Associate Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Officer

Volunteering Finance & Economy

Overview

Support economic inclusion and livelihood initiatives for refugees.

You have:

• Experience in facilitating the economic inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized groups.
• Excellent oral and written skills, including drafting skills.
• Experience working with internal and external stakeholders in development actors, private sector, NGOs, UN organisations.
• Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners.

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 co-ordinate 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).

The Associate Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Officer will be key in operationalizing the strategic vision to align UNHCR’s livelihoods and economic inclusion efforts with the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), which underscores the need to mobilize additional actors and to adopt a whole-of-society approach to strengthen refugee self-reliance and help ease pressure on host countries. Promoting economic inclusion of refugees is a key development area that will enable the achievement of these objectives and contribute to the 2030 Agenda's Sustainable Development Goals.

Leveraging the growing global momentum, UNHCR is working to translate the objectives of the GCR into impactful results for forcibly displaced and stateless persons. Contributing to the sustainable programming approach, which focuses on inclusion into national systems and self-reliance, the Associate Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Officer, with support from the Senior Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion (LEI) Officer in the Regional Bureau for Europe and the LEI Unit in the Division of Resilience and Solutions (DRS), works towards the following objectives: 1) improve the enabling environment for refugees to decent work through advocacy on the right to/at work, access to economic opportunities and service; 2) seek new and strengthen existing partnerships including with the private sector, development actors, government institutions and specialized agencies to advance economic inclusion of refugees; and 3) in line with the sustainable programming approach, promote effective inclusion in national systems and programmes, including through building the business-case, enhancing socio-economic data and strengthening wrap-around services.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

The Associate Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Officer should be proactive and have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, always looking for new opportunities and being persuasive in mobilizing donors and new partners around new models of economic and social integration. He/she needs to possess a unique blend of private sector experience and engagement, coupled with the capacity to effectively interact with a multitude of diverse stakeholders, including government and civil society actors.

The incumbent will interact with the government counterparts and other stakeholders with specific mandate in economic inclusion, as well as with the refugee communities. Within UNHCR, the Associate Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Officer will work under the supervision of the Senior Protection Officer and closely with multi-functional teams on matters including but not limited to protection, community-based protection, social protection, cash assistance, inter-agency coordination, information management, programme, project control, supply, and external relations. 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. His/her main tasks will be as follows:

• Maintain close contact and cooperation with partners to facilitate the economic inclusion of refugees, such as line ministries, private sector and development actors in accordance with UNHCR Global, Regional and Country level policies, priorities, and strategies, in particular the Global Compact on Refugees. This includes advocating with public and private sector services providers to include UNHCR FDSPPOC in supporting services (business development, micro-finance, training, saving accounts, language training, skills recognition, employment counselling, job matching, and social protection, etc.).
• Work with the multi-functional team, more specifically with the Protection Unit, to assess the legal framework for the de facto access to work and rights at work and recommend/implement advocacy initiatives and policy reforms to improve UNHCR POC’s economic inclusion, rights and access to work.
• Build on UNHCR data sources to support regular information sharing and coordination among different humanitarian, developmental and governmental stakeholders, including through the coordination of monthly Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Working Group meetings.
• Support the implementation of socioeconomic and wealth ranking surveys utilising community-based strategies to inform targeting, monitoring and facilitation of development programmes and promote the progressive inclusion of FDSP in national statistics. Conduct necessary assessments in collaboration with relevant private and public stakeholders, including impact assessments on local economies and surveys that help to identify investment and funding opportunities that enhance the economic inclusion of UNHCR POC.
• Strengthen, guide and monitor the livelihoods interventions and those aimed at potential inclusion in national systems to help ensure they are market-based, and that the role of UNHCR has been strategically determined in consideration of its comparative advantage vis-à-vis other partners.
• Perform other related duties as required.

• Accountability • Adaptability and flexibility • Creativity • Judgement and decision-making • Planning and organising • Professionalism • Self-management

financial inclusion, employment, entrepreneurship, private sector development, local economic development, poverty reduction, vocational and technical education. The candidate is required to possess technical competencies in sub-sectors relevant to livelihoods and economic inclusion programming

He/she should have experience in facilitating the economic inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized groups in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders and in working with and developing partnerships with private sector, NGOs, UN organisations, development actors, and government authorities in sub-sectors relevant to livelihood programming e.g. financial inclusion, employment, entrepreneurship, private sector development, local economic development, poverty reduction, agriculture, livestock, vocational and technical education and training, etc.

He/she must also have experience from coordination of working groups in an inter-agency coordination setting.

The candidate will need to have excellent oral and written skills; including drafting skills; accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel; solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, among others); and should be self-motivated and able to work with minimum supervision and under tight deadlines;

Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary. The country has a rich history that starting with the ancient Dacian civilization over 2,000 years ago. Over the centuries, Romania has been shaped by various other powers, including the Roman, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires, and the Soviet Union.

After the fall of communism in 1989, Romania transitioned to a democratic government and market economy, which has resulted in significant economic growth and development. However, Romania still faces various challenges, including corruption, a relatively high level of poverty compared to other European countries, and social inequality. Romania has been a member of the United Nations since 1955, NATO since 2004 and the European Union (EU) since 2007.

As of 2022, Romania has an estimated population of approximately 19.5 million people, making it the seventh most populous member state of the European Union. The majority of the population lives in urban areas, with the largest cities being Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Iași, and Constanța. The country is known for its rich cultural heritage and is home to a variety of ethnic traditions, customs, and languages.

Romania has a diverse population, with ethnic Romanians comprising the majority of the population (roughly 84%), and the official language is Romanian. There are also significant ethnic Hungarian and Roma populations, as well as other minority groups such as Germans, Ukrainians, and Turks. The majority of Romania's population identify themselves as Eastern Orthodox Christians, The Romanian Orthodox Church is the largest and traditional church of the country.

Overall, Romania's geographic position and population make it a unique and diverse country, with a rich cultural history and a thriving contemporary society. In terms of climate, Romania has a temperate-continental climate, with four distinct seasons. Summers are hot, with temperatures reaching up to 30°C, while winters are cold and snowy, with temperatures periodically dropping below the freezing point in the whole country. Spring and autumn are mild and pleasant.

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. Contingent on specific eligibility criteria, location of the volunteer assignment and contractual type and category, the payment of allowances will begin from the date of Commencement of Service For more information on entitlements please read the Condition of Service (https://explore.unv.org/cos). For information specific to your assignment please see below:

Monthly Living Allowance (Per month): USD 2495.04 Entry lump sum (one time payment): USD 4,000 Exit allowance (for each month served, paid on completion of contract): $225 Family allowance: $250 per month for one dependent. $450 per month for two or more eligible dependents Medical and life insurance Cigna Private Insurance

Leave entitlements: Annual leave: 2.5 days accrued per calendar month Certified sick leave: 30 days (for 12 months assignments) Uncertified sick leave: 7 days (for 12 months assignments and 4 days for less than 12 months) Learning leave: 10 working days per consecutive 12 months Maternity Leave: 16 weeks Paternity Leave: 10 days

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Potential interview questions

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