Senior Protection Advisor

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 Protection Advisor reports to the Senior Deputy Director of UNRWA Affairs (Programmes) and receives advice and strategic guidance on substantive and Agency level protection and humanitarian principles issues from the Chief, Protection Division at Headquarters.

Responsibilities

– Acts as the principal advisor to Gaza field senior management in managing all the programmatic, operational and advocacy aspects of protection and humanitarian principles in the field; develops and implements strategies and frameworks related to protection and humanitarian principles and proposes adaptations in line with these frameworks during emergency periods as required. – Provides strategic oversight and direction for the Protection Unit in the Gaza Field Office through coordinating and supporting the development and implementation of field and cluster specific strategies, policies, principles and practices on protection and humanitarian principles; establishes medium- and long-term operational objectives and results including budgeting of activities under the supervision of the Senior Deputy Director of UNRWA Affairs (Programmes), Gaza Field Office, and with the support of the Protection Division in HQ, in line with the Agency’s protection strategic framework and UNRWA’s 2023-2028 Strategic Plan. – Oversees formulation of substantive Gaza Field Office Protection Work Plan and enhances collaboration and coordination with the UNRWA Programmes to ensure that UNRWA’s service delivery and operations, including during emergency periods, aligns with protection standards and humanitarian principles through support to health, education, relief and social services and other core UNRWA programmes on key thematic areas such as gender/GBV, child protection and disability and inclusion; develops and coordinates responses to emerging protection and humanitarian principles in the field with the Chief of the Protection Division in HQ to ensure the field response is aligned with the Agency policy and approach; – Identifies gaps in programming to develop and adapt strategic protection responses in line with UNRWA’s mandate and in coordination with humanitarian clusters; anticipates challenges and risks; develops forward-thinking strategies to prevent and respond to emerging protection needs. – Conducts outreach, awareness-raising and advocacy with relevant parties and stakeholders, on protection and humanitarian principles issues and risks affecting Palestine refugees and others that may fall under UNRWA’s mandate; oversees the development and maintenance of protection monitoring and documentation tools and methods; implements advocacy and awareness with other interlocutors around the work of UNRWA highlighting protection concerns and needs of the Palestine refugee community in accordance with international law; coordinates all aspects of international law as it relates to protection with the Field Legal Office and relevant HQ departments/divisions as required. – Is responsible and accountable for ensuring management of protection specific resources and achievement of results; ensures that the functions are aligned with the regulatory framework of UNRWA; supports the development of new fundraising opportunities and proposals.

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. – Formulating Strategies and Concepts – Delivering Results Analyzing – Leading and Supervising – Planning and Organizing. 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 university-level academic institution in law, political or social sciences or a related discipline.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

At least ten years of relevant and supervisory experience in international organizations, other relevant UN agencies or NGOs, in the humanitarian / development sector with a focus on protection and human rights is required. Demonstrated experience in Protection Cluster, Inter Cluster Coordination Group experience and understanding of the specific humanitarian coordination architecture 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.

Languages

Excellent command of written and spoken English.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

Type of Contact & duration: Temporary appointment until 31 December 2024, appointment subject to funds availability, with the possibility of further extension based on funds, need, and performance. Work may require driving a UN vehicle with a manual transmission; therefore, incumbent must be capable and willing to drive such vehicle/s. 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 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 welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities. Join our eco-friendly organization dedicated to environment sustainability and targeting to be plastic free by 2025. 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.