Principal Legal Officer (General Law)

Org. Setting and ReportingUNRWA, 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 Principal Legal Officer (General Law) focuses on developing strategies to promote and implement, as well as providing advice and training on, the following topics: contractual and procurement matters, resolution of commercial and contractual disputes, the Agency’s regulatory framework, public international law issues, administrative law issues, and management of appeals before the UNRWA Dispute Tribunal and the UN Appeals Tribunal. This Principal Legal Officer (General Law) reports to the Director or Legal Affairs. ResponsibilitiesDirectly supports the Director of Legal Affairs in all aspects of work; assists the Director of Legal Affairs in leading the programme of work and management of the human and financial resources of the Department; and provides strategic and technical leadership for the Agency’s lawyers with a view to ensuring legally sound, timely, easily applied, politically sensitive and consistent advice. Develops strategies to promote and implement the Agency’s legal function; provides advice and training on the interpretation and application of the Agency’s regulatory framework, including General Assembly resolutions, Staff and Financial Regulations, Rules and associated administrative issuances, organizational directives, and in particular regarding Agency governance and management of administrative, contractual and procurement law issues; advises other departments (Headquarters and Fields) on the interpretation and application of the Agency’s regulatory framework; provides technical expertise and advice on amendments to the Agency’s regulatory framework, including drafting of Agency regulations and rules and drafting or reviewing of legal opinions on complex or sensitive financial issues including interpretation of the Agency Finance Regulations and Technical Instructions. Reviews drafts of all types of Agency contractual modalities, including complex contracts for procurement of goods and/or services, memoranda of understanding with partners and funding agreements; provides training in connection therewith. Contributes to the Department’s client-oriented service delivery; contributes to identifying and addressing important strategic legal and policy issues facing the Agency; provides and supervises the provision of legal input into the development and implementation of Agency strategy and policy relating to all areas of UNRWA. Advises on resolution of contractual and tortious claims against the Agency, including overseeing, supporting and conducting negotiations, settlement and arbitration. Provides and supervises provision of legal advice, training, outreach and assistance on matters relating to administrative and employment law, in particular advises on investigations and disciplinary matters; reviews draft of Agency submissions to the UNRWA Dispute Tribunal and the UN Appeals Tribunal and appears before the Tribunals as required. In collaboration with the Principal Legal Officer (International Law), and as required, ensures the consistent interpretation and application of international law throughout the Agency; provides and supervises provision of advice and training on relevant public international law, including UN law and international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law; provides advice on relevant public international law issues, in particular the status, mandate, privileges and immunities and related responsibilities of the Agency and its personnel. Establishes and maintains relations with representatives of host and other governments, the UN Office of Legal Affairs, UNHCR, OHCHR, OCHA, UNSCO and other entities with respect to issues of legal concern. Serves as a member of the Agency’s Headquarters Committee on Procurement and participates in other committees and bodies as required. CompetenciesUN 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. Functional i. Formulating Strategies and Concepts ii. Analyzing iii. Deciding and Initiating Action Leadership i. Creating and Maintaining Impact and Partnership ii. Managing Complexity and Change EducationAdvanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in law, with specialization in international law, contract law, commercial law and/or administrative law. A first-level degree together with admission to practice law in a recognized jurisdiction and an additional two years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced university degree. Job - Specific QualificationNot available. Work ExperienceAdvanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in law, with specialization in international law, contract law, commercial law and/or administrative law. A first-level degree together with admission to practice law in a recognized jurisdiction and an additional two years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced university degree is required. At least ten years of progressively responsible and relevant experience as a lawyer in the United Nations, other international organization, government service, the commercial/private sector or NGO, including a period of experience in contract, commercial, administrative and/or public international law, and three years of professional work experience at a senior level is required. Unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, at least two continuous years of relevant international experience outside UNRWA, and outside the country(s) of citizenship is required. Experience in appeals to the United Nations Dispute Tribunal, United Nations Appeals Tribunal, ILO Administrative Tribunal or other international administrative tribunal is desired. Knowledge of the history and contemporary problems of the Middle East is desired. Familiarity with UN Common System and practices is desired. Do you have any current or past affiliations with non-governmental organisations, academic institutions, political organisations, military, or have you engaged in activities or made any public statements, that could be seen to impact your neutrality, objectivity or independence in the performance of your duties for the UN / UNRWA. This is required. LanguagesExcellent command of spoken and written English is required. Knowledge of Arabic and/or another official United Nations language is an asset. AssessmentEvaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview. Special NoticeThis is a UN Regular Budget post. Type of Contract and duration: 2 years, with the possibility of further extension. The incumbent may be asked to travel throughout UNRWA’s five fields of operation based on operational requirements. Advertisements published in English will only accept applications in English, other language submissions will not be considered. 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. All university degrees must also be stated, where applicable. UNRWA personnel must ensure adding their contract type and grade level. Given the large pool of applicants, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further assessment. Providing incorrect or misleading information on an application form will result in the immediate disqualification of the candidate. 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, when the need arises. 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. Join our eco-friendly organization dedicated to environment sustainability and targeting to be plastic free by 2025. The Agency disqualifies applicants whose name appears on the UN Sanctions List or a UN database of staff separated for reason of misconduct or of staff who separated while a misconduct process was pending. UNRWA shares investigation and misconduct information with other UN Agencies, and past and prospective employers about staff members who have been separated for misconduct, or who have separated while an investigation and/or disciplinary process for misconduct is underway; and those individuals may be prohibited from employment with the United Nations. 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 ConsiderationsStaff 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 FeeTHE 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.