Deputy Head Field Legal Office - For internal candidates only

Org. Setting and ReportingUNRWA 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. Title of Supervisor: Head, Field Legal Office (HFLO)-P4 Title of Supervisee(s): The incumbent of this post directly/technical supervises a number of professional and general services staff members. Responsibilities1. Supports the Head, Field Legal Office (HFLO) in managing the programme of work and the human and financial resources of the Field Legal Office and in provision of legal and technical advice in coordination, as appropriate, with the Department of Legal Affairs and the Human Resources Division. 2. Provides legal advice and guidance on matters related to investigation and disciplinary processes by: (i) providing legal advice on issues arising in the context of investigations into allegations of misconduct by staff, including on interim measures such as administrative leave with or without pay; (ii) reviewing and providing legal advice to management on investigation reports, including by recommending to management whether to initiate disciplinary proceedings; and (iii) drafting documents relevant to the disciplinary process, including Opportunity to Respond Letters, Disciplinary Measure Letters and Closure Memoranda. 3. Provides legal advice and assistance on matters relating to administrative and employment law, including the interpretation and application of the Agency’s regulatory framework, particularly UNRWA Area and International Staff Regulations, Rules and associated administrative issuances, Financial Regulations, and Organizational Directives. 4. Drafts, reviews and facilitates the negotiation of all types of field-related contractual modalities, including contracts for procurement of goods and/or services, the construction and maintenance of buildings, use of land, lease agreements, memoranda of understanding, legal submissions and other legal documents related to the Field operation. 5. Conducts substantive research and analysis to support the provision of legal advice on the interpretation and application of relevant public international law, including United Nations law, international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law and practice, particularly in relation to protection of Palestine refugees in the Field and provision of humanitarian assistance to them; advises on the status and mandate of the Agency, privileges and immunities and related responsibilities of the Agency and its personnel, including violations of humanitarian principles and said privileges and immunities. 6. Under the guidance of HFLO and in coordination with Field and HR colleagues liaises, as appropriate, with external factors, such as the local governmental authorities, to safeguard and facilitate the Field's operations, including following up on the implementation of the Field's requests to the relevant authorities and drawing the attention of senior Agency officials to potential problems or disputes with the relevant authorities. 7. Advises on resolution of contractual and tortious claims against the Agency and its staff members in their official capacity, including assisting the HFLO in overseeing, supporting and conducting negotiations, settlements and arbitration (in coordination with DLA). 8. As assigned by HFLO, seeks access to and information about Agency staff in detention; interviews staff during or after their release from detention, and if applicable, advises upon applications for reinstatement and reemployment. 9. Performs other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor. 10. As required by the HFLO, serves on and provides legal advice to various Boards and Committees. CompetenciesUN Core Values of Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for Diversity, and Core Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by default. - Planning and organizing. - Analyzing. - Applying Technical Expertise. - Managing Complexity and Change. - Delivering Results. EducationAdvanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in Law, notably with specialization in international, administrative, employment or commercial law. Job - Specific QualificationNot available. Work Experience- You are required to have a minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience as a lawyer in the United Nations, other international organization, government service, the commercial/private sector or NGO, including a period of experience in contract, commercial, administrative or employment law. - You are required to have an advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in Law, notably with specialization in international, administrative, employment or commercial law. - You are required to have a minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience as a lawyer in the United Nations, other international organization, government service, the commercial/private sector or NGO, including a period of experience in contract, commercial, administrative or employment law. - You are required to have an experience with the Jordanian legal system. - You are required to have excellent command of written and spoken English and Arabic. - Are you currently residing in Duty Station. It is required that you specify your current location. Languages- Excellent command of written and spoken English and Arabic. Please list all languages that you know including your mother tongue and indicate your proficiency level from the drop-down list provided in the system considering the below: - If you possess an excellent level of proficiency in English language, kindly indicate this as \"Fluent\" in your application. - If you possess a very good to good level of proficiency in English language, kindly indicate this as \"Confident\" in your application. - If you possess a basic level of proficiency in English language, kindly indicate this as \"Basic\" in your application. AssessmentDuring the assessment, the applications will be given preference based on the following desirable qualifications: • Provided very good understanding of the context of Palestine refugees and UNRWA operations. The shortlisted candidates will be afterward evaluated based on: • Technical Test • Competency-based Interview Special NoticeType of Contract: 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. Benefits: Grade and Salary: Grade 17, Monthly Salary: JD 1156.60 fils. Special Occupational Allowance 69.90% of basic salary. Other benefits: Other benefits include Provident Fund contribution (15.4% of basic salary paid by the Agency), compulsory medical insurance, 30 days of annual leave, and dependency allowance is subject to eligibility (if applicable). Additional Benefits: - 2 days of sick leave for each completed month of service. - 14 weeks of maternity leave. - 2 weeks of paternity leave. Other Information: • The incumbent will be required to reside in the duty station and may travel occasionally to other areas of the Agency's operations in the Middle East. Equivalency: Equivalency may apply for this post. • Candidates with a combination of additional relevant academic qualifications and/or additional years of progressive work experience may also be considered on equivalency. NB: Work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination. General Information: • This vacancy notice is open to internal candidates. Only candidates residing in Jordan, 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 Jordan, and without a valid work permit, the appointment may be rescinded. • Since the Vacancy is an Area Staff post, the Agency will not provide coverage for relocation costs. • 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. • To ensure efficiency and timeliness of the recruitment process, if a large number of applicants pass the test, the Agency may decide to invite to the interview only the candidates with the top scores to ensure a manageable number of candidates to proceed to the personal interview stage. • UNRWA encourages applications from qualified and experienced women. • 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. In the case of multiple or recurring posts, that a roster will be created from which the candidates will be selected for appointment; • 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. Please make sure that your application is filled in properly, correctly, and completely; any missing or incomplete information may lead to the rejection of the application by the system. 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. • Applicants will be disqualified when it becomes apparent that he or she provided incorrect, incomplete or misleading information on his or her personal history profile or during the recruitment process. If the applicant is also a staff member, the provision of incorrect, incomplete or misleading information in the personal history profile may also amount to misconduct. The Agency may indefinitely refuse to accept applications from an applicant who has previously provided incorrect, incomplete or misleading information on his or her personal history profile or during a recruitment process or committed plagiarism. • 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. • Please find below the link to a video that guides applicants on how to apply to Job Openings: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MH-IYA6Y8kxA1fgao5qyTV8VwNajgx4u/view?usp=sharing • 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 who 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 • Applications from UNRWA staff member who had been demoted with deferred eligibility for promotion will not be considered. • Applications from Staff members who were recipients under the Early Voluntary Retirement or Exceptional Voluntary Separation Schemes will not be considered. • Applications from Internal candidates serving for less than one year in their current post will not be considered. • 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 or to change the contract Modality. • A candidate is not eligible for consideration if he or she was short-listed and found not suitable for the same post within the previous 12 months unless the post description has since been altered by 30% or more, as determined by ODCS. • UNRWA reserves the right to proceed only with internal candidates or proceed with the candidates of an under-represented gender for any vacancy announcement when it determines that the short-list for a single post at any grade level is excessively long. United Nations ConsiderationsStaff 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 FeeTHE 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.