UNRWA is the United Nations agency responsible for the protection, care and human development of a population of some 4.7 million Palestine refugees living in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic. UNRWA is committed to assisting Palestine refugees in maintaining a decent standard of living, acquiring appropriate knowledge and skills, enjoying the fullest possible extent of human rights, and leading a long and healthy life. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 29,000 staff. Most of these staff are refugees themselves, working directly to benefit their communities - as teachers, doctors, nurses or social workers. For its international team, UNRWA is seeking to employ a qualified:

Vacancy Announcement Number 11-HQ-JR-05
Grade P-5
Deadline for Applications 19 February 2011
Duty Station Jerusalem

The Partnerships Division develops UNRWA's institutional capacity to enhance strategic partnerships and strengthen resource mobilization and advocacy functions in support of UNRWA's mission and mandate, and focuses, in coordination with UNRWA Field Offices and Departments, on building alliances and leveraging partnerships to enhance the quality of UNRWA services provided to Palestine refugees. The Partnerships Division builds and strengthens relationships with key partners including donor governments/communities, non-traditional partners (foundations), UN entities, civil society organizations, and the private sector, bringing value through the building of institutional knowledge with regards to documentation of partnership agreements, MOU and partners' relationship history and contact data, and playing a key role in providing market intelligence and performing due diligence to develop new partnerships. It ensures continuous and consistent support and services in adherence to the principles of accountability/transparency regarding resources. Through building targeted and effective partner relations, the Partnerships Division expands the diversity of UNRWA's base of core and non-core financial resources. In fulfilling its role, the Partnerships Division works in a cross-sectional manner and in close coordination with UNRWA's five fields of operation - West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria - which directly implement partnership relationships.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensure strategic planning for partnership development:
  a) Refine (where appropriate) and implement UNRWA's Partnership Strategy;
  b) Establish appropriate partnership engagement systems that take into account both opportunities and risks of potential partnerships;
  c) Support Field Offices and Programme Departments in developing and presenting partnership proposals to gain and deepen political and operational support for the mission, goals and activities of UNRWA among potential partners;
  d) Develop tools and systems to assist the Agency determine, plan for, implement and manage partnerships to ensure diversification, development and refinement;
  e) Refine criteria for prioritizing partnerships and implement this prioritization to ensure that UNRWA's partnership efforts are focused and deliberated;
  f) Maintain an Agency-wide database on partnerships.
  g) Plan for, undertake and/or participate in missions to existing and potential partners for resource mobilization and partnership building.
  
• Ensure partnership building:
  a) Lead the development of sustainable partnerships at the Agency level with relevant actors within the UN system, host and donor countries, private sector, and non-profit organizations;
  b) Maintain close linkage with relevant partnership departments within the UN system including UNDP Partnerships Bureau and UN Office for Partnerships;
  c) Maintain close linkage with all UNRWA Field Offices, Programme Departments, Support Departments, and the Executive Office;
  d) Ensure partner/project compatibility within UNRWA strategies, plans and overall strategic mission;
  e) In collaboration with the Strategic Communications Division, plan for and implement initiatives to visibly acknowledge partnership contribution;
  f) Promote strategic partnership relations resulting in increased political support and funding in support of the work of UNRWA;
  g) Provide on-going training and support to fields on partnership creation and management;
  h) Ensure management of resource mobilization and external relations activities:
  i) Maintain oversight on Agency's compliance with partnerships agreements and is responsible for reporting on partnerships;
  j) Ensure liaising with Finance on the reports and ensure quality assurance from a partnerships perspective;
  k) Develop, together with relevant organizational departments, the necessary support systems and tools to effectively engage.
  
• Management:
  a) Establish the work plans, resources required, priorities, timelines and benchmark for the Division. Monitor progress and take timely action and/or decisions to ensure objectives are met;
  b) Provide direction and leadership to the team to engender collaborative, innovative and results-based teamwork. Ensure close cooperation with the Field Offices and Programme Departments for targeted programme-driven resource mobilization. Supervise the work of the Partnerships Division;
  c) Efficiently, manage the Division to achieve the outputs and quality assurance of all activities.
  

