SENIOR HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICER

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva, Field Operations & Technical Cooperation Division (FOTCD), Asia, Pacific, Middle East and North Africa Branch (APMENA). The incumbent, Chief of the Middle East & Northern Africa Section (MENA), reports to the Chief of APMENA Branch.

Responsibilities

At the direction of the Chief of Branch, the Senior Human Rights Officer will be responsible for the following duties: • Organizes the work of the Middle East & Northern Africa Section; ensures assignments of specific country responsibilities to members of the teams and supervise the section work and sub-regional activities; • Supervises timely delivery of outputs specified in the work plans of country desk officers and teams; recommends to the Chief of Branch the best use of human resources in accordance with priorities and work load; • Ensures dialogue with key partners within the UN system and outside it; • In coordination with the heads of Field Presences (where relevant), ensures that OHCHR’s priorities are met in assisting governments in identifying and specifying their needs for advisory services and technical cooperation, including through the preparation and conduct of assessment missions; • Negotiates and participates in negotiations to conclude technical cooperation agreements and supervises implementation of projects; • Provides policy guidance and focus to all technical cooperation activities in the Section through the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation and the Regular Budget of technical cooperation; • Supports the effective functioning of human rights monitoring mechanisms in the Middle East & Northern Africa Region and supervises backstopping of country orientated special rapporteurs/representatives/experts, including the preparation and conduct of field missions and timely submission of reports; • In coordination with Heads of Field Presences, ensures the efficiency of OHCHR field presences, human rights advisers, and human rights components of UN special political and peacekeeping missions peace missions; ensures support to long term human rights presences in the countries/regions assigned; raises awareness and promotes specialized knowledge of human rights; ensures that standard procedures and methodologies are in use, applied correctly and that experience is captured and integrated into subsequent development of the methodology; • Sets performance objectives of staff of the section, undertakes regular reviews of performance, recognizing good performance and taking appropriate action to address inadequate performance; identifies the training and development needs of staff and takes action to ensure that these are met through training and coaching of less senior staff; • Prepares expenditure requests, monitoring expenditure against budget allocations and takes action to prevent/minimize cost overruns; • Maximizes delivery from the financial resources available for the terms; ensures proper planning for the preparation of the Annual Appeal and reports to donors; • Performs any other duties, as required.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Authoritative knowledge of and wide exposure to the full range of human rights issues, including approaches and techniques to address highly sensitive/complex problems; excellent knowledge of institutional mandates, policies and guidelines related to human rights; comprehensive knowledge of the region of assignment, including the political and legal environment as they pertain to human rights, demonstrated ability to complete in depth studies and reach conclusions on possible causes and solutions to human rights problems in specific societies and systems; original thinking, independent judgment and discretion in advising on and handling major issues and problems and excellent knowledge of international human rights and humanitarian law; good political judgment, advocacy and diplomatic skills and ability to understand and respond to complex political and social contexts; ability to relate human rights issues and perspectives (including gender issues) to political, economic and humanitarian programs in affected countries and areas; proven ability to negotiate and mediate under difficult circumstances in a highly sensitive and political environment. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing. JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of actions or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in law, political science, international relations or other disciplines related to human rights. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience at national and international level in human rights, political affairs, international relations, law or related field is required. Experience in drafting policy documents, analytical notes and report for intergovernmental bodies is required. Experience in developing, implementing and coordinating human rights activities and strategies is required. At least five (5) years of experience in managing diverse teams is desirable. Field experience in the Middle East and Northern Africa region at the regional or international level is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English and Arabic is required. Knowledge of French language is desirable.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which will be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are un-represented or under-represented in the UN Secretariat as of 31 Jan 2024, are strongly encouraged to apply: Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, China, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Libya, Liechtenstein, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu. Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfill the lateral move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy. Staff members are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral moves in their Personal History Profile (PHP) and cover note. Pursuant to section 7.11 of ST/AI/2012/2/Rev.1, candidates recruited through the young professionals programme who have not served for a minimum of two years in the position of their initial assignment are not eligible to apply to this position. At the United Nations, 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. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations 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. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile 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 DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.