Human Rights Officer, Geneva, Switzerland, Closing date: Monday, 18 May 2015

Human Rights Officer, Geneva, Switzerland

• Organization: OHCHR - Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
• Country: Switzerland
• City: Geneva, Switzerland
• Office: OHCHR Geneva
• Grade: P-4

Closing date: Monday, 18 May 2015

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Ref. No.: 15/OHCHR/059/GENEVA
TEMPORARY JOB OPENING ANNOUNCEMENT
TJO Grade Level ¹: P-4
Functional Title: Human Rights Officer
Department/Office/Division/ Service/Section: Methodology, Education and Training Section Research and Right to Development Division
Job Network and Job Family: Human Rights
Deadline: 18/05/2015
Duty Station: Geneva, Switzerland
Estimated starting date: 1 June 2015
Duration of need: 6 months
(1 June 2015 -31 December 2015

Open to External Candidates: Yes
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
This position is located in the Methodology, Education and Training Section, Development and Economic and Social Issues Branch, Research and Right to Development Division, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the incumbent reports to the Chief of Section.
Casualty recording in situations of conflict or other violence is an important tool to document the impact of conflict and violence, support advocacy for the protection of civilians and victims and support accountability for violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. Casualty recording has been undertaken by OHCHR, including Human Rights Components of peace missions, in a variety of contexts as part of its monitoring, advocacy and protection work. The Secretary General's Human Rights Up Front initiative calls for a more systematic undertaking of casualty recording in situations where there are risks of serious violations on human rights and international humanitarian law, or where such violations are ongoing. Against this background, OHCHR is undertaking a review of casualty recording practices and practical research with a view to developing guidance for implementation in various scenarios and additional tools to support work in this area. OHCHR is also developing and updating policy and guidance materials to support its work in the area of human rights monitoring and protection, and further develop relevant staff skills.

Under the supervision of the Chief, Methodology, Education and Training Section/Research and Right to Development Division or delegated staff, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

1. Based on a review of casualty recording practices by OHCHR, including Human Rights Components in peace missions, with regard to scope, methodology, impact and resources, identify challenges, good practices and guidance gaps and needs;
2. Conduct research on casualty recording practices by non-UN entities with a view to identifying possible partnerships;
3. Produce an internal report with findings and recommended way forward to support systematic recording of casualties by OHCHR in a variety of contexts, from HQ and in the field, including as part of a UN common information management system on violations of human rights and international humanitarian law;
4. Develop and/or update policy and methodological guidance as needed to ensure effective recording of casualties as part of human rights monitoring, advocacy and protection, including definitions, methodology and frameworks applicable to different operational scenarios; review and make suggestions to adapt current databases in line with new or updated guidance;
5. Develop and coordinate the production of policies, methodological tools and guidelines on human rights monitoring and protection, for use by OHCHR, including field offices and human rights components of peace operations, United Nations agencies and departments, regional and international organizations, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations;
6. Provide advice on human rights monitoring and protection to OHCHR staff at Headquarters and in the field, and other actors as required; facilitate exchanges of experiences within the Office;
7. Develop and coordinate the production of training materials on human rights monitoring and protection; organize and provide training to foster a coherent methodological approach and strengthen the capacity of OHCHR and external partners;
8. Perform other tasks as required.

COMPETENCIES
Professionalism - Good knowledge of and exposure to a range of human rights issues; good knowledge of institutional mandates, policies and guidelines related to human rights and their implementation at the field level; very good knowledge of a range of conceptual and operational issues related to the design and conduct of human rights monitoring, fact finding, analysis and reporting; very good ability to develop conceptual frameworks and methodological and policy tools, carry out research and studies and reach conclusions on possible causes and solutions to human rights problems; strong analytical skills. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

