Learning Support Assistant (Visual And Hearing Impairment)

UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST – UNRWA   UNRWA is the United Nations agency responsible for the protection, care and human development of a population of some 4.6 millionPalestinerefugees living in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank,Jordan,Lebanon, and theSyrianArabRepublic. The Agency is committed to assistingPalestinerefugees in maintaining a decent standard of living, acquiring appropriate knowledge and skills, enjoying the fullest possible extent of human rights, and leading a long and healthy life. UNRWA is by far the largest UN operation in theMiddle Eastwith over 29,000 staff. Most of the staff members are refugees themselves, working directly to benefit their communities – as teachers, doctors, nurses or social workers. Learning Support Assistant (Visual and Hearing Impairment)   Location Tyre Area Type of Appointment Fixed Term – Three Years Deadline for Application 09 February 2015 Vacancy Announcement Number 04/2015 Grade 10 Department/Division Education Department   MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES In accordance with Agency policy and procedures, the incumbent follows up on students with visual and hearing impairments in particular and, as required on students with physical disabilities enrolled in inclusive education in Agency school(s). The incumbent in particular:   (A)    Prepares Individual Educational Plans (IEP) in respect of each student; (B)    Coordinates with class teacher(s) the daily work plans in order to prepare needed materials for the students; (C)    Assists students in doing their daily homework for all subjects after school hours, as needed; (D)   Prepares homework, exercises and exams in Braille; converts the curriculum into Braille as needed, and produces teaching aids as required; (E)    Discusses with the Education Specialist (Human Rights & Mainstreaming), School Principal and class teacher(s) the performance and progress of students, problems encountered, and identifies solutions; (F)    Attends classes with the students when needed, for solving a particular problem in coordination with the class teacher(s) and School Counsellor; (G)   Establishes rapport with  students’ families through home visits,  clarifies parental responsibilities and roles;  informs parents of their children’s progress and guides them in solving particular problems with the assistance of the School Counsellors and Community Development Social Worker/ Disability programme (CDSW/DP), as required; (H)    Submits monthly reports to School Principal and Education Specialist (Human Rights & Mainstreaming) on activities undertaken and students’ performance highlighting major achievements and/or problems encountered with proposals for solutions; (I)      Participates in training workshops relevant to his/her work at the request of the Education Specialist (Human Rights & Mainstreaming) and in coordination with the School Principal; (J)    Organizes for the students a plan of summer activities; (K)    Performs such other duties as may be assigned.   PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES (A)   Academic and Professional i)    University degree in a related field plus a pre or in-service teacher training course of at least one year duration. Or ii)   A university degree in a related field with a minor in Education including special education, educational psychology or community development and social work.   (B)   Experience At least five years relevant experience, including dealing with children with special needs, particularly those with visual and hearing impairment   (C)   Language        Good knowledge of spoken and written Arabic and English.     (D)   Competencies i)    Proven communication skills; ii)   Report writing skills; iii)  Advanced presentation skills; iv)  Intermediate computer skills.   DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS Ability and willingness to drive Agency's vehicles for performing his/her duties.   CONDITIONS OF SERVICE Salary: Monthly basic salary L.L. 1,724,195.- Contract Duration: Fixed term –Three years       Holidays: 30 days annual leave Dependency allowance: Dependent spouse: L.L 60,000 per month     Dependent child: L.L 33,000 per month Pension:  Provident Fund contribution   EQUIVALENCY Candidates with an equivalent combination of relevant academic qualifications, professional training and progressive work experience may also be considered.   RECRUITMENT PROCESS The Recruitment process is based on the Agency’s strategy to obtain the best qualified and suitable employees through a competitive recruitment process. After the deadline for receiving applications, all applications will be reviewed by the Human Resources Office and the Hiring Department.  