UNITAMS will only accept properly completed and signed Personal History Form (P.11) received before closing date. Please submit your application on the attached P.11 ONLY.  Other UN P. 11 formats, incomplete P.11, CV and Resume will not be accepted, nor will late submissions after closing date.

This job opening is being advertised for advance planning purposes pending formal approval of the relevant funding and staffing structures. An appointment may be terminated, or post level adjusted in accordance with the Staff Rules for such reasons as abolition of post or reduction of staff or committee funding approvals, for example in the event that the funding for the post is not approved or the mandate of the mission is not extended.

The selected candidate will be expected to deploy in time to commence work as soon as possible.

Applying to this job opening carries an expectation to accept the offer, if selected. 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. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential.

This position is locally recruited open for Sudanese nationals only.

UNITAMS will not provide accommodation to locally recruited staff.

UNITAMS is equal employer for men and women. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

The position is located in the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS). The United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 2524 (2020) authorizing the mandate of UNITAMS which is to assist the political transition, progress towards democratic governance, in the protection and promotion of human rights, and sustainable peace; support peace processes and implementation of future peace agreements; assist peacebuilding, civilian protection and rule of law, in particular in Blue Nile and South Kordofan (the Two Areas) and Darfur; and support the mobilisation of economic and development assistance and coordination of humanitarian assistance.

The position is based in Khartoum and is located in the Office of Support to Civilian Protection. The incumbent will report to the Human Rights Officer.

Responsibilities

Within the limits of delegated authority, the Human Rights Officer will be responsible for performing the following duties:

• Researches, collects, verifies, analyzes and synthesizes significant amounts of information of relevance to human rights, including from open sources; Liaises with appropriate national authorities, civil society, UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes with complementary mandates, and other relevant partners to monitor developments in the human rights situation and, if needed, supports the creation of baseline data;
• Advocates with relevant authorities and other influential actors to stop or prevent human rights violations; Seeks remedial action by the authorities to prevent similar violations from occurring in the future;
• Monitors the legal systems for accountability for human rights violations and abuses and their compliance with international human rights instruments and, where appropriate, advises relevant authorities, including on the implementation of recommendations by UN human rights bodies;
• Advises and coordinates with UNITAMS, OHCHR, other UN partners and national stakeholders for the design and implementation of accountability mechanisms for security and rule of law institutions and on strategies for the protection of victims and witnesses of human rights violations and abuses;
• Carries out analysis and risk assessments on UN support to police and armed forces and provides additional contextual analysis of non-UN security forces to inform advice to the Director, Office of Support to Civilian Protection;
• Develops and, where appropriate, coordinates initiatives to strengthen the response to systematic and/or emerging patterns of human rights violations and abuses;
• Conducts, and where necessary supervises, investigations of human rights violations and abuses;
• Drafts, reviews as appropriate, and ensures timely delivery of a variety of reports, briefings and other types of communications in compliance with established standards;
• Formulates recommendations and suggests strategies to better promote and protect human rights in the mission area;
• Contributes to the mainstreaming of human rights in the formulation and implementation of accountability projects and programmes of the mission and UN agencies at country level;
• Represents the UN human rights programme at working-level meetings;
• Works directly with other mission components/sections to integrate human rights considerations into the planning and review of their programs and operations;
• Supports and coordinates human rights capacity building efforts for civil society and state authorities, including military and police, to promote the protection of human rights, including through providing technical assistance;
• Supports national authorities in their implementation and coordination of activities relating to the recommendations by UN Treaty Bodies, Special Procedures and other mechanisms of the UN Human Rights Council;
• Designs, as appropriate, delivers and evaluates human rights training programmes for national officials/ civil society representatives, human rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other national stakeholders;
• Contributes to the establishment of transitional justice dialogues or processes and advises national counterparts on accountability and compensation mechanisms/ as appropriate;
• Provides technical assistance to national authorities on the establishment of vetting mechanisms, as mandated;
• Ensures, and where relevant supervises, the timely entry of accurate and verified human rights cases into an established database in compliance with established standards;
• Contributes to the integration of gender perspectives/considerations and specific women/girls' rights issues in all activities and for the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
• Ensures cooperation and appropriate communication with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the establishment of policies and sharing of best practices;        
• Maintains effective working relationships with other UN and non-UN actors, national authorities, donors and other stakeholders for effective policy coordination;
• Manages or supports the management of technical cooperation projects;
• Provides guidance and coaching to new or more junior staff;
• Performs other related duties as required.

