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 mobilization of economic and development assistance and coordination of humanitarian assistance.

The position is based in Kadugli Regional Office and is located in the Office of Support to Civilian Protection.  The Judicial Affairs Officer will, under the dual supervision of the Rule of Law Officer in El Fasher and the Head of Office, support rule of law coordination, engagement, information gathering, analysis and advice for the Two Areas.

The incumbent will ensure liaison with key rule of law institutions, informal justice and traditional justice stakeholders and civil society, and support representative and gender-responsive formal and informal justice processes that mitigate and resolve inter-communal conflict. The incumbent will work with relevant Mission’s components and the United Nations country team on streamlining advocacy and strategic engagement and ensuring that programmatic interventions are aligned with the protection and political objectives of the Mission.

Responsibilities:
 

Within delegated authority, the Associate Judicial Affairs Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

• Assists the Office of Civilian Protection in particular in establishing and maintaining its contacts and effective relations with judicial authorities, the court staff, all magistrates of the public prosecution, and informal justice and traditional justice stakeholders and civil society. He/she will support representative and gender-responsive formal and informal justice processes that mitigate and resolve inter-communal conflict.
• Prepares and draft periodic reports on justice according to guidelines and instructions of the supervisor.
• Helps to identify the legal documentation for the national rule of law authorities, the representatives of the civil society and the Office of Civilian Protection.
• Assists the Office in monitoring all jurisdictions and courts and rule of law institutions all over the territory to assess the current operation, the functioning, the effectiveness, the independence, and the impartiality of the judicial and rural court system.
• Assists in the conceptualization and the drafting or projects of donors concerning different ROL intervention axis related to the reform of the judicial system in the host country, in particular for the professionalization of justice actors, the improvement of access to justice, the improvement of the functioning of the criminal judicial system and rule of law institutions.
• Participates in the implementation of projects led by the Office of Civilian Protection.
• Suggests initiatives that would assist the mission in its mandate to foster the transparency and the credibility of rule of law institutions aimed at strengthening and enhancing transparency and judicial independence.
• Participates under the directives of the supervisor mission meetings, workshops, and seminars and draft reports.
• Analyses legal texts and provide legal opinions when required.
• Perform any other assignment that may be required by the supervisors. Provides language support within the rule of law team as required.

Education:  Advanced university degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent) in law, criminal justice, social sciences or management. A first-level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience: A minimum of two (2) years of progressively responsible professional experience in implementing law reforms and overseeing the implementation of national policies and plans in rule of law and security matters is required.  A minimum of one (1) year of work experience providing services in the field of Rule of Law or related areas to or in a field operation of the United Nations Common System or a comparable international organization is required.  

A minimum of one (1) year of experience providing technical assistance for the development or reform of legal and rule of law institutions in a transitional, developmental or post-conflict setting is desirable. is desirable.

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

Knowledge of local languages is desirable.

UN CORE VALUES AND COMPETENCIES

Professionalism: Knowledge and understanding of unit’s mandate and strategic direction.  Demonstrated understanding of a range of issues related to rule of law, judicial, prosecutorial and legal systems, corrections, reform, capacity building, etc. Knowledge of criminal law, relevant international standards on human rights and accountability.  Ability to identify issues and judgment in applying technical expertise to resolve a wide range of problems. Ability to conduct research, including ability to evaluate and integrate information from a variety of sources and assess impact on judicial affairs initiatives in assigned country/area.  Ability to work under pressure, on occasion in a highly stressful environment (e.g., civil strife, natural disasters, and human suffering). Shows pride in work and 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.

Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; Identifies priority activities and assignments and 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.

Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be "clients " and seeks to see things from clients' point of view; Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; Identifies clients' needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients' environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Assessment:

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

APPLICATION PROCESS:

• Applicants must accurately complete, update, sign and date the attached United Nations Personal History form (P.11 ONLY and forward the duly completed signed P.11 by e-mail to:unitamsrecruitment@un.org
• Applicants should COPY UNITAMS-JO-Kadugli-2021-35 – Associate Judicial Affairs 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 mailbox. 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