Chief Ethics Office

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 Chief, Ethics Office reports to the Commissioner-General and receives functional leadership from the Chairperson of the United Nations Ethics Panel. The incumbent has close cooperations with Deputies Commissioner-General (Programmes and Partnerships) and (Operational Support) in relation to neutrality-related initiatives and has informal access to the Advisory Commission.

Responsibilities

– Cultivates and nurtures a culture of ethics, integrity and accountability and reinforces ethical values, standards and accountability in UNRWA; develops Agency policies on ethics-related matters; provides guidance to Management to ensure that the Agency’s rules, policies, procedures and practices reinforce and promote the standards of integrity called for under the Charter of the United Nations. – Is the focal point for providing staff, upon their request, with confidential advice regarding ethical behaviour and standards of conduct, as well as conflicts of interest, assuring confidentiality to individuals who report allegations or complaints of misconduct, misappropriation of Agency assets, fraud, corruption or abuse of authority, including in the context of duly authorized audits or investigations. – Manages the Agency’s financial disclosure programme for international and area staff; ensures compliance with the Agency’s policy and procedures; conducts random checks and follow-ups; takes measures to address conflicts of interest and proposes improvements to relevant instructions and guidelines. – Develops ethics training and awareness programmes in coordination with the Department of Human Resources and other Departments, as well as with the United Nations Ethics Panel to ensure uniform and consistent application of ethics-related issues within the United Nations system; establishes and builds the capacity of Ethics focal points network operating in each Field. – Contributes to the Agency’s policies and procedures on the prevention of workplace grievances and appeals. – Acts as Chair of the “Task Force on Addressing Sexual Misconduct”; acts as a key Agency-wide focal point on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse /Sexual Harassment (SEA/SH), overseeing the operational requirements and implementation of programmatic activities; ensures the periodic appointment of SEA/SH focal points in all fields and HQ and contributes to SEA/SH training and awareness building measures; prepares an annual report on SEA/SH. – Represents UNRWA on the Ethics Panel of the United Nations and may represent other UN-system bodies on matters related to ethics. – Holds overall responsibility for the design, planning, implementation, oversight and monitoring of donor supported Ethics Office projects, including neutrality related initiatives, ensuring goals and objectives are accomplished according to the approved plan and that the project/s’ financial, human and material resources are managed effectively and efficiently.

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. Deciding and initiating action. Formulating Strategies and Concepts. Leading and Supervising Applying Technical Expertise Relating and Networking 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 educational institution in law, public or business administration, human resources management or in one of the behavioural sciences is required.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

At least ten years of progressively responsible and relevant experience in the application of the knowledge acquired in law, public or business administration, human resources management or in one of the behavioural sciences is required. Including at least five years of experience at a senior international level, specifically in areas relevant to the management of ethics issues 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. Experience with risk management in large organisations is desirable.

Languages

Excellent command of spoken and written English is required. Working knowledge of written and spoken Arabic is desirable.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

This is a UN Regular Budget post. Type of Contract and duration: 2 years, with the possibility of further extension. The incumbent may be required to travel frequently in the Agency’s area of operations and elsewhere. The incumbent shall not be compelled by any Agency, UN official or body to disclose issues brought to his/her attention. 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 Personal History Profile (PHP) should be completed with full work experience under the experience tabs as per the requirements in the Job Opening. 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.

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.