Director Of Planning

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. In the Planning Department at HQ Amman, the Director of Planning takes overall responsibility for the formulation of work plans, providing general technical or process guidance, and checking the attainment of set objectives in due course. At the Agency level, the incumbent provides strategic, technical and administrative guidance to HQ Departments and Field Offices on the Agency’s strategic and operational planning, budgeting, and results-based monitoring functions. The Director of Planning reports to the Deputy Commissioner-General (Programmes and Partnerships)

Responsibilities

In relation to strategy and policy development and implementation: (a) leads the development and monitors the implementation of the Agency’s Strategic Plan; (b) provides a quality assurance function in relation to the development of lower-level strategies (including programmatic, resource mobilization, human resources, information management and environmental strategies, etc.) and policies for the purposes to ensure alignment with the Agency’s Strategic Plan, the SDGs and Agenda 2030; (c) leads emergency planning and emergency management procedures Agency-wide including the development of business continuity plans; (d) acts as the Agency focal point for developing partnerships with other UN and non-governmental organizations, including thematic trust funds and joint programmes – sets up internal mechanisms to establish and maintain partnerships and provides advisory support to departments and field offices. (e) supports the External Relations and Communications Department on matters of interest to external interlocutors (donors and hosts) and works closely with the Commissioner-General’s Executive Office, the Representative Office in New York and with the Department of Finance to provide Agency input into the UN Secretary-General’s Strategic Framework; (f) represents the Agency in UN Development System coordination mechanisms at the regional level, advises Field Offices on engagement with country-level development coordination mechanisms and processes, and, in close coordination with the Executive Office, contributes to wider UN policy discussions and ensures that all Agency’s planning tools and programmes are aligned with the SG’s and wider UN System processes and priorities. In relation to annual operational planning: (a) leads and supports Field Offices in the preparation of the annual operational plans and annual work plans to support the goals and strategic outcomes of the Strategic Plan, developing and updating templates as needed; (b) plays a leading role in coordination between Programmes and Fields; (c) prepares emergency appeals to respond to humanitarian needs and monitors humanitarian response plans that are designed to ensure delivery of critical services in with forecast income. 3.3 In relation to monitoring and reporting: (a) is responsible for the continual development, implementation and enhancement of systems and procedures to assess results against performance indicators for all departments, divisions and field offices in the Agency; (b) leads the coordination of efforts to collect, assess and consolidate the inputs to annual reports against operational plans; and (c) develops and maintains an information management system, including dashboards, databases and other key tools to ensure the availability of quality data on key humanitarian and programmatic indicators. In relation to risk management and accountability: supports the Executive Office in strengthening risk management systems and procedures in the Agency, ensuring that all necessary elements are incorporated into the programme and project management cycle. Establishes and oversees the implementation of good practices in project management by ensuring that the necessary systems, structures, procedures and personnel are in place; provides strategic leadership and technical guidance and advice to the Field Programme Support Offices (FPSO) and Field Project Offices (ordinarily within the FPSO), which coordinate the preparation of the respective Field Office’s input to the annual planning cycle; coordinates the Field Office’s inputs for the preparation of appeal documents, project outlines and proposals, and annual operational plans; ensures compliance with monthly, quarterly and half-yearly reporting requirements set out in Organisational Directive 21 and ensures quality control of those reports; prepares inputs for quarterly, half-yearly and annual performance and results reports; builds capacity of, and provides on-going support to, programme and project managers in programme cycle management issues and ensures coordination with programmes within the Field and at HQ. Liaises and represents the Agency vis-a-vis other UN Agencies and external stakeholders on strategic planning, programming and programme cycle management initiatives, and prepares reports on Agency planning and programming as required. As a member of the Agency’s Senior Management team, the incumbent may have specific responsibilities related to internal governance structures, as established by the Executive Office. Leads on the Agency’s environmental sustainability work, through coordinating Agency-wide strategy development and planning efforts related to environmental sustainability, in consultation with field offices and HQ departments and divisions.

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. Default managerial competencies may apply. Formulating Strategies and Concepts Delivering Results Analyzing Leading and Supervising Planning and Organizing For guidance on how to prepare for competency-based interviews: https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=AYI

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in public or business administration, political or social science or other relevant subject.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

At least fifteen years of progressively responsible and relevant professional experience is required. At least seven years of relevant work experience at a senior international level is required. unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, at least two continuous years of relevant international experience should be outside UNRWA, and outside the country(s) of citizenship is required. Demonstrated experience in leading organisation-wide strategic planning, policy development, and operational/ programme coordination in a large humanitarian organization is required. Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in public or business administration, political or social science or other relevant subject is required.

Languages

Excellent command of written and spoken English.

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: Temporary Job Opening for 364 days, with the possibility of further extension subject to availability of funds, need and performance. Applicants have to complete the Personal History Profile (PHP) in Inspira in order to be considered. The PHP should be completed with full relevant work experience as per the requirements in the Job Opening, in order to be considered. A roster may be created from the selection exercise, and successful candidates may become eligible for a temporary appointment to the same post or a similar post. Equivalency: A first level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. NB: Work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination. UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities. Join our eco-friendly organization dedicated to environment sustainability and targeting to be plastic free by 2025. 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.