TERMS OF REFERENCE
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to
provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its
mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve
their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services
encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement,
microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 30,000 staff.
HR - Common System Salaries, Allowances and other Conditions of Service Expert –
Revision of UNRWA body of regulatory tools for implementation of ICSC compensation package
BACKGROUND
UNRWA international staff’s compensation package is governed by the terms and conditions set or
recommended by the International Civil Commission (ICSC) on common system salaries, allowances and
other conditions of service. UNRWA is governed by its own Staff Regulations and Rules as well as
subordinate regulatory instruments (“Organizational Directives,” “Personnel Directives,” and “Staff
Circulars”).
By resolution 70/244 the General Assembly approved a set of proposal to revise the compensation
package for international staff, with additional conditions set by the Assembly. UNRWA is required to
adopt the new compensation package in accordance with the time-line established by the Assembly with
initial implementations due as of 1 July 2016.
For more information about UNRWA
http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.html.
operations,
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DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
PURPOSE
UNRWA is seeking the services of a consultant to assist the Department of Human Resources in drafting
and editing relevant UNRWA’s human resources regulatory and policy tools to align them with the
adopted revisions of the common system compensation package.
SCOPE OF WORK
 Review all necessary documentation pertaining to the salaries, benefits and allowances of
UNRWA international staff members;
 Develop a detailed proposal on required changes by regulatory tools and policies to align with
new ICSC Compensation Package as approved by the General Assembly; with draft changes in
relevant documentation;
 Consult with UNRWA’s HR Policy Team, other HR stakeholders and the Department of Legal
Affairs on the proposed changes;
 Propose other required changes to the affected policies to align them fully with common system
standards and recommendations or to ensure UNRWA’s position as a competitive employer in
the international humanitarian service and human development arena.
DELIVERABLES AND TARGET COMPLETION
The Consultant will submit the following to UNRWA:
A draft package of comprehensive revisions of relevant Staff Regulations, Rules, and subordinate HR
policy documentation that includes the following:
a) Updated language to International Staff Regulations and Rules (hardcopy and wordversions);
b) Updated language to Organizational Directives, Personnel Directives and other issuances
(hardcopy and word-versions);
c) Recommendation on additional changes to the regulatory and policy framework for full
common system alignment;
d) Inclusion of feedback received by other stakeholders and the Department of Legal Affairs;
e) Recommendations on additional changes to ensure competitiveness in the market with other
international organization employers;
f) A schedule for roll-out of the proposed changes in accordance with the schedule adopted by
the General Assembly (i.e., what changes to promulgate for 1 July 2016; 1 January 2017;
and 1 January 2018);
g) A monitoring plan for implementation within the UNRWA Enterprise Resource System
platform REACH (SAP); in consultation with the ERP team and HR Services Division;
h) A synopsis of changes for international staff using current and future compensation package
modalities through sample staff grade and level categories;
i) Update relevant forms (hardcopy of ERP system) in consultation with the International
Personnel Section IPS.
REPORTING
The Consultant shall report to the Chief, Human Resources Planning, Policy and Development Division.
She or he will consult with other stakeholders as required, in particular the International Personnel
Section of the Human Resources Services Division.
Time-Line
The revision and drafting is expected to be ready for promulgation of the first changes by 30 June 2016.
The deliverables are expected to be ready for final clearance by 1 June 2016, with draft work packages at
the end of each preceding month. Draft package for changes to the Staff Regulations and Rules, Org.
Directives and Personnel Directives for initial review and feedback required by 31 May 2016, with
finalization based on feedback in mid-June 2016 for those changes required to take effect on 1 July 2016.
.
RELEVANT DOCUMENTS (will be provided)
 ICSC Proposal; GA resolution
 UNRWA HRD prepared initial draft assessment of required changes to UNRWA Regs, Rules,
Policies
 HR Network documentation on agreed interpretation of the Assembly decisions;
 Supplementary ICSC guidance;
 Copies of all relevant regulator tools and policies.
ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
1. Advanced university degree from an accredited educational institution in a relevant field (HR, law,
business administration, international relations, public policy etc.);
2. At least 5 years of relevant professional HR experience (including relevant experience with UN
ICSC/Common System salaries, allowances and other conditions of service);
3. High familiarity with ICSC/Common System matters;
4. Excellent English legal or policy drafting skills.
CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
 The expected start date is as early as possible within a maximum of two week after the signing of the
contract;
 The deliverables are due as per below schedule;;
 Remuneration for this consultancy will depend on the qualifications and experience of the candidate;
 Other conditions of service are governed by UNRWA’s standard consultant terms.
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PAYMENT SCHEDULE
 Payments shall be linked to deliverables as follows:
Percentage
Deliverable
Payment 1
20%
Upon the receipt and review of the draft
packages by 30 April 2016
Payment 2
60 %
Upon the receipt and review of the deliverables
by 31 May 2016 satisfactory to UNRWA.
Payment 3
20 %
Upon the receipt and review of the final
deliverables satisfactory to UNRWA due midJune 2016
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applicants should submit a cover letter and CV or UN Personal History Form demonstrating clearly the
knowledge and experience required to meet the consultancy requirements via consultancy@unrwa.org
clearly indicating the title of this consultancy “HR - Common System Salaries, Allowances and other
Conditions of Service Expert” in the subject line of the message. The deadline for the submission of
applications is 24 February 2016 (late applications will not be considered).
UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from both women and men.
UNRWA encourages applications from qualified and experienced female candidates. Only those
applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted. UNRWA is a non-smoking environment.
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