Associate Shelter 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 Assem-bly. 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).

[ Please provide basic background information on the project ]

• Ensuring that UNHCR Field operations are supported in carrying out shelter needs as-sessments taking into account the current situation, projected population planning figures and the expected scale of returns; • Developing country level shelter strategies which are framed by UNHCR’s Global Strate-gy for Settlement and Shelter and take into consideration the local context, age and gen-der, culture, climate, environmental protection and the availability of local resources, in-cluding materials, capacities and existing infrastructure; • Providing clear guidance on standards for shelter and settlement, including minimum emergency standards to meet basic and essential needs; • Together with UNHCR's implementing partners, compiling, analysing and mapping avail-able information on shelter options in country taking into account relevant policies adopt-ed by the Government. When planning shelter works, ensuring that the technical compo-nent reflects UNHCR minimum standards for the provision of emergency and other types of shelter assistance and is within the budgetary requirements. Due consideration should be given to standards in other relevant sectors such as water and sanitation; • Ensuring the shelter strategy is periodically reviewed to reflect the evolving situation in country and progressively transitioning to more sustainable shelter solutions. This pro-cess should be done in close collaboration with the beneficiaries and the host Govern-ment while bearing in mind the shelter needs of people upon their eventual return to their country of origin; • Ensuring that specifications, bills of quantities and drawings are produced in a technically sound and standardised manner and establish monitoring and evaluation tools to ensure that works are implemented according to plans and completed within the designated timeframe; • Promoting the sustainability of technical interventions through local capacity building and self-help in collaboration with local partners in the field. Ensure that local communities have been consulted on all activities so as not to create unnecessary tension between the displaced and host populations; • In consultation with UNHCR’s implementing partner and local communities themselves, identifying the need for community based Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) that can benefit the local and displaced communities; • The position requires regular contact with programme, protection and field staff in country in order to ensure technical support related to shelter and construction activities; • Close and regular contact with technical and non-technical staff of UN Agencies, Imple-menting Partners, National and International NGOs and Government Authorities, is es-sential to discuss matters relating to shelter and infrastructure coordination and provision; • Maintaining regular contact with the Shelter and Settlement Section in Geneva regarding all technical matters.

Accountability Judgment and Decision-making Planning and Organizing Working in Teams

Minimum 3 years of relevant professional with a Bachelor’s degree.

Relevant professional experience includes management of humanitarian shelter or settlement programs / projects or a combination of experience in the humanitarian sector and construction-related activities outside of the humanitarian sector such as supervision of construction works.

Excellent interpersonal, teamwork and negotiation skills in a cross cultural environment and the ability to assist in communication of technical and non-technical details with Government tech-nical staff as well as NGO staff and local authorities.

This UNV assignment is subject to proof of vaccination against Covid-19 with WHO approved vaccine in accordance with UNHCR’s Administrative Instruction on Covid-19 Vaccination and related Safety Measures.

Computer skills: Knowledge of computer software (MS Word, Excel PowerPoint), as well as the capacity to use mapping tools, i.e. GPS and knowledge of construction drawing and design software (AutoCad or MS Visio, Hipanet etc) is a great added advantage.

Liberia is a post-conflict country. The country is generally safer, with the exception of petty crimes, especially in the cities. It is mandatory to complete the following: Basic Security in the Field and Advance Security in the Field. The current UN security level for Liberia is Level 2.

The widely used currencies for business transactions are the Liberian Dollars and U.S. Dollars. Banking facilities are widely available but the use of bank credit and debit cards is limited. There are two major mobile telephone companies including Lone Star and Orange providing services and sim cards can be easily bought with cash after registration by the Service provider. At the moment, there are no fixed telephone lines in Liberia.

Driving distance from Zwedru to the capital city, Monrovia, is approximately 451 kilometers. Half of the road is in very poor conditions. The county once ravaged by 14 years of civil war now enjoys uninterrupted peace since the cessation of hostility in 2003. Security is practically in the hands of the Liberia National Police (LNP) who assumed responsibility since 28 June 2016. Though understaffed and facing logistical constrains the detachment has managed to maintain law and order across the length and breathe of this county.

However UN Security level in Zwedru remains at Level 2 (.i.e. low), indicative of the low-security risk level which is essentially petty criminality. UN staff members deployed to this location must complete the mandatory online: Basic Security in the Field and Advance Security in the Field before deployment. Curfew imposed for the safety and security of UN Personnel, Monday through Friday runs from midnight to 05:00hrs; Saturdays and Sundays from 02:00 hrs to 05:00 hrs. In view of the closure of the UNMIL office in Zwedru, UNHCR Head of Sub Office in the Area Security coordinator and the UNHCR Field Safety Associate the One UN security staff in the region.

Zwedru has a public hospital (Martha Tubman Hospital) with limited services and medical staffs. There is no pharmacy in Zwedru. If you are taking a specific medication on a regular basis, you are strongly advised to bring it with you, as well as some medications you may be in need.

There is a big market and some few shops where you can find certain items but at twice the price. Thus, it is advisable to buy some items from Monrovia. Another possibility is to buy from Ganta or Harper cities. Each month, UNHCR provides a shuttle to staff to one of these destinations to facilitate the supply of some essential items.

UN personnel are provided medical services in the UN Agency clinic, which is located on the ground floor of the Pan African Plaza in Sinkor, Monrovia, Liberia. Other medical services can be obtained at other medical facilities in Monrovia and in the field.