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 Liaison Officer, reports to the Director, UNRWA Representative Office, Washington DC.

Responsibilities

Assists the Director, UNRWA Representative Office, Washington DC to represent the interests of UNRWA vis-à-vis US government and non-governmental entities, with particular reference to the US executive and legislative branches of government by: – Participating in the active and regular engagement with relevant US executive branch agencies and the US congress including its members and their staffs to advance understanding of UNRWA’s role in the context of the regional issues of the Middle East, the Agency’s operations and the situation of Palestine refugees in the five fields and globally. – Clarifying UNRWA’s mission, positions, programmes, initiatives and institutional practices, including its application of the humanitarian principles, and explaining the evolving challenges confronting the Agency. – Building and sustaining partnerships with international organisations headquartered in the US, national and local non-profit institutions; maintains awareness and support, including organizing or attending special events. – Updates the results framework in line with the project proposals including elements like indicators, outputs, and outcomes. Supports the building of institutional relationships with relevant US government and non-governmental entities, maintaining and managing these relationships in the interests of Palestine refugees and UNRWA. Monitors on a daily basis relevant developments in the US congress and US political ecosystem, with a view to formulating and leading the implementation of an outreach strategy dedicated to optimizing UNRWA’s relations with the US congress the executive branch, and non-governmental agencies. In close consultation with relevant UNRWA colleagues, supports the drafting, preparation and presentation of materials required for briefings before congress, executive branch agencies, the media and other non-governmental agencies in the Washington, DC or broader US setting. Supports the implementation of UNRWA’s resource mobilization and strategic communications framework. Arranges and supports visits to Washington, DC by senior UNRWA officials.

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. Analyzing Creating and Maintaining Impact and Partnership Persuading and Influencing Managing Complexity and Change Deciding and Initiating Action For guidance on how to prepare for competency-based interviews: https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=AYI

Education

An advanced university (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in political science, public administration, business administration, or a related field.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

At least seven years of progressively responsible relevant work experience in political or administrative affairs utilizing professional skills relevant to the responsibilities of this post is required. Unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, at least two continuous years of relevant international experience should be outside UNRWA, and outside the country(s) of citizenship is desirable. An advanced university (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in political science, public administration, business administration, or a related field is required. Experience in advocacy and outreach with Washington DC-based US government or non-governmental agencies or entities is desirable. Knowledge of the Middle East context and Palestine refugee issues is desirable.

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

This is a UN Regular Budget Post. Type of Contract and duration: 2 years, with the possibility of further extension. The incumbent will reside in Washington, DC, and may be required to travel to UNRWA areas of operation in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank. 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.