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 Projects Officer reports to the Head External Relations Services Section (P4). The Senior Projects Officer may provide direct and/or technical supervision to professional and/or general services staff members/personnel.
Responsibilities
Monitors and ensures high quality control of Agency-wide reporting to donors; reviews, edits, and finalizes project documents, progress/final reporting packages drafted by Field Offices and Programme Departments to ensure compliance with UNRWA project management manual, consistency and coherence prior to final submissions to donors. Coordinates joint input from the Projects Unit (PU) for organizational performance monitoring, reporting and compliance purposes, when required.
Performs high level monitoring of Agency-wide project implementation to ensure compliance with approved proposals, agreement stipulations, reports generated from the Agency’s Financial System, financial statements and PU’s database; advises on corrective actions to concerned parties; provides analysis of donor funded projects to the External Relations and Communications Department (ERCD) management as required; performs vetting of existing and new organizations that are making financial or in-kind contributions to UNRWA in line with UNRWA’s Vetting policy; regularly reviews and monitors the financial status of active projects, including income and expenditures; verifies and ensures consistency between the profile of expenditure and contractual stipulations.
Coordinates the exchange of information between Field Offices, Programme Departments, Finance and ERCD for the timely submission to donors of project proposals, reporting and financial documents; provides guidelines, instructions, suggestions and recommendations to Field Offices regarding the operational and financial situations to ensure their alignment with agreement stipulations and reporting requirements.
Works closely with ERCD Partnerships team and provides them with expert advice and information on projects related technical and financial issues and in response to donors’ and other stakeholders’ queries and reporting needs; undertakes research, formulates recommendations to his/her direct supervisor and ERCD management to facilitate planning, policy and procedures development and decision making.
Establishes and maintains close relationships with projects stakeholders Agency-wide through effective communication, consultation and collaboration to manage and troubleshoot, when needed, on projects implementation related issues; provides guidance for the regular update of information on grant agreements, reporting requirements, project chronology and contractual amendments for projects included in the assigned portfolio of responsibilities; represents ERCD in meetings and committees within UNRWA and participates in donor meetings and visits as required.
Coordinates with the Contributions Unit and Finance Department on the timely completion of tasks as per the project management cycle; provides recommendations to Finance Department on financial actions related to the treatment of remaining balances, interests, exchange rate, etc.; ensures the issuance of closing memos for the completed projects once all donors’ requirements are met.
Follows up with Field Offices / Programme Departments on the timely receipt of project proposals that are consistent with UNRWA’s Regulatory Framework and the project management manual; liaises with the Department of Finance to seek clearance of proposed budget; manages and monitors the calendar of submissions to donors Agency-wide; maintains and updates information on individual projects under his / her portfolio.
Provides Agency-wide operational and technical guidance and recommendations to Partnerships Divisions, ERCD management, Field Offices, Programme Departments and Finance Department on projects related issues, including formulation of project proposals and progress/final reports in line with UNRWA’s project management manual; provides input and recommendations on ERCD responses to audit observations and requests issued by the internal and the external Auditors (UNBOA) for projects related issues in consultation with other senior members of ERCD; Provides guidance, support, training and supervises the activities of the PU team members under her/his direct supervision to ensure achieving the planned outcomes; participates in recruitment and selection of PU staff members.
Competencies
UN Core Values of lntegrity, 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. Planning and Organizing ii. Deciding and Initiating Action iii. Applying Technical Expertise Leadership (as applicable) i. Delivering Results ii. Creating and Maintaining Impact and Partnership
Education
An advanced university degree from an accredited educational institution in business administration or other related discipline.
Work Experience
At least seven years of related professional experience in development and management of projects, administrative functions, financial tracking, monitoring, including experience in bookkeeping and accountancy related to projects and contributions is required. Knowledge of programme management cycle and results-based management is required. Courses in finance / budget is desirable. Knowledge of UNRWA Rules and Directives is desirable. Prior experience with a UN organization, NGO, or donor government is desirable. Experience using spreadsheets and database packages is desirable.
Indicate your current involvement in any outside activities, as it is required. Including but not limited to employment, independent contractor/freelance consultant, board member (corporate, academic, etc), expert group, lobby, public speaking/writing (article, book, blog, social media etc), teaching, conferences, training, press statement, voluntary work, political activity, fundraising/donation for non-UNRWA entity, running for public office, role in political party or orgs, owning business, work for gov./NGO/private company/charity, UNRWA partner/vendor, full/part-time, paid or not.
A “yes” answer doesn’t necessarily lead to exclusion from future work at UNRWA, yet misrepresentation in providing accurate/complete info can lead to disqualification/termination of appointment, if hired. Are you a registered Palestine refugee? If yes, please provide your Ration Card Number. It is highly recommended to respond to this question in order to assist us in further assessing your application is required. Do you have close relative(s) in UNRWA (mother, father, daughter, son, sister brother)? If yes, please provide full name(s) and relationship is required.
It is highly recommended to respond to this question in order to assist us in further assessing your application. Please explain below. Are you currently residing in Duty station. Please specify your current location. It is required. Please explain how you meet this criterion using examples.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English and Arabic are required. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).
Required Languages
Language | Reading | Writing | Listening | Speaking
English | UN Level III | UN Level III | UN Level III | UN Level III
Arabic | UN Level III | UN Level III | UN Level III | UN Level III
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
Special Notice
Grade and Salary: Grade 17 Monthly basic salary JD 1156.60 plus special occupational allowance (SOA) of 69.9% of the basic salary (SOA may change from time to time). Other benefits: Other benefits include a monthly Provident Fund contribution (15.4% of basic salary paid by the Agency), compulsory medical insurance, 30 days of annual leave, and dependency allowance (if applicable).
The incumbent may be required to travel in the Agency’s area of operations.
The incumbent may be required to work outside normal duty hours and on call basis. Preference will be given to registered Palestine refugees and candidates assisting the Agency to meet its commitment to gender parity. 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.
Providing incorrect or misleading information on an application form will result in the immediate disqualification of the candidate. Advertisements published in English will only accept applications in English, other language submissions including Arabic will not be considered. UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities. A roster may be created from the selection exercise, and successful candidates may become eligible for appointments to the same post or a similar post, when the need arises. Equivalency: Equivalency may apply for this post.
NB: Work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination. The Agency disqualifies applicants whose name appears on the UN Sanctions List or a UN database of staff separated for reasons 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 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.