Assistant to Task Team of Organizations led by Displaced and Stateless Persons

Contract

This is a UNV Refugee contract. More about UNV Refugee contracts.

UNHCR’s cross-divisional Task Team on Engagement and Partnership with Organizations led by Displaced and Stateless Persons was created in 2020 to coordinate and align internal efforts and to support ongoing work related to UNHCR`s engagement of and partnership with forcibly displaced and stateless people. The Task Team is led by the Division of Protection (DIP)/ Field Protection Service – Community-Based Protection (CBP) Unit and the Division of External Relations (DER)/Partnership and Coordination Service (PCS) – NGO and Civil Society Section. The Task Team is made up of members of other divisions and services in UNHCR Headquarters, including the Division of Strategic Planning and Results (DSPR), the Division of Resilience and Solutions (DRS), the GCR Coordination Team and the Innovation Service. The Task Team works closely together with the Regional Bureaus as well as with the Interim Advisory Group of Organizations led by Displaced and Stateless Persons (2020-2022), and now the Advisory Board of Organizations led by Displaced and Stateless Persons (December 2022 – December 2024).

This UNV assignment is part of UNHCR’s efforts to strengthen UNHCR’s engagement and partnership with organizations led by forcibly displaced and stateless persons, by providing support to the Task Team and its Advisory Board.

Important, please read Important, please, read before applying.

• This assignment is open only for the application for refugees; who are recognized as Refugees or Stateless by the competent authorities responsible for granting of Refugee status in the Country of residence/refuge, or person has been recognized as a Refugee or Stateless in accordance with UNHCR mandate and has right to reside and work legally in the country of refuge.

• Official document as a proof of refugee / protective status is mandatory to submit. The applicant with the abovementioned refugee status should submit the official document as a proof of refugee / protective status before and/or during the interview. The application without the respective document will not be considered for this assignment.

• Duty Station and Entitlements: The selected candidate’s contracting duty station & entitlements will be where the candidate is recognized with a refugee status in the country of current residency. There will be no relocation to Geneva. The assignment is remote.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the UNHCR DER Associate External Relations Officer in collaboration with the DIP Community Based Associate Protection Officer, the UNV Assistant to the Task Team on Engagement and Partnership with Organizations led by Displaced and Stateless Persons will support in the following tasks:

• Support the implementation of all deliverables of the framework of UNHCR’s inter-divisional Task Team on Engagement and Partnership with Organizations led by Displaced and Stateless Persons, working closely together with UNHCR Regional Bureaux focal points and the Advisory Board of Organizations led by Displaced and Stateless Persons.

• Coordinate regularly with the Advisory Board, serving as the main focal point between the Board and the Task Team, to ensure their meaningful participation in Task Team and other initiatives, as well as identifying promising practices.

• Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities;
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote and utilize the UNV Online Volunteering service providing themselves and their organizations with flexible, free of charge, Online Volunteer capacity to support their efforts. Information and promotional material can be found in the onsite kit.

Results/expected outputs:

• As an active UNHCR’s team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNHCR and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of their functions, including: o Implementation of all deliverables of the framework of UNHCR’s inter-divisional Task Team on Engagement and Partnership with Organizations led by Displaced and Stateless Persons, in close coordination with UNHCR Headquarters divisions and Regional Bureaus focal points. o Effective coordination with the Advisory Board and the Task Team, to ensure their meaningful participation in Task Team initiatives.

• Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment.

A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNHCR ; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNHCR procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented;

• Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNHCR in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority;

• Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues;

• Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment;

• Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities;

• Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups;

• Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary;

• Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment toward UNHCR’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

leading community-based organizations and those led by forcibly displaced and stateless persons; • Priority will be given to candidates with first-hand experience of being a refugee, forcibly displaced or stateless person. • Experience working with organizations led by displaced and stateless persons and/or community-based organizations is required, and experience working in the UN or other international development organization is considered an asset; • Experience with organizing and facilitating consultative processes, ideally with displaced persons; • Very good organizational skills with proven experience in managing projects and multi-tasking;
• Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills; • Proven research and analytical skills (on the topic of participation of forcibly displaced and stateless persons is an asset); • Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing; • Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development; • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel; • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (PowerBI, Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment; • Self-motivated, ability to work independently with minimum supervision (due to remote nature of the position); ability to work with tight deadlines; • Have affinity with or interest in the protection of forcibly displaced and stateless persons to UNHCR, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.

Preferred Education Level: Completed Secondary Education, Bachelor's degree (an asset), in a relevant area, e.g., social work, law, anthropology, development studies or any other relevant field).

This assignment is exclusively open to individuals with stateless, refugee or similar protective status and is carried out under remote work arrangement (without relocation).

The candidate is recognized as Refugee or Stateless by the competent authorities responsible for granting of Refugee status in the Country of residence / refuge, or person has been recognized as a Refugee or Stateless in accordance with UNHCR mandate and has right to reside and work legally in the country of refuge.

The RUNV will be selected from any location in the world, except from Headquarter (H) duty stations and locations where there are no United Nations developmental or humanitarian activities or locations which are in countries which are members of the European Union. (H duty stations include the follow-ing countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America)

In an effort to ensure consistency and fair treatment of UN Volunteers in the country in terms of benefits, selected candidate will be required to self-declare the humanitarian assistance she/he is in receipt of, which, upon recruitment will then be assessed, and adjusted as needed.

This UNV assignment is remote, contributing to HQ unit’s work, and is a full-time role with working hours starting from 08.00am to 17:00pm CET from Monday to Friday (40 hours per week).

As this is a Refugee UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials.

Mission travels to other countries might apply.

Conditions of Service for Refugee UN Volunteers: The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment.

The applicable Volunteer Living Allowance is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities and normal cost of living expenses. Life, health and permanent disability insurance are included (health insurance for up to 3 dependents).

If needed, UNHCR can provide electronic equipment and connectivity (Internet Access) to support this UNV assignment, that are to be used for business purposes only.

In an effort to ensure consistency and fair treatment of UN Volunteers in the country in terms of benefits, candidates will be required to self-declare the humanitarian assistance they are in receipt of, which, upon selection will then be assessed, and adjusted as needed.