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 Senior Legal Officer (Administrative Law) reports to the Deputy Director of Human Resources.

Responsibilities

This position is primarily responsible for: (i) providing legal advice on operational matters to Field Offices, the Executive Office, HR counterparts and the Director of Human Resources; (ii) managing the HQ disciplinary portfolio and providing legal
review of disciplinary separation matters received from Field Offices; (iii) providing advice on HR-related regulatory and compliance matters.

Provides leadership of the administrative law team in HRD and serves as the Team Leader; manages the overall workflow of the team, ensuring adaptability, efficiency and problem-solving in the management of administrative law
deliverables; provides mentorship and support to the staff under his/her supervision through monitoring work output, both for timeliness and quality;

Provides legal advice on operational matters to Field Offices, the Executive Office, HR counterparts and the Director, Human Resources. This includes the interpretation and application of the regulatory framework to operational
scenarios and an assessment of risk/required compliance;

Manages the portfolio of disciplinary cases at Headquarters, providing first level review of disciplinary matters, reviewing investigation reports and making recommendations on the initiation of disciplinary proceedings and the
subsequent imposition of disciplinary measures, if any; together with the Department of Legal Affairs (DLA), provides a legal review of recommendations received from Field Offices on matters of serious misconduct warranting separation;

Provides technical input to DLA on appeals on behalf of HRD on applications to UNRWA’s Dispute Tribunal (UNRWA DT) and the United Nations Appeals Tribunal (UNAT); advises DLA on the merits of pursuing an UNRWA DT judgment to the UNAT; reviews implementation memoranda, for DHR signature, issuing instructions in relation to the implementation of a given
UNRWA DT/UNAT judgment;

Contributes to the development of HR policies related to administrative law and administration of the disciplinary measures and internal justice system for UNRWA staff members;

Manages the communication with partners, counterparts and the Executive Office and represents HRD on UNRWA’s committees and working groups related to administrative law issues;

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
Deciding and Initiating Action
Applying Technical Expertise
Relating and Networking
Planning and Organizing
Learning and Researching

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

Education

Advanced university degree from an accredited educational institution in law;

Admission to practice law in a recognized jurisdiction.

Work Experience

At least eight years of progressively responsible and relevant experience is required.

Two years of relevant work experience with an international organization, preferably on matters related to employment/labor law, administrative appeals, and grievances 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

Advanced university degree from an accredited educational institution in law is required.

Admission to practice law in a recognized jurisdiction 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.

The incumbent will be required to reside in Amman and to travel occasionally throughout the Agency’s area of operations in the Middle East.

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.

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.

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 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.