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 Special Assistant to the Commissioner-General reports to the Commissioner-General.

Responsibilities

– Provides the Commissioner-General (CG) with analysis and support on organizational and coordination-related issues; drafts correspondence for his/her review and signature including, but not limited to, correspondence with high ranking State officials and senior staff of UN and other international bodies; supports the document clearance function of the Executive Office, including press releases, reports to UN bodies such as the Commissioner-General’s Annual Report and Report on the Financing of UNRWA, management responses to audits and evaluations, and other substantive reports.

– Ensures optimal preparation for, and follows up on, the CG’s contacts with internal and external interlocutors; provides external liaison support to CG in coordination with HQs Departments and Fields as necessary.

– Undertakes research and draft inter alia talking points, minutes and notes for the record, proactively engages in the processing of briefings for the CG’s attention and contributes to certain projects on programmatic and operational issues of concern to the Office of the CG.

– Follows-up as required on the implementation of decisions and on other matters referred by the CG to Departments and Offices at HQs and Fields; contributes to the optimal flow of information to, from and within the Executive Office and the rest of the Agency; provides advice and assistance on organizational and managerial effectiveness and efficiency.

– In close coordination with External Relations and Communications Department, and Representative Offices, maintains contacts and liaises with UN offices, specialized agencies, non-governmental organizations and other external UNRWA interlocutors; is the point of contact in the Executive Office for the CG’s outreach to the diplomatic and UN community.

– Leads administrative support including, but not limited to, the organization of internal meetings, calendar management and coordination with other Offices/Departments/ stakeholders, arrangement of CG missions, acts as secretary for specific meetings.

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. Default managerial competencies may apply.

– Delivering Results
– Engaging and Nurturing
– Planning and Organizing
– Analyzing
– Persuading and Influencing

Other Competencies
– Excellent drafting ability, particularly in analytical and report writing and written communication on policy, operational and organizational development matters.
– High level of political and organizational awareness.

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

Education

Advanced university degree (Master or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in public or business administration, social sciences, law or any other related discipline is required.

Work Experience

– At least eight years of progressively responsible and relevant professional experience, in political or administrative affairs in support of high-level officials is required.

– At least at least three years of experience in senior leadership and management contexts is required.

– Unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, at least two continuous years of relevant international experience outside UNRWA, and outside the country(s) of citizenship is required.

– Excellent knowledge of and extensive experience with the use of new digital tools and the full range of IT-platforms is required.

– Knowledge of UN Rules and Directives, and of the sources from which they are compiled is desirable.

– Familiarity with programme and budget management and resource mobilization is desirable.

– Working knowledge and experience of the Agency’s operations in the Middle East, and knowledge of Middle Eastern culture is desirable.

Languages

– Excellent command of spoken and written English.
– Command of Arabic, French or other UN languages is desirable.

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 Special Assistant to the Commissioner-General will be based in Amman and may be required to travel within UNRWA’s area of operations in the Middle East as well as internationally.

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 a temporary appointment to the same post or a similar post.

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.