Legal Officer (Contracts)

UNITED
NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY

FOR
PALESTINE
REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST

UNRWA

UNRWA is the
United Nations agency responsible for the protection, care and human development
of a population of some 5 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:

Legal Officer (Contracts)

The Legal
Officer (Contracts) will be responsible to the Chief, General Legal Division
for the provision of legal advice and assistance on matters arising from
contracts entered into by the Agency, including without limitation those
relating to the procurement of goods and services, donor financing and project agreements. The
post has particular responsibility for the functioning of the Agency’s Advisory Committee
on Procurement. In accordance with the established Agency policy and
procedures, the incumbent will:

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• 
  Serve
  as Secretary to the Advisory Committee on Procurement, including:
  • examining contract proposals to ensure accuracy,
    relevance and compliance with appropriate procedural and substantive
    requirements of the Agency’s procurement framework;
  • providing, as required, advice at meetings, and to Local
    Committees on Procurement, on legal questions;
  • recording the decisions of the Committee, ensuring that
    Committee decisions are properly communicated to the appropriate officials and
    ensuring proper maintenance of Committee records;

• 
  Provide
  legal advice on matters arising from contracts, including claims and disputes;
  prepare legal opinions and correspondence on such matters;
• 
  Draft
  and assist in the negotiation of contracts for the purchase of goods, the
  delivery of services, the construction and maintenance of buildings, leases,
  etc;
• 
  Draft
  and interpret directives and technical instructions relating to contracting
  procedures, general conditions of contract, delegations of authority and form
  contacts;
• 
  Draft,
  revise and interpret funding agreements, project agreements, memoranda of
  understanding and implementation arrangements with donors, governmental and
  non-governmental organizations and implementation partners;
• 
  Represent
  the Department on other internal committees as directed, including, as
  appropriate, the Tender Opening Committee and Claims Boards;
• 
  Assist
  the on-going work of department colleagues in their absence or as may be
  required.

Professional Knowledge and Experience

• 
  Advanced
  university degree in law, preferably with a specialization in contract or
  commercial law, and admission to practice law in a recognized jurisdiction.
• 
  At
  least eight years’ direct experience in the application of contract and
  commercial law in government service, the commercial/private sector or an
  international organization. 
• 
  Excellent
  command of spoken and written English.

Competencies

• Ability
  to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others in a team
  environment;
• A
  high level of written and verbal communication skills and practical writing
  experience in a legal context, including the ability to present information,
  opinions and positions in a clear and instructive manner;
• Strong
  analytical and evaluation skills combined with good judgment, including the
  ability to apply legal knowledge and practice to strategic, policy and
  operational objectives;
• Highly
  developed negotiation skills, with the ability to positively influence others
  to reach mutually beneficial outcomes.

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience
  in the UN Common System;
• Computer
  literate and fully skilled in Microsoft Office environment.

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 theMiddle East.

Conditions of Service 

UNRWA offers an attractive compensation package
including annual salary starting at $72,467 net tax free with dependants or $67,483
single, plus post adjustment of 42.7% (subject to change without
notice). 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. 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.