Org. Setting and Reporting

These positions are found in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) East Africa Regional Office (EARO), within the Ethiopia Country Programme, with duty stations in Semera, Bahir Dar, Mekelle, and Shire in Ethiopia. The incumbents report to the Regional Director, or his/her designee, and are under the supervision of the Deputy Country Representative, with functional guidance from the Monitoring, Reporting and Advocacy (MRA) Unit workstream lead. *IMPORTANT NOTE: In the motivation letter of your application, please indicate the duty station you would be interested in. If you are interested in more than one, please rank them in order of preference with *1 being the preferred position.

Responsibilities

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

• Plans and coordinates activities related to thematic and country mandates on human rights, including from a gender perspective.
• Maintains an overview of political, security, and humanitarian developments, monitors the situation for potential human rights implications, and feeds information back to the leadership for their action and/or attention, as necessary.
• Prepares talking points, meeting notes, notes to file, statements, and drafts a variety of reports on various thematic issues, human rights situation, and other routine reports, special procedures, etc.
• Conducts substantive research and analysis of human rights issues/events and assesses their impact on the human rights situation in the assigned region or country.
• Collects and analyses human rights data and indicators in the country/region of assignment, including gender-specific data and indicators.
• Provides support to sub-commissions, commissions, and other bodies; follows up on implementation of decisions rendered by policy-making bodies.
• Ensures human rights issues, including their gender equality dimensions considerations, are integrated into political, humanitarian, and economic efforts and programmes.
• Defines work plan for area assigned in accordance with established terms of reference.
• Assists the country’s military and police in developing and implementing a training program in the field of human rights, international humanitarian law, democracy, and the rule of law, with attention to gender perspectives.
• Supervises field verification work through periodic visits; follows up on different cases and situations verified by the regional offices.
• Represents the UN human rights programme at working-level meetings.
• Directs capacity-building efforts on human rights in the region/country of assignment.
• Writes a variety of reports, communications, briefings, statements, etc., including to policy-making bodies.
• May provide guidance to new/junior staff.
• Performs other related duties as required Competencies PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of human rights issues and ability to identify related problems in their political, ethnic, racial, gender equality and socio-economic dimensions. Knowledge of institutional mandates of human rights organizations, prevailing policies and procedures. Research and analytical skills, including ability to identify and participate in the resolution of human rights issues. Ability to identify sources for data collection, research and analyze information and draft human rights reports. Ability to evaluate and integrate information from a variety of sources and assess impact on the human rights situation in the area of assignment. 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. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. 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. 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. Education An advanced university degree (Masters or Doctorate degree, or equivalent) in in law, political science, international relations, social sciences or related field. 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 five years of progressively responsible experience in human rights, political affairs, international relations, law or related area is required. Experience working in conflict or post-conflict setting is required. Experience in human rights monitoring and reporting is required. Experience in capacity building and implementing technical cooperation projects is desirable. Experience working on human rights issues related to the African region or similar field contexts is desirable. 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 Language Reading Writing Listening Speaking English UN Level II UN Level II UN Level II UN Level II Assessment Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview. Special Notice THESE POSITIONS ARE TEMPORARILY AVAILABLE FOR THREE MONTHS – EXTENSIONS ARE SUBJECT TO THE AVAILABILITY OF THE FUNDS.
• 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 section 5.7 below and 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/2010/4Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments.
• 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.
• 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.
• Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.
• This temporary job opening may be limited…