HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICER
Contract
This is a P-4 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 7 years of experience, depending on education.
Salary
The salary for this job should be between 134,999 USD and 174,054 USD.
Salary for a P-4 contract in Kabul
The international rate of 90,970 USD, with an additional 48.4% (post adjustment) at this the location, applies. Please note that depending on the location, a higher post adjustment might still result in a lower purchasing power.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.
More about P-4 contracts and their salaries.Org. Setting and Reporting The position is located in the Human Rights Service of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The Human Rights Officer will be based in Kabul, an "E" hardship and a non-family duty station, and serve as a thematic Team Leader, reporting to the Chief, Human Rights Service through the Senior Human Rights Officers.
Responsibilities Within delegated authority, the Human Rights Officer/Team Leader will be responsible for the following duties:
Plans, coordinates and leads the Protection of Civilians Team in the monitoring and reporting of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, in compliance with UN standards, as it pertains to the right to life and the right to physical integrity.
Formulates recommendations and suggests advocacy strategies to relevant stakeholders, including the de facto authorities, civil society organisations and the UN Country Team (UNCT) to better protect and promote human rights and mechanisms in the mission area.
Establishes and maintains contact with the de facto authorities, civil society, and UN Agencies, Funds, and Programmes with complementary mandates, and other relevant partners, to inform on the human rights situation in the thematic area of responsibility and advise on strategic and policy issues to better protect and promote human rights.
Support a human rights-based approach in the design and implementation of UNAMA's preventive diplomacy, good offices, dialogues, and other matters pertaining to protection of civilians, including the right to life and physical integrity.
Drafts, reviews and coordinates the timely delivery of a variety of internal and external reports, briefings and any other type of communications, in compliance with established standards, including with regard to public human rights reports.
Contributes to the integration of human rights in humanitarian action – through the provision of technical advice on relevant training initiatives on human rights-based approaches to humanitarian action and/or human rights monitoring, for UN staff and humanitarian non-governmental organisations (NGOS) – and in the work of the Protection Cluster and relevant sub-clusters, as well as other humanitarian clusters, as appropriate;
Follows up on reported cases and situations, including organizing continuous exploratory meetings with relevant de facto authorities in Kabul for purposes of maintaining direct engagement and contact on the human rights situation/issues regarding protection of civilians, right to life and physical integrity.
Ensures, coordinates and supervises the timely entry of credibly reported human rights cases in established databases and spreadsheets; conducts quality control and delivers statistics and trend reports, as required, in contribution to human rights internal and public reports.
Engages in activities related to the Human Rights Due Diligence Policy, where relevant.
Contributes to the integration of gender perspectives/considerations and specific women/girls' rights issues in all activities, programmes and strategies.
Assists in the coordination and implementation of the UNAMA Human Rights Service work plan; evaluates or assists in the evaluation of its progress and suggests adjustments as needed.
Manages and supervises a multicultural team.
Performs other related duties, as required.
Competencies PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of main human rights issues in the region and ability to identify related problems in their political, ethnic, racial, gender equality and socio-economic dimensions. Good knowledge of international human rights law standards and international humanitarian law. Knowledge of the human rights-based approach to human rights field work. Knowledge of operational methods of work on: protection of civilians including the right to life and physical integrity, protection of women and child victims of human rights violations, protection of victims of torture and ill-treatment, and child protection. Good analytical and research skills, including ability to evaluate and integrate information from a variety of sources and assess impact on the human rights situation in the area of assignment. Good public report drafting skills. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; Places team agenda before personal agenda; Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.
MANAGING PERFORMANCE: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; Makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; Accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; Monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; Regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; Encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; Actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; Appraises performance fairly.
LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow; Empowers others to translate vision into results; Is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; Anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; Drives for change and improvement, does not accept the status quo; Shows the courage to take unpopular stands; Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.
Education An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in law, human rights, political science, international relations, social sciences or a related area. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Work Experience A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible work experience in human rights or international humanitarian law is required.
At least three years of experience in human rights monitoring and reporting in a UN peace operation setting, outside the country of origin, including leading and conducting human rights fact-finding missions, is required.
At least three years’ experience, outside the country of origin, in monitoring the protection of civilians’ right to life and physical integrity, including through engaging with the armed forces, police, intelligence, armed groups and political and community leaders, is required.
At least three years of experience in leading, managing and supervising multicultural teams is required.
Experience with human rights public reporting and legal drafting, analysis and case/data management and analytics is desirable.
At least three years of experience in coordinating and managing inter-thematic collaborations, workflows and processes is desirable.
Knowledge of the UNAMA Human Rights Mandate, and previous experience in Afghanistan, is desirable.
Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in both oral and written English is required. Knowledge of Pashto and Dari is desirable.
Assessment Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
Special Notice - This position is temporarily available until 31 October 2022. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment.
While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post.
Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.
This temporary job opening may be limited to “internal candidates,” who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15.
Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply.Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.
Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as "retirement." Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.
United Nations Considerations According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations 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. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.
Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.
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 DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.