Communication – Strong communication (spoken, written and presentational) skills, including the ability to produce a variety of guidance documents and reports in a clear, concise style, to deliver presentations, to listen to different point of views, and to build/maintain effective partnerships.
Planning and Organizing – Ability to establish priorities and to plan and organize work assignments, identify and adjust priorities as required, juggle competing demands and work under pressure of frequent and tight deadlines.
Teamwork - Ability to interact and to establish and maintain effective working relations both as a team member and a task manager with people of different national and cultural backgrounds with sensitivity and respect for diversity, including gender.
Accountability – Ability to deliver expected outputs within the prescribed time and in keeping with required quality standards, to take ownership of work responsibilities and honor commitments.
QUALIFICATIONS
Education: Advanced university degree in law, political science, international relations, social sciences or other disciplines related to human rights. A combination of relevant academic qualifications and adequate experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Work Experience: At least 7 years of progressively responsible work experience, including at the international level, in the human rights or related field. Experience of work at the field level with an OHCHR Office or UN Office or Operation in the area of human rights monitoring and fact finding. Solid knowledge of human rights monitoring methodologies and their application in different contexts. Proven research/analytical skills. Knowledge and experience in the area of policy, methodology or other guidance development. Experience in training design, development and delivery is an asset. Experience of work in a conflict area is an asset.
Languages: Fluency in oral and written English or French; knowledge of another UN language is an asset.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED: Cover Letter
Personal History Profile (visit https://inspira.un.org to generate a PHP)
Last two completed Performance Appraisal or two Reference Letters for external
applicants
licants
Others
SPECIAL NOTICE
Important: Name any attached documents as follows: LAST NAME First name – Type of document
Example: SMITH Jacqueline – PHP.doc (UPDATED)

SMITH Jacqueline - Cover letter.doc
SMITH Jacqueline – PAS.pdf
Note: Applications without P-11 or PHP cannot be considered;
Applications received after the deadline or not compliant with the instructions will not be accepted.
Please note that because of the volume of messages, applications will not be acknowledged .
Only applicants possessing the required qualifications will be taken into consideration. Only the successful candidate will be notified of the outcome of the selection .
ALL SUBMISSIONS TO BE SENT IN ONE SINGLE E-MAIL TO: ( Please mention the reference number of the vacancy announcement in the subject header of your email: 15/OHCHR/059/GENEVA)
Kindly make sure that each attached file you send is less than 2000 kilobytes (kb) or less than 2 megabytes (mb) in file size.
Contact Name: OHCHR Human Resources
Email Address: humanresources@ohchr.org
Notes: A current staff member who holds a fixed-term, permanent or continuing appointment may apply for temporary positions no more than one level above his or her current grade. However, a current staff member who holds an appointment at the G-6 or G-7 level may also apply to temporary positions in the Professional category up to and including the P-3 level, subject to meeting all eligibility and other requirements for the position. A staff member holding a temporary appointment shall be regarded as an external candidate when applying for other positions, and may apply for other temporary positions at any level, subject to staff rule 4.16 (b) (ii). Therefore, a staff member holding a temporary appointment in the General Service or related categories may only apply to positions within those categories. For full information on eligibility requirements, please refer to section 5 of ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments. In its resolution 66/234, the General Assembly further 'stressed that the Secretary-General should not recur to the practice of temporarily filling posts in the Professional and higher categories with General Service staff members who have not passed the General Service to Professional category examination other than on an exceptional basis, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that temporary occupation of such posts by the General Service staff shall not exceed a period of one year, effective 1 January 2013…' Consequently, eligible candidates in the General Service or related categories for temporary job openings in the Professional category that have not passed the competitive examination may be selected only on an exceptional basis endorsed by the Office of Human Resources Management where no other suitable candidate could be identified.

• Subject to the funding source of the position, this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.
• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. An external candidate selected for this position is bound by the prevailing condition of the staff selection system under ST/AI/2010/3, as amended, and ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1. A staff member holding a temporary appointment who is recruited in the Professional and above categories on a temporary appointment, and placed on a position authorized for one year or longer may not apply for or be reappointed to his/her current position within six months of the end of his/her current service. This provision does not apply to staff members holding temporary appointments and placed on positions authorized for one year or more in duty stations authorized for peacekeeping operations or special political missions.
• Please note that candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offices and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
• For information on special post allowance, please refer to ST/AI/1999/17.
• For more details on the administration of temporary appointments please refer to ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1.
• The Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and administrative issuances governing staff appointments can be viewed at: http://www.un.org/hr_handbook/English.

1 For eligibility and other conditions, please see the Notes at the end of this form. .
Date of issuance: 8 May 2015 15/OHCHR/059/GENEVA -P 4