Only Short-listed candidates who fully meet the required criteria shall be contacted and undergo technical/practical tests and the candidates with the highest passing scores will then be invited to interview (see “Technical and Practical Tests Required” below). The final recommendation for selection is based on the test results, interview assessment, Agency priorities and needs and the candidates’ profiles. For all posts, the weight allocated for the technical/practical tests (listed below) is 60% and for the interview is 40%.  ملاحظة: سيتم الاتصال فقط بالمتقدمين الذين يستوفون الشروط المطلوبة للوظيفة..   GENERAL INFORMATION UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications equally from men and women. It is Agency Policy to give full consideration to qualified disabled candidates whose disability does not impact their ability to perform the duties and responsibilities of the post.   Referring to PD A/2/REV.4 – 3.1.2. para. (b), which states that staff members, with indefinite appointment who are applying for this post, may return to their original posts, or to similar posts, if those posts will exist and are vacant. This reassignment shall be made at the staff members’ former grade level. However, the step level will be adjusted to account for the number of years in the fixed-term post. Otherwise, their status will be governed by the relevant provisions of Personnel Directive A/9 on Redundancy.   As a member of the United Nations system, UNRWA maintains a close relatives’ policy.  In this regard, if a candidate has a close relative (mother, father, brother, sister, son or daughter) who is already employed by the Agency, he/she can only be employed if the Agency is unable to find another suitable candidate.   UNRWA is a United Nations organization whose staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, neutrality and impartiality. This includes respect for human rights, for diversity, and for non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. UNRWA staff are expected to uphold these values at all times, both at work and outside. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. UNRWA is a non-smoking working environment. الأونروا هي منظمة تابعة للأمم المتحدة، وهي منظمة تفترض من موظفيها الالتزام بأعلى معايير الاستقامة والحياد والنزاهة. ويشمل ذلك احترام مبادئ حقوق الإنسان واحترام التنوع وتبني الوسائل غير العنيفة في حل كافة أشكال النزاعات.  المتوقع من موظفي الأونروا أن يقوموا بدعم هذه القيم في كافة الأوقات، سواء في أماكن العمل أم خارجه. إن أولئك الأشخاص الذين يتمتعون بالالتزام الكامل وغير المشروط بهذه القيم هم فقط الذين ينبغي أن يتقدموا بطلباتهم للعمل لدى الأونروا. الأنروا هي بيئه عمل لا يسمح فيها بالتدخين.   Where there are two or more equally qualified candidates, selection preference will normally be given to internal candidates, Palestine Refugees and candidates of the under-represented gender. The Agency maintains the discretion to fill future vacancies for this position from the roster without re-advertising the vacancy.   As an Area post, preference will be given to local candidates already based in the duty station of the post.   TECHNICAL & PRACTICAL TESTS REQUIRED Short-listed candidates will sit for two tests: Technical Evaluation (could include BRAILLE Test) (100%). Computer test (Pass/Fail), which includes (Basic Level: MS Word and Internet)   The top 5 scoring candidates in the technical evaluation given that (i) none have scored less than 50%, and (ii) none have failed the computer test, will be invited for an interview.    HOW TO APPLY If you have the skills and experience required above, and want to make an active and lasting contribution to improving the lives of Palestine refugees, then register on http://jobs.unrwa.org by creating a personal profile and completing the UNRWA Personal History Form; it is the responsibility of the candidates (internal and external) to make sure that their Personal History Form is duly completed with the needed information before they apply as amendments to the Form will not be accepted after the deadline of the vacancy announcement. Only applications received through this website will be considered and the system will not allow applications after the deadline. Please note that UNRWA only accepts degrees from accredited educational institutions. Candidates may also be invited to take a technical exam in order further evaluate their qualifications for the post. Due to a high volume of applications received, only short-listed applicants will be contacted –“سيتم الإتصال فقط بالأشخاص الذين تنطبق عليهم متطلبات الوظيفة”. The United Nations does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. The United Nations does not concern itself with information on bank accounts. For any queries please send an email to: recruitmentquestions@unrwa.org. Please apply as requested above, do not send your CV To this email address, all cvs sent to this email address will be automatically ignored. يرجى تقديم الطلبات حسب التعليمات اعلاها وعدم ارسال السيرة الذاتية الى هذا البريد الالكتروني, سيتم تجاهل السير الذاتية التي ترسل الى هذا العنوان تلقائيا. or contact the recruitment unit on 009611840490.       Date of issue: 20 January 2015