Associate External Relations and Reporting Officer

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

The Office of the UNHCR was established on 14 December 1950 by the UN General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country (www.unhcr.org).

Under the direct supervision of Head of Sub Office the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

•Keep abreast of all developments in operations to prepare appropriate briefings and reports. •Prepare periodic reports, i.e. donor updates, internal sitreps, briefing notes for senior managers, and activity-specific reports as required. •Prepare funding submissions for donors, and draft any required after-action reports. •Develop and maintain working relationships with the government, NGOs, and UN agencies to ensure cooperation in inter-related activities. •Support the UNHCR-led Cluster activities by preparing and distributing minutes, assisting in the organization of meetings; occasionally chairing meetings, and serving as the general secretariat for the relevant Cluster. •Support the supervisor in preparation for meetings and missions and drafting of talking points. •Organize and accompany missions for VIP visitors, and delegates to visit refugee sites or the activities of UNHCR implementing partners. •If there is no Public Information (PI) focal point in-country, serve as PI focal point, contributing to and coordinating press events, interviews, PI missions and other activities related to information dissemination to the general public to promote UNHCR activities.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:

•Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and taking 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; •Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities; •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 or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible. •Act as the primary liaison with the External Relations Unit at the national level, including coordination, drafting and quality control of inputs from the Sub-Office and Field Offices under its supervision for proposals and reports; •Support in the drafting of project proposals as well as interim and final reports both in English and in Spanish for public and private UNHCR Colombia donors in close collaboration with the External Relations Unit and programme colleagues; •Support in the detailed organization and participate in UNHCR donor missions and briefings, including donor visits, related to the Sub-Office and Field Offices under its supervision; •Draft and/or support in the drafting UNHCR external and internal communication materials, including the Sub Office and Field Offices Factsheets, project factsheets, weekly reports, situation reports, briefing notes, background material, talking points, press releases and other communication materials (both in English and in Spanish) in close collaboration with the External Relations Unit at the national level as well as Public Information and Information Management colleagues; •Work closely with the Public Information colleagues to assist in providing visibility for donors’ contributions to UNHCR;} •Act as the main focal point for the coordination of the European Union INTPA (formerly known as DEVCO) project called “Inclusive Cities, Cities of Solidarity”, currently being implemented in Cúcuta, Villa del Rosario and Bucaramanga; •Communicate, coordinate and follow-up on requests to and from the External Relations Unit on a regular basis and as needed; •Contribute to the consolidation and maintaining of Excel databases that include the different budgets of UNHCR donors, as per requested by the External Relations Unit at the national level; •Work closely with Information Management, Public Information and the Inter-Agency Group on Mixed Migration Flows to ensure accurate and attractive data presentation, including maps in external and internal communication materials •Stay abreast of the challenges posed by the political context, the UN and humanitarian reform, and institutional developments in the area of forced displacement and humanitarian operations; •Any other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Results/Expected Outputs:

•The Associate External Relations & Reporting Officer contributes to the production, editing and quality control of donor proposals and reports for his/her Area of Responsibility (AOR). •S/he establishes and maintains open communication with the External Relations Unit at the national level as well as the Programme Unit, including meeting all reporting deadlines, communicating changes or challenges in project implementation and informing colleagues in the Sub and Field Offices of donor compliance issues such as visibility requirements. •S/he maintains effective professional relationships with a wide variety of public and private donors, operational and implementing partners, UN agencies, and other stakeholders to gather, analyse and disseminate information about the activities of UNHCR and its partners. •By drafting external and internal communication materials in English and in Spanish, and by systematizing and sharing of accurate and timely information, the incumbent promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNHCR. •S/he establishes close contacts with all UNHCR sections in the AOR to gather and analyse information. •The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job training, when working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counterparts, including Implementing Partners (IPs); •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 development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

•Integrity and professionalism: demonstrated expertise in the area of specialty and ability to apply good judgment; high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures in a politically sensitive environment, while exercising discretion, impartiality and neutrality; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented.

•Accountability: mature and responsible; ability to operate in compliance with organizational rules and regulations.

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

•Teamwork and respect for diversity: the ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity and gender;

•Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including the 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; ability to maintain composure and remain helpful towards the staff, but objective, without showing personal interest; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups;

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

•Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards the UN core values.

a field related to external relations, communications, media relations or reporting. Knowledge of Microsoft applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint Demonstrated skills in oral and written communication.

Colombia is a large country (1,141,748 km2); its population rises to 47,000,000 citizens. Cúcuta is the capital of the Norte de Santander department, located in the northeast of the country, in the eastern of the Colombian Andes and on the border with Venezuela. Its area is 110 square kilometres and its elevation is about 320 metres above sea level.

Conditions of Service for international UN Volunteers:

A volunteer receives a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) which is composed of the Monthly Living Allowance (MLA) and a Family Allowance (FA) for those with dependents.

A Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) is paid at the end of each month to cover housing, utilities, transportation, communications and other basic needs. The VLA can be computed by applying the Post-Adjustment Multiplier (PAM) to the VLA base rate of US$ 1,571. The VLA base rate is a global rate, while the PAM is country-specific and fluctuates on a monthly basis according to the cost of living. This method ensures that international UN Volunteers have comparable purchasing power at all duty stations irrespective of varying costs of living. The PAM is established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and is published at the beginning of every month on the ICSC website (http://icsc.un.org). For example, if the PAM for the current month in the country of assignment is 54.6%, then the VLA for that month and for that country will be US$ 1,571 x 1.546 = US$ 2,429. Moreover, to complete the monthly VLA rate, a Family Allowance (FA) is added in the function of the number of recognized dependents (or: in the amount of US$ 250 if the UN Volunteer has 1 recognized dependent, and US$ 450 if the UN Volunteer has 2 or more recognized dependents). In addition, in non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the ICSC, international UN Volunteers receive a Well-Being Differential (WBD) on a monthly basis. The VLA and WBD taken together form the net core entitlements.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are provided with an initial subsidy at the start of the assignment (if the volunteer did not reside in the duty station for at least 6 months prior to taking up the assignment) and, under strict conditions, also in the event of a permanent reassignment to another duty station (duty stations can change in the course of an assignment based on operational necessity; UN Volunteers may be required to work anywhere in the area of operations of the host organization, including in remote locations). Life, health, permanent disability and malicious acts insurances are included, as well as assignment travel, annual leave, full integration in the UN security framework (including residential security reimbursements as per the local MORSS), DSA payment for official travel, periodic home visit, final repatriation travel (except in the event of resignation within the initial contract period), and resettlement allowance for satisfactory service.

UNV will provide, together with the offer of assignment, a copy of the Conditions of Service, including the Code of conduct, to the successful candidate.