Deputy Chief of Staff

Overview

Support the Chief of Staff in executive planning and UNRWA operations.

You have:

• Advanced university degree (Masters’ or equivalent) in political science, international relations, international economics, public administration, social sciences, law or any related subject.
• At least ten years of progressively responsible professional experience in areas such as political, social, civil, humanitarian or legal affairs; public or business administration; public sector policy roles.
• At least five years of international exposure in senior leadership and management functions, including coordination of interdisciplinary teams as well as in dealing from/or with a UN entity.
• Experience serving in an advisory or managerial capacity in United Nations field operations, particularly in the Middle Eastern context.
• A minimum of 2 continuous years of relevant international experience outside UNRWA, and outside the country(s) of which the candidate is a national or holds citizenship.
• Familiarity with the United Nations system and practices.
• Knowledge of historical and contemporary issues of the Middle East.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English.
• Working knowledge of written and spoken French and/or Arabic (desirable).

Contract

This is a P-5 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 10 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 149,895 USD and 187,852 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

Org. Setting and Reporting The Deputy Chief of Staff reports to the Chief of Staff.

Responsibilities Substantively supports the Chief of Staff (CoS) in executive planning, formulation and coordination of all aspects of UNRWA’s management, special CG/DCG-initiated projects, coordinating executive reporting and alignment among multiple internal and external stakeholders by;

- Following-up as required on the implementation of decisions and on other matters referred by the Executive Office to the rest of the Agency;

- Analyzing Agency operations and information submitted by the Fields and HQ departments on Agency-wide operational issues and policies, and developing recommendations in terms of their conformity with the overall goals and priorities of UNRWA;

- Supporting change management by researching and drafting proposals for operational policies (as well as liaising with the concerned departments as appropriate) in areas where either none exists or where change is required to respond to new situations, and compiles reports as necessary for this purpose;

Substantively supports the CoS in ensuring the coordination and implementation of thematic programmes including protection, neutrality, gender, disability, sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment; strengthens cooperation among concerned departments to ensure that cross-cutting issues are adequately integrated and addressed Agency-wide;

Supports the Commissioner-General (CG), Deputy, CG and CoS in coordinating the preparation of internal and external reports and other communications by the Executive Office (EO) by working in close collaboration with EO colleagues; leading the report writing function for all activities under the purview of CoS;

Serves as a member of working groups and committees and supports the Secretariat functions for Executive and Management Committees as assigned;

Supports the CoS, and acts on her/his behalf during the latter’s absence, in the day-to-day management of the Executive Office, including the direct supervision of specific projects involving the supervision of the EO support staff.

Competencies UN Core Values of Professionalism, Integrity and Respect for Diversity and Core Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by default. Default managerial competencies may apply.

Coping with Pressure and Setbacks Relating and Networking Deciding and Initiating Action Analyzing Formulating Strategies and Concepts Persuading and Influencing Excellent drafting skills.

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

Education Advanced university degree (Masters’ or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in political science, international relations, international economics, public administration, social sciences, law or any related subject.

Work Experience At least ten years of progressively responsible professional experience in areas such as political, social, civil, humanitarian, or legal affairs; public or business administration; public sector policy roles. At least five years of international exposure in senior leadership and management functions, including coordination of interdisciplinary teams as well as in dealing from/or with a UN entity. Experience serving in an advisory or managerial capacity in United Nations field operations and particularly in the Middle Eastern context. A minimum of 2 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. Familiarity with the United Nations system and practices. Knowledge of historical and contemporary issues of the Middle East.

Languages Excellent command of written and spoken English.

Working knowledge of written and spoken French and/or Arabic (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

- Incumbent is called upon to exercise political judgement in many aspects of his/her work. This is the case even in matters which appear routine or only tangentially related to Agency operations and policy.

- Given the nature of the demands of the office of the Commissioner-General, the incumbent will be frequently required to work outside normal office hours.

- 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

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.

Potential interview questions