Professional Knowledge and Experience

• Advanced university degree in social sciences, political science, public or business administration, economics or related field;
• At least 10 years of experience in progressively responsible related positions, including seven years of experience as a team leader and with at least five years in an international setting. Experience must include roles in strategic partnership building and resource mobilization.

Competencies

1. Core Competencies
2. Ability to build support and political acumen for advancing partnerships. Ability to leverage conflict in the interests of UNRWA and setting standards;
3. Ability to build staff competence and create an environment of creativity and innovation; sharing knowledge across the organization, building a culture of knowledge sharing, learning, building and promoting effective teams;
4. Creating and promoting an enabling environment for open communication, and fair and transparent decision making; promoting ethics and integrity and creating organizational precedents.
5. Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise
6. Ability to keep abreast of new developments in the area of partnerships and to develop oneself personally;
7. Ability to manage the use of these regularly in work assignments.
8. Conceptual Innovation in the Provision of Technical Expertise
   a. Ability to engage development partners at all levels - in conceptual and methodological innovation that is pertinent to the global, national and local context.
9. Advocacy/Advancing a Policy-Oriented Agenda
   a. Ability to initiate and maintain dialogue with partners and counterparts to strengthen advocacy efforts.
10. Building Strategic Partnerships
    a. Ability to identify and prioritize opportunities and obstacles in the political scene. Ability to identify common interests and goals and to carry out joint initiatives with partners;
    b. Ability to use UNRWA's resources and comparative advantage to strengthen partnerships;
    c. Building partnerships with non-traditional sectors by translating UNRWA's agenda into messages that reflect the pertinence of their values and interests;
    d. Ability to create networks and promote initiatives with partner organizations;
    e. Ability to leverage the resources of governments and other development partners.
11. Creating Visibility for UNRWA/Supporting UNRWA’s Capacity to Advocate
    a. Formulating strategies for the implementation of promotional activities and materials;
    b. Ability to design and initiate assessments of activities to improve impact and effectiveness;
    c. Ability to develop relationships and contacts with professional networks and high profile advocates.
12. Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing
    a. Ability to seek and promote innovative methodologies;
    b. ability to lead the development of supporting policies/tools to encourage learning and knowledge sharing.
13. Client Orientation
    a. Ability to anticipate constraints in the delivery of services and to identify solutions or alternatives;
    b. Ability to identify, develop and discuss solutions for internal and external clients and persuade management to undertake new projects or services.

Desirable Qualifications

• Proficiency in an additional UN language, especially Arabic;
• Expert knowledge of advanced concepts in partnership development and management, a broad knowledge of related disciplines, including resource mobilization and best management practices, defining objectives and work flows;
• Comprehensive knowledge of information technology and ability to apply it in work assignments;
• Expert knowledge of the current programme guidelines and project management tools.

Equivalency

When the minimum requirements are not fully met, the Human Resources Department may substitute part of the unmet requirements under UNRWA's equivalency determination guidelines with a combination of relevant academic qualification, additional professional training and/or progressive relevant work experience. Note: Work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered sufficient for an equivalency determination.

Additional Information

The incumbent will be required to travel in the Agency's area of operations in the Middle East as well as to other locations.

Conditions of Service

UNRWA offers an attractive compensation package including annual salary starting at $85,615 net tax free with dependants or $79,537 single, plus post adjustment of 47.4%. Other benefits, subject to eligibility, include education grant, dependency allowance, home leave, pension fund, health insurance and 6 weeks annual leave. All UNRWA duty stations (with the exception of Gaza) are family duty stations.

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, only applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted.

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

UNRWA

UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) provides assistance, protection and advocacy for some 4.7 million registered Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the occupied Palestinian territory, pending a solution to their plight.

UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states.

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