Job: Area Support Officer (4 posts)

Location: Homs, Aleppo, Dara'a and Damascus
Deadline: Monday, 02 December 2013

Organization: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

Country: SwitzerlandClosing date: 02 Dec 2013

UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST UNRWA

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA's services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions. For its international team, UNRWA is seeking to employ four qualified individuals in the post of:

Area Support Officer (4 posts)

Vacancy Announcement Number 13-FO-SA-47

Grade P-3

Deadline for Applications 2 December 2013

Duty Station Syria Area Offices in Homs, Aleppo, Dara'a and Damascus

The Area Support Officer will help improve the operational capacity of UNRWA in the assigned Area to deliver programmes and humanitarian response, to integrate principles and practice of protection into programmes and operations, and to safeguard the integrity of UNRWA's operations. The incumbent must possess a thorough understanding of programmatic aspects of operations, as well as the skills to translate them into practice for the benefit of Palestine refugees in Syria.

The incumbent is directly supervised by the Senior Area Support Officer (SASO) and works in close coordination with the Chief Area Office to which he/she is assigned. In accordance with the established Agency policy and procedures, the incumbent will:

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Support the Area Office to which assigned in the effective management of humanitarian assistance, through:
• Contributing to operational/programmatic development;
• Developing standard operating procedures, beneficiaries lists, distribution plans and other substantive documents and key humanitarian response related correspondence;
• Coordinating needs assessments and ensuring timely delivery of approved cash and/or in-kind assistance to eligible Palestine refugee families, and following up on the proper utilization of the assistance for its intended purpose;
• Coordinating assessment of social and economic conditions and eligibility for assistance of refugee families; facilitating follow up visits for eligibility and support purposes;
• Supervising the collection of programme and humanitarian data, its processing and transformation into well-constructed communications;
• Ensuring integrity in the application and implementation of UNRWA policies and procedures for beneficiary identification and delivery of humanitarian response and services;
• Manage Area Emergency Response Team (AERT) jointly with Chief Area Office (CAO)/Area Officer in the assigned Area and initiate and oversee capacity development initiatives of the AERT in data collection, assessment/analysis, planning, cash and aid distribution, and information-sharing functions; resolve administrative and operational problems related to humanitarian response whenever possible, in accordance with existing instructions and policies or make recommendations to CAO, SASO for the resolution of such problems; identify interventions to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of services;
• Monitor: (i) the living conditions of Palestine refugees and other persons of concern to UNRWA; (ii) their humanitarian status and their access to humanitarian services from UNRWA and other service providers; and (iii) the problems that affect them in terms of human dignity, physical safety, welfare and protection; undertake regular formal inspections of UNRWA installations in the assigned area to ensure the neutrality of UNRWA installations, and implement or propose response measures;
• Contribute to strategic programme and humanitarian response planning; promote understanding of UNRWA's mandate and the imperatives of adherence to neutrality and other principles essential to the Agency's operations.

Professional Knowledge and Experience

• A university degree from an accredited educational institution, preferably in social science, political affairs, international relations, law or a related field;
• Six years of relevant experience of which at least two years should have been in an international organization, outside one's home country;
• Excellent command of written and spoken English;
• Working knowledge of Arabic.

Competencies

• Excellent interpersonal skills, mature, independent, disciplined, loyal self-confident and self-assured, with an ability to work under pressure and within a team;
• Familiarity with international protection principles, concepts and standards, including frameworks for International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and human rights;
• Articulate, politically aware while remaining impartial and discreet at all times;
• Decisive yet flexible, able to assess and analyze situations quickly, objectively and prudently;
• Excellent drafting skills.

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience with the procedures followed in communicating by radio;
• Practical experience in ways of putting operational protection principles within a human development framework;
• Knowledge and understanding of the Palestine refugees situation in the political context of the Middle East and specifically Syria.

Additional Information

• The incumbent is required to reside at the duty station and may be required to travel daily within Syria in the course of his/her duties;
• Possession of a valid driving license.

Equivalency When the minimum requirements are not fully met, the Director of Human Resources may exceptionally substitute part of the unmet requirements with a combination of relevant academic qualification, additional professional training and progressive relevant work experience. NB: Work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination.

Conditions of Service

UNRWA offers an attractive compensation package including annual salary starting at $60,091 net tax free with dependants or $56,091 single, plus post adjustment of 41.1% (subject to change without notice). Other benefits, subject to eligibility, include education grant, dependency allowance, home leave, pension fund, health insurance and 6 weeks of annual leave. Syria is currently a non-family duty station. Staff members based in Syria are entitled to additional benefits, subject to eligibility, including Extended Monthly Security Evacuation Allowance, danger pay and R&R leave, currently every 4 weeks (according to the UN classification of the duty station) but subject to change without notice. Initial contract is for one year, with the possibility of further extensions subject to the availability of funds and the continuing need for the post.

How to Apply

To start the application process, applicants are required to register at http://jobs.unrwa.org by creating a personal profile and completing UNRWA Personal History Form. Please note that UNRWA only accepts degrees from accredited educational institutions. Only applications received through http://jobs.unrwa.org will be considered. Due to the large number of applications received for UNRWA vacancies, only applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted.

UNRWA does not charge a fee at any stage in the recruitment process.

General Information UNRWA encourages applications from qualified and experienced women.

UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities.

UNRWA is a United Nations organization whose staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, neutrality and impartiality. This includes respect for human rights, for diversity, and for non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. UNRWA staff are expected to uphold these values at all times, both at work and outside. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment.

The Agency reserves the right not to make an appointment, to make an appointment at a lower grade, or to make an appointment with a modified job description.

Date of issue: 3 November 2013/CF

How to apply:

To start the application process, applicants are required to register at http://jobs.unrwa.org by creating a personal profile and completing UNRWA Personal History Form. Please note that UNRWA only accepts degrees from accredited educational institutions. Only applications received through http://jobs.unrwa.org will be considered. Due to the large number of applications received for UNRWA vacancies, only applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted.

UNRWA does not charge a fee at any stage in the recruitment process.

More Info and Application