Legal Officer (oPt)

Contract

This is a P-3 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 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 123,096 USD and 161,185 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 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.

This post focuses on the provision of legal advice and assistance for the Agency’s operations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), referred to as the Occupied Palestinian Territories (oPt), on matters relating to general law, including all types of contracts entered into by the Agency and administrative and employment law; and on questions of public international law, including the constitutive, legislative and other instruments governing UNRWA activities and operations, as well as international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law. The incumbent will be based in the General Law Unit of the Department of Legal Affairs, whilst working across both the General and International Law Units of the Department and will coordinate with personnel, including with Legal Officers from Field Offices, as needed, in order to provide legal advice specific to the oPt context.

The Legal Officer reports to the Principal Legal Officer (General Law).

Responsibilities- Assists in providing legal input into development and implementation of Agency strategy and policy, in particular in relation to the Agency’s operations in the oPt.

- Provides legal advice and assistance on matters relating to all aspects of the internal administration of justice, administrative law and other relevant issues relating to Agency personnel in the oPt, in particular through handling administrative and disciplinary cases and drafting submissions to the Agency’s Dispute Tribunal and/or the UN Appeals Tribunal.

- Drafts, reviews and assists in the negotiation of all types of Agency contractual modalities, including contracts for procurement of goods and/or services, memoranda of understanding with partners and funding agreements for the annual oPt Emergency Appeals.

- Advises on the status, mandate, privileges and immunities and related responsibilities of the Agency and its personnel within the Agency with a particular focus on the oPt as may be required.

- Upon request, reviews and provides legal input on relevant communications, including press releases and official statements, concerning Agency operations in the oPt.

- Assists in engagement with international human rights mechanisms, including with regard to protection issues relating to Palestine refugees in the oPt and/or the Agency globally.

- Assists in providing legal advice, training and outreach on the interpretation and application of international civil service law, relevant public international law, including the constitutive, legislative and other instruments governing UNRWA activities and operations, international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law, particularly as it relates to protection of Palestine refugees in the oPt, status and mandate of the Agency, privileges and immunities of the Agency and its personnel, and humanitarian principles.

- Advises on resolution of contractual and tortious claims against the Agency, including overseeing, supporting and conducting negotiations, settlement and arbitration with a particular focus on oPt.

- Advises on the interpretation and application of the Agency’s regulatory framework, in particular UNRWA Area and International Staff Regulations, Rules and associated administrative issuances, Financial Regulations and Organizational Directives.

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.

i. Persuading and Influencing ii. Relating and Networking iii. Analyzing iv. Planning and Organizing v. Adapting and Responding to Change

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 international law, commercial international law or a related discipline, or a university degree from an accredited educational institution in the same specializations as mentioned above, with additional years of relevant work experience, is required.

Work Experience At least five years of relevant work experience in law is required.

At least one year of professional work experience as a lawyer in a legal office of an intergovernmental organization or government, with emphasis on legal analysis, research and writing is required.

Unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, a candidate for an international post must have 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, is required.

Advanced University degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in law, public international law, commercial international law or a related discipline, or a university degree from an accredited educational institution in the same specializations as mentioned above, with additional years of relevant work experience, is required.

At least one year of professional experience with the UN system and familiarity with its practices is desirable.

Knowledge of the history and contemporary situation of the oPt is desirable.

Working knowledge of Arabic or another official language of the United Nations is desirable.

Languages Excellent command of written and spoken English is required. Working knowledge of Arabic or another official language of the United Nations is 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: 1 year project funded, with the possibility of further extension.

The Legal Officer may be required to travel occasionally in the Agency's area of operations and to work outside of normal working hours.

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 an appointment to the same post or a similar post.

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.

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

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.