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 Donor Relations and Projects Support Officer reports to the Field Programme Support Officer.

Responsibilities

Contributes to the project planning process and provides input, within the context of the Agency’s Strategic and Programme framework, including integration of cross-cutting themes (gender, protection, environment, youth, disability, social inclusion) with Field-specific project plans; facilitates results-based project plans built on evidence and logical frameworks; Contributes substantively to the development of the overall Field-based fundraising strategy and management of donor relationships including specific recommendations on Field resource mobilization; produces various fundraising documents including appeals and makes significant contributions to policy documents; manages and maintains high quality relationships with key donors; researches and studies potential donors and actively pursues innovative avenues of cooperation for funding opportunities by public and private donors and other partners; provides advice to the Field Director of UNRWA Operations and senior management accordingly; Coordinates with the respective programme and project staff in the Field in order to identify needs and relevant projects; ensures the review of all project outlines and proposals in the Field are in line with agreed minimum quality standards; updates the status of projects and ensures that projects closure is done in a timely manner; regularly informs the Front Office and Finance Department on projects’ status; Verifies adherence to donor stipulations, grant agreement guidelines and deadlines; ensures the timely submission of donor reports and submission of requests for reprogramming or extensions; advises on the implementation of activities by Programmes / Units when necessary, in order to take corrective action; Contributes to the development of and implements the Field donor relations strategy with results-oriented concrete actions; organizes and participates in senior level missions in Syria accompanying the Director and keeping him/her updated on donor relations and through the provision of briefing notes and country-specific dashboards; participates in major meetings and conference discussions with senior government civil servants on the political level; prepares briefing notes for the External Relations and Communications Department (ERCD) and the Executive Office regarding Syria projects, as needed; Facilitates bilateral agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with local donors on behalf of the Field; negotiates and drafts project proposals with donors in coordination with ERCD; analyses, reviews and edits project proposals and progress reports; Ensures the dissemination of accurate information regarding the Agency’s functions to external stakeholders and partners; drafts correspondence for the purpose of fundraising and advocacy.

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 Persuading and Influencing 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

An advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in political science, international relations, programme management, business or public administration, law, economics, development studies or a similar discipline.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

At least five years of experience in humanitarian programme or project management as well as resource mobilization, fundraising and donor relations, liaising with donors, UN agencies, NGOs, government counterparts and other stakeholders is required. A minimum of two years of work experience at a management or coordination level is required. Sound knowledge of results-based management of humanitarian and development assistance programmes, as well as monitoring and evaluation 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. An advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in political science, international relations, programme management, business or public administration, law, economics, development studies or a similar discipline is required. Arabic language skills is desirable.

Languages

Excellent command of written and spoken English. Arabic language skills an asset.

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: Temporary Job Opening until end August 2025 appointment subject to funds availability, possibility of extension, with the possibility of further extension subject to need and performance. The incumbent may be required to travel regularly inside and outside the Agency’s area of operations. 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 a temporary appointment to the same post or a similar post. Equivalency: A first level university degree in combination with two 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 welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities. Join our eco-friendly organization dedicated to environment sustainability and targeting to be plastic free by 2025. 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.