The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has announced a highly responsible and impactful career opportunity for experienced ethics, compliance, governance and legal professionals. The organization is inviting applications for the position of Field Ethics Officer (Limited Duration Contract – G Band), based in Gaza, with the aim of strengthening ethical standards, integrity, accountability, and organizational conduct within the UNRWA operational structure.
This recruitment provides an exceptional opportunity for qualified professionals who aspire to work in one of the most meaningful humanitarian environments in the world, supporting the welfare, protection, and development of Palestine refugees. UNRWA is among the largest United Nations operations in the Middle East, employing more than 30,000 dedicated staff members, and plays an essential role in delivering education, healthcare, social services, infrastructure support, emergency relief, and protection services to over 5.8 million registered Palestine refugees across Gaza, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
Role Overview: Purpose and Organizational Setting
The Field Ethics Officer serves as an essential pillar in ensuring that ethical governance, professionalism, neutrality, fairness, and accountability are maintained across UNRWA’s Gaza operations. The incumbent directly supports the Ethics Office at UNRWA Headquarters while collaborating closely with field administration and relevant departments in Gaza. This position requires both strategic and operational expertise in ethical advisory services, compliance oversight, internal justice support, risk mitigation, and misconduct prevention.
UNRWA emphasizes that this role holds a significant impact in maintaining staff confidence, organizational credibility, and public trust. Candidates who are passionate about humanitarian values, justice, and ethical leadership are highly encouraged to apply.
Key Responsibilities of the Field Ethics Officer
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The Field Ethics Officer is entrusted with multiple organizational responsibilities designed to reinforce UN values and ethical culture. Major duties include:
1. Ethical Guidance and Advisory Support
The postholder will deliver confidential advice and guidance to both management and staff regarding ethical dilemmas, staff misconduct, prohibited conduct, conflict of interest, acceptance of gifts, entitlements, outside engagements, and humanitarian principles. They will analyze trends, identify risks, and help develop solutions to complex ethical challenges.
2. Oversight of Outside Political Activities and Conflict of Interest
The officer will support implementation and monitoring of UNRWA’s policy on outside political activities, conduct spot checks, assess compliance, and ensure transparency related to external engagements and interests.
3. Research, Analysis and Inter-departmental Coordination
The role involves conducting legal, organizational and managerial research, engaging multiple internal entities including Investigation Office, Legal Office, Human Resources, Protection Office, and Ombudsman Office. The officer will also manage data analysis and reporting from ethics case management systems.
4. Protection Against Retaliation (PaR)
A vital function is advising staff on UNRWA’s Protection against Retaliation policy, reviewing retaliation complaints, assessing prima-facie grounds, and recommending appropriate remediation support. The officer will also collaborate with justice mechanisms to resolve retaliation cases.
5. Training, Awareness and Capacity Building
The Field Ethics Officer will design and deliver ethics training programs, awareness campaigns, and outreach materials. Responsibilities also include updating ethics communication platforms and strengthening the Ethics Focal Points Network.
6. Specialized Ethics Program Support
Additional responsibilities include supporting the ASDIP (Area Staff Declaration of Interest Programme), coordinating sexual misconduct-related ethics efforts, and assisting in various ethics initiatives supporting staff welfare and compliance integrity.
Required Competencies and Professional Attributes
UN Core Values form the cornerstone of eligibility expectations. Candidates must strongly demonstrate:
- Integrity
- Professionalism
- Respect for Diversity
Core UN Competencies applicable to this role include:
- Communication Skills
- Team Collaboration
- Drive for Results
- Innovation and Risk-Taking
- Analytical Thinking
- Networking Skills
- Strong Technical Application Ability
Candidates should possess mature judgment, discretion, confidentiality handling ability, cultural sensitivity, and high emotional intelligence to perform effectively in sensitive humanitarian contexts.
Educational Qualifications
Applicants must hold an advanced university degree from a recognized institution in one of the following fields:
- Law
- Public Administration
- Human Resources Management
- Or any related discipline relevant to ethics and compliance governance
Work Experience Requirements
Candidates must demonstrate:
- Minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in one or more of the following areas:
- Legal practice
- Corporate compliance
- Oversight services
- Organizational ethics
- Staff misconduct investigations
- Employee relations
- Related humanitarian or governance oversight fields
Applicants are also required to declare any past or current affiliations with political entities, NGOs, academic or military organizations that may affect neutrality or independence. However, such declarations will not automatically disqualify candidates.
Language Proficiency
For this position, English and Arabic are mandatory. Candidates should meet UN Level III proficiency standards in reading, writing, listening and speaking for both languages.
Contract Type, Duration and Benefits
This recruitment is based on a Limited Duration Contract (LDC) with an initial 12-month term, extendable subject to satisfactory performance, funding availability, and operational need.
Compensation Package Includes:
- Monthly basic salary: USD 2,216.50 (Band G)
- Medical insurance coverage
- 30 days annual leave (pro-rated if less than a year)
- Sick leave entitlements
- Maternity leave / Paternity leave subject to eligibility
- Family allowance where applicable
Candidates must currently reside within commuting distance of Gaza and hold legal authorization to work at the duty station.
Eligibility Conditions and Special Considerations
- Preference is given to registered Palestine refugees and underrepresented gender applicants to promote gender parity.
- Candidates with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
- Only applications submitted through UNRWA’s official recruitment platform will be accepted.
- Incorrect or misleading information leads to disqualification.
- Applicants under UN sanctions or linked to past misconduct cases are automatically disqualified.
- UNRWA maintains a strict non-smoking workplace policy and does not charge any recruitment fees.
Why This Role Matters
The Field Ethics Officer’s position is not simply administrative; it is deeply mission-driven. Gaza remains one of the most challenging humanitarian contexts globally, and UNRWA plays a life-sustaining role for millions of vulnerable people. In such environments, ethics governance becomes essential to:
- Maintain trust among staff and beneficiaries
- Ensure fair conduct and accountability
- Prevent abuse, exploitation, or misconduct
- Strengthen institutional integrity
- Uphold humanitarian principles even in crisis conditions
Professionals in this role have the rare chance to influence organizational culture, support staff welfare, and safeguard humanitarian credibility — making the Field Ethics Officer an incredibly meaningful position.
Conclusion
The UNRWA Field Ethics Officer position in Gaza is an outstanding career prospect for senior professionals with a strong background in law, ethics governance, compliance, and humanitarian accountability. It offers the opportunity to work at the heart of a major United Nations agency, ensuring high ethical standards while directly supporting one of the world’s most vulnerable refugee communities.
If you are passionate about justice, ethics, integrity, and humanitarian service — and you meet the academic, professional, and language criteria — this role represents a truly impactful and rewarding professional path.