Education: An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in law, political science, international relations, social sciences, or in a related area. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience: A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in the human rights field or closely related areas is required, of which at least half should be in human rights.

A minimum of one (1) year of human rights monitoring, reporting is required.

Experience working with international human rights standards, instruments, and mechanisms is required.

Experience advocating for human rights in rule of law reforms and with law enforcement actors is desirable.

Experience in capacity building activities for the protection and promotion of human rights or implementing technical cooperation projects is desirable.

Previous experience in a United Nations common system field operation or a comparable international organization is desirable.

Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English and Arabic is required. 

UN CORE VALUES AND COMPETENCIES:

PROFESSIONALISM: Proven sensitivity to the political and social environment and ability to adjust behaviours accordingly; In-depth knowledge of human rights principles, international mechanisms and related concepts, including protection of civilians, transitional justice, humanitarian action, DDR, legislative and rule of law reforms, gender mainstreaming and conflict-related sexual violence; Good knowledge of institutional mandates relevant to the position, organizational policies and methodologies relating to human rights; Capacity to monitor and coordinate human rights-related matters with other UN, NGO, state and/or government stakeholders and to advocate for the respect and integration of human rights in various fora; Good research, analytical and synthetizing skills, including the ability to gather, verify, evaluate and integrate relevant political, ethnic, racial, gender-based, social, economic and other human rights-related developments, from a variety of sources, including open sources, to assess their impact and to provide recommendations to redress situations; Ability to seek and identify the information that is of potential relevance for a human rights analysis that is collected by various UN actors; Ability to produce in-depth human rights analysis drawing on all available sources of information, including open sources; Commitment to seeking new and improved methods of work for accomplishing the work of the human rights component; Ability to relate and integrate human rights issues and perspectives into other fields, including humanitarian action, development, rule of law, legislation reforms and election support, and vice versa; Good knowledge of planning, implementation, coordination and evaluation of human rights capacity building initiatives for multiple stakeholders; Basic knowledge of project management for the planning, design, monitoring, evaluation and use of resources of human rights technical cooperation projects. Capacity to serve as internal resource person, share knowledge and to deliver training for colleagues and external stakeholders alike; Proven understanding of the relevance of information and data management and its applicability to human rights work; Shows pride in work and in achievements; 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; Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

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 the audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

PLANNING AND ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; Identifies priority activities and assignments; Adjusts priorities as required; Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; Uses time efficiently.

Assessment:

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include a written assessment followed by a competency-based interview.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

• Applicants must accurately complete, sign and date the attached United Nations Personal History form (P.11) ONLY and forward the duly completed signed P.11 form by e-mail to: unitamsrecruitment@un.org
• Required documents: Serving UN staff members: The two most recent e-Performance Evaluation Reports must be submitted with the application. 
• For External applicants: Two most recent performance evaluation reports or if not available, two reference letters. If the applications received do not contain the latest two performance evaluation reports candidates must provide a short explanation as to why they are not available.
• Applicants should  COPY UNITAMS-JO-KHARTOUM-2021-12 – Human Rights Officer in the SUBJECT line of the email when submitting their signed P.11 form. UNITAMS will not consider any applications which are not received directly in the VA mail box. Other UN P.11 formats and incomplete P.11 will not be accepted.
• Please note that any information provided on the P.11 form will be considered binding.
• The selected candidates will be subject to a reference checks to verify the accuracy of the information provided in the P.11 form.
• Only applicants who are short-listed will receive an acknowledgement within two weeks from the deadline indicated on the VA.

Qualified female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

 Download UNITAMS P11 Supplementary Sheet