Associate Field Officer

Volunteering Legal Security

Overview

Engage in community outreach and support refugee assistance programs

You have:

• Experience in working with refugees or vulnerable communities.
• Knowledge of Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspectives in community engagement.
• Ability to conduct assessments and community-based protection initiatives.
• Experience in project implementation in a humanitarian context.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

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.

UNHCR strives to identify refugees with vulnerabilities and specific needs in remote areas across Slovakia and facilitate their access to adequate assistance and services. The response also aims at reinforcing accountability to affected people through two-way communication with communities, increasing access to information and awareness-raising for refugees on their rights and access to assistance and services through their preferred and trusted channels. It encompasses establishing feedback and response mechanisms that are able to handle sensitive complaints and inform programming and interventions. It furthermore involves engaging with refugees through participatory assessments and establishing refugee advisory boards or inclusion of refugees in existing community representative forums.

The Associate Field Officer will be key in ensuring that the office continues to effectively engage in community out-reach activities such as through Focus Group Discussions and supporting and monitor partner activities in areas of access to life-saving information and services, communication with communities and setting up community outreach volunteer network, an important component of the overall office’s protection direction on inclusion and long-term solutions for refugees. Protection interventions should seek to create conducive conditions for inclusion of refugees and other people in need of protection in national protection systems and social and economic systems. Supporting the capacity of national and community-based institutions, national NGOs and other representatives of civil society, including local women-led and women’s rights organizations, can have an important impact on the access of women, girls, persons with disabilities, LGBTIQ+ persons and other groups with specific vulnerabilities to equal opportunities with a view to ensuring their integration in the Slovak society.

The incumbent will assist in interacting with the government counterparts and other stakeholders in particular regional and local authorities with specific mandate in supporting local inclusion as well as with the refugee communities. Under the direct supervision of Head of Field Office, the UN Volunteer will work closely with multi-functional teams on matters including but not limited to protection, education, cash, partnerships, research and analytics, GBV, solutions, complementary pathways and more. S/he will support the office's involvement with livelihoods and economic inclusion, working with relevant external stakeholders from government line ministries, development actors, private sector, UN agencies, international organisations, NGOs, research institutions and universities.

The incumbent will be required to undertake missions to different parts of Slovakia as part of her/his duties.

Under the direct supervision of Head of Field Office Kosice, the UN Volunteer will under-take the following tasks:

• Ensure that UNHCR’s policies, standards and procedures are constantly and coherently applied in the Area of Responsibility (AoR). • Ensure that the needs of persons of concern in the AoR are assessed and analysed in a participating manner and using an Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective to form a firm basis for planning. • Ensure that protection incidents and gaps in assistance are immediately identified and addressed. • Identify vulnerable groups or individuals who may need special attention or special arrangements and make recommendations on the needs of different groups of refugees. • Assess protection and assistance needs of refugees and asylum-seekers in the region and monitor implementation of refugee assistance programmes. • In co-ordination with implementing partners, handle the reception, registration and provision of assistance to persons of concern to UNHCR. • Provide inputs for project submissions and periodic narrative and financial reports for the annual programme. • Develop and maintain relations with local authorities ensuring smooth negotiations in all aspects of UNHCR's mandate for the benefit of refugees. • Monitor the security situation in the area and intervene as appropriate with the local authorities. • Participation in needs assessment as a member of the Multi-Functional team • In close coordination with programme and project control, monitor project implementation and provide feedback on the progress to the relevant units/sections • Undertake other relevant duties as required.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: • 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 in-stance 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.

Results/Expected Outputs: • The needs of persons of concern in the country are assessed and analysed in a participatory manner and using an Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective to form a firm basis for planning. • Inputs are provided for the country operations plan (including budgets, staffing levels and structures) as well as for funding submissions, appeals and reports. • Enforced compliance with UNHCR’s global strategies, protocols and guidelines. • The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job training, when working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counter-parts, 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 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 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 un-der pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent pro-jects/activities. • Teamwork and respect for diversity: 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 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 back-grounds; 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, re-mote 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.

Work experience with refugees and/or other people of concern in a protection capacity is required. Experience in field, projection, community service, and coordination roles as well as international experience are asset.

Desirable Qualifications and Skills: • Experience in setting up and supporting multi-service centres in collaboration with inter-agency partners. • Experience in working in developing partnerships and working with local and regional authorities, UN agencies, national and community-based institutions, national NGOs and other representatives of civil society, including local women-led and women’s rights organizations and the private sector. • Knowledge of safe and ethical data collection and analysis and data protection standards. Experience in conducting assessments, community-based protection and communication with communities (CwC). • Experience with implementation of community-based protection principles and approaches in practice and understanding of the importance of communities as rights holders and agents of change; • Experience in facilitating the socio-economic inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized groups in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, ideally in varied field contexts. • Experience in conducting trainings, capacity building initiatives to varied audiences • Solid communication and interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including refugee led and community-based organizations, grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development. • Computer skills: Office Package (excellent knowledge of Word, good knowledge of Excel and Power Point) and Internet browsing. • Strong coordination skills

Slovakia is a developed country with an advanced high-income economy. It also performs favourably in measurements of civil liberties, press freedom, internet freedom, democratic governance, and peacefulness. The country maintains a combination of a market economy with a comprehensive social security system, providing citizens with universal health care, free education, and one of the longest paid parental leaves in the OECD. Slovakia became an independent state on 1 January 1993 after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia. It has, nevertheless, remained a close partner with the Czech Republic. Both countries co-operate with Hungary and Poland in the Visegrád Group. In 2019, Zuzana Čaputová became Slovakia's first female president. The country has the beautiful Tatra Mountains, the Danube river and many historical places, including eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Kosice offers good living conditions with a good range of hotels, Airbnb and apartments and flats. Accommodation can be sourced using the services of property agencies, as well as through various online websites. Two international schools are available Splash International and Kosice International School. Health care is relatively good, but there is a shortage of professionals in many occupations, including doctors and medical staff, making access to health challenging in terms of waiting time for appointments.

No specific security conditions pertain to Slovakia. Kosice is a safe metropolitan city with an estimated population of 227,458 inhabitants, however, as in any other city, caution shall be exercised when using public transport to avoid pickpocketing. Political protests can happen at short notice and may turn violent. Large gatherings must be avoided.

UN Volunteer entitlements and allowances: The purpose of the allowances and entitlements paid to UN Volunteers is to enable UN Volunteers to sustain a secure standard of living at the duty stations in line with United Nations standards without incurring personal costs. The allowances are in no way to be understood as compensation, reward, or salary in exchange for the UN Volunteer’s service. For more information on entitlements please read the Unified Conditions of Service for UN Volunteers (https://explore.unv.org/sites/default/files/2022-12/UNVcos20221%20Complete%20hi-res-final_compressed_NOV22.pdf) and use the entitlement calculator available at https://app.unv.org/calculator

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 (maximum three). Monthly Living Allowance (Per month): USD 2547.47* Entry lump sum (one time payment): USD 4000 Exit allowance (for each month served, paid on completion of contract): $225 Medical and life insurance: Cigna Private Insurance

Leave entitlements: Annual leave: 2.5 days accrued per calendar month Certified sick leave: 30 days Uncertified sick leave: 7 days Learning leave: 10 working days per consecutive 12 months Maternity Leave: 16 weeks Paternity Leave: 10 days

This UNV assignment is subject to proof of vaccination against Covid-19 with WHO ap-proved vaccine, unless the UNHCR Medical Service approves an exemption from this requirement on medical grounds.

*Please note that the amounts can vary according to fluctuations in the monthly post adjustment.

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Potential interview questions

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org