contributes to reports of the Office, including statistics, observations, analyses, outcomes, and recommendations, as required. 8. Assists the Ombudsman in establishing an effective liaison with other UN entities and NGOs as appropriate by adopting a proactive and collaborative approach to explore expertise, and exchange best practices, which contributes to effective conflict resolution and the wellbeing of the communities served. 9. In collaboration with the relevant Departments and Fields, he/she designs, develops, and delivers training and outreach activities to build conflict management competence and develop staff awareness of the work of the Office. 10. Develops practices, procedures, and standards of the Office of the Ombudsman. 11. Performs other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

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. – Deciding and Initiating Action – Relating and Networking – Persuading and Influencing – Delivering Results – Demonstrating Self-Awareness For guidance on how to prepare for competency-based interviews: https://hr.un.org/page/prepare-competency-based-interview

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) from an accredited educational institution in conflict resolution, law, administration, management, social sciences human relations, or other related area.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

– At least seven years of progressively relevant responsible experience in conflict resolution, mediation, law, public administration, human resources, or related field is required. – Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) from an accredited educational institution in conflict resolution, law, administration, management, social sciences human relations, or other related area is required. – Familiarity with the Agency’s fields of operation is desirable. – Familiarity with the UN environment and systems is desirable. – Experience in alternative conflict resolution is desirable. – Are you currently residing in Duty station. Please specify your current location. It is required.

Languages

Excellent command of spoken and written English and Arabic.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

Type of Contract: Fixed Term Appointment Contract Type: Fixed Term Appointment for 3 years; including 1 year probation period, with the possibility of further extension, subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory performance, and continuing need. Grade and Salary: Grade 17 Monthly basic salary USD 1825.40 plus special occupational allowance (SOA) of 35.00% of the basic salary (SOA may change from time to time). Other benefits: Other benefits include monthly Provident Fund contribution (15.4% of basic salary paid by the Agency), compulsory medical insurance, 30 days of annual leave, and dependency allowance (if applicable). Other Information: The incumbent may be required to travel frequently in the Agency’s area of operations in the Middle East. This vacancy notice is open to internal and external candidates. Only candidates residing in Jerusalem/West Bank, and within commuting distance of the duty station with authorization to work in the duty station at the time of application are eligible to apply. The Agency will not assume responsibility or accountability to support or facilitate the issuance of work permit in Jerusalem/West Bank, and without a valid work permit, the appointment may be rescinded. Preference will be given to registered Palestine refugees and candidates assisting the Agency to meet its commitment to gender parity. UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities. A roster may be created from the selection exercise, and successful candidates may become eligible for appointment to the same post or a similar post. Only applications that have been fully completed in UNRWA’s online e-recruitment system inspira will be considered and no late applications will be accepted. The PHP should be completed with full relevant work experience under the experience tabs as per the requirements in the Job Opening. All acquired university degrees must also be stated, if applicable. Applicants applying to positions for Grades 12 to 20 or LDC Bands E to H must submit a cover letter/motivational statement in order to be considered. Additionally, providing incorrect or misleading information on an application will result in the immediate disqualification of a candidate. For UNRWA internal staff, they are required to specify and include their current UNRWA grade level. To do so applicants should select under “Category” RLG, scroll down to see all categories, then select their local grade. Equivalency: Equivalency may apply for this post. NB: Work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination. Advertisements published only in English will only accept applications in English, and Arabic submissions will not be considered. The Agency may disqualify applicants whose name appears on the UN Sanctions List or a UN database of staff separated for reason of misconduct or of staff who separated whilst misconduct processes were pending. UNRWA shares investigation and misconduct information with other UN Agencies, and past and prospective employers, about staff members who have been separated for misconduct, or ho have separated whilst an investigation and/or disciplinary process for misconduct is underway; and such persons may be prohibited from employment with the United Nations. The Agency will immediately disqualify applicants who are ineligible for any reason in accordance with the Agency regulatory framework. 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.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST (UNRWA) DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE OR REQUEST MONEY FROM CANDIDATES AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT AND ONBOARDING PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING, ONBOARDING). UNRWA DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.