Registrar, P5

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 Registrar reports to the Judge(s) of the UNRWA Dispute Tribunal (D-1).

Responsibilities

- Serves as principal legal officer for the Dispute Tribunal. Supervises the legal team in analysing case files; researching case law, rules and regulations; and drafting judgments or portions of judgments at the Judge’s direction. Reviews, edits and finalizes all team member drafts before submission to the Judge. Maintains strict jurisprudential, structural and stylistic uniformity in all Tribunal issuances. - Provides substantive, technical and administrative support to the Judge(s) of the UNRWA Dispute Tribunal in the adjudication of cases, including by enforcing compliance with the Rules of Procedure of the UNRWA Dispute Tribunal; develops best practices for purposes of uniformity and clarity in the parties’ filings and the smooth operation of the Tribunal; reviews cases for receivability and for the purpose of scheduling hearings; schedules and manages all logistical aspects of hearings; identifies cases that are amenable to informal resolution, to be brought to the attention of the Judge(s) for possible referral to the mediation coordinating group. - Analyzes implications of emerging issues in and affecting the Registry and UNRWA Dispute Tribunal and develops strategies and measures to address them; prepares periodic reports on the work of the Dispute Tribunal; maintains the UNRWA Dispute Tribunal’s case law and jurisprudence database by drafting summaries of relevant Judgments and analyses of jurisprudence from the UNRWA Dispute Tribunal, the United Nations Appeals Tribunal and other administrative tribunals in international agencies and organisations. - Manages and administers the human, financial and other resources allocated to the Registry, including drafting and managing the yearly budget for the UNRWA Dispute Tribunal; handles all matters relating to procurement issues and conducts performance evaluations of staff; advises the Judge(s) on administrative, personnel and logistical matters related to the Registry’s operational activities, including case management. - Represents the Office of the UNRWA Dispute Tribunal in relations within and outside the Agency; plans and conducts outreach sessions in Headquarters and Field Offices on the procedures of the UNRWA Dispute Tribunal; drafts publications as necessary; responds to inquiries and other communications from applicants; sends correspondence to applicants and respondents on behalf of the Judge(s). - Maintains an electronic case management system; maintains the UNRWA Dispute Tribunal’s registers (electronic and online), the publication and dissemination of the decisions, rulings and judgments of the UNRWA Dispute Tribunal, in the required languages, through the agreed media.

Competencies

UN Core Values of Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for Diversity, and Core Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by default. - Deciding and Initiating Action - Managing Complexity and Change - Leading and Supervising - Creating and Maintaining Impact and Partnership - Analyzing Other Competencies - Knowledge of administrative law. - Ability to conduct comprehensive legal research on complex issues. - Ability to negotiate effectively and work collaboratively with a range of internal and external contacts.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in law. A first-level university 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 Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

At least ten years of progressively responsible experience in judicial administration or litigation, preferably in administrative law or related areas, with in-depth knowledge of judicial procedures, including at least two years in a managerial/supervisory role is required. Extensive experience in legal research and drafting/revising judicial issuances or submissions is required. Unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, at least one continuous year of relevant international experience outside UNRWA and outside the country(s) of citizenship is required. Experience with the United Nations Dispute Tribunal or Appeals Tribunal or other similar administrative tribunals within an international organization is desirable. Substantial experience handling legal matters at the international level, preferably within an international organization is desirable. Experience working on administrative, employment, or criminal law matters is desirable. Experience working on procedurally complex or high-volume cases, including class actions or collective claim is desirable. Experience identifying, designing, and implementing innovative solutions to case management challenges in a judicial or litigation context is desirable. Experience leading or contributing to a transition to electronic case management systems, including workflow automation and the use of technology to enhance efficiency is desirable. Knowledge of the legal, institutional, and cultural customs and practices of Middle Eastern countries is desirable. Working knowledge of Arabic would be an advantage is desirable. Applicant is required to disclose current involvement in any outside activities, 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.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is 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 LanguageReadingWritingListeningSpeakingEnglishUN Level IIIUN Level IIIUN Level IIIUN Level III Assessment Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview. Special Notice Type of Contract and duration: 1 year, with the possibility of further extension. 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. 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. Join our eco-friendly organization dedicated to environment sustainability and targeting to be plastic free. NB: work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination. 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. No Fee THE